Qingming Festival

Qingming, meaning clear and bright, is one of the 24 solar terms in China. It is the most important day for people to offer sacrifice to ancestors. Qingming Festival is a time for various activities, and the more popular ones are tomb sweeping, spring outings, and kite flying. Some other lost customs, such as putting willow branches on gates and riding on swings, added infinite joy in the past. Moreover, people often participate in a sport to ward off the cold. In a word, the festival integrates both sadness and happiness.

Ancestor worship
Ancestor worship is the Qingming Festival main event. Grave, the first cut off all the weeds, repairs around the tomb, and then to add some new soil on nurturing and incense burning paper money and then dedicated to wine and meat dishes, set off firecrackers, the final line to the ancestor worship ceremony.

Tomb sweeping
Tomb sweeping during the Qingming Festival shows respect and offers sacrifice to ancestors at gravesites. Many people had long followed the custom before the festival was established. According to the custom, when sweeping tombs, people offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, joss paper accessories and libations to their ancestors, add fresh soil to the grave, and stick willow branches on the tomb. Kowtowing is also an indispensable part of the custom.

Flying Kites
Flying kites is also an important custom enjoyed by many people, young and old, during the Qingming Festival. Kites are not only flown during the day but also in the evening when little colored lanterns are tied to the kites or to the strings that hold the kites. When kites fly in the evening, the lanterns look like twinkling stars that add uniqueness to the sky. In the past, people cut the string to let the kite fly freely. This custom is believed to bring good luck and eliminate diseases.

Spring Outing
In ancient times, it was also called finding the spring. In March, spring could be seen everywhere. The vibrant is full of a lively scene. It is a great time for hiking. Chinese people keep a long-term habit of Ta-Qing.

Sweet Green Rice Balls (Qing Tuan)
The sweet green rice ball is a Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day) food popular in Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces. It is also a must-have offering at ancestral rituals in the south of the Yangtze River. The custom of making sweet green rice balls dates back to the Zhou Dynasty over 2,000 years ago. One or two days before the Qingming Festival were designated as "cold food days", during which hot cooking is banned.