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.

Pakistan - A Cultural war Erupting from Foreign Firms Cashing in on Pakistan’s Appetite

Pakistan, the world’s sixth most populous country is culturally very passionate about food. Almost all occasions in the country varying from religious festivities like Eid-Ul-Adha, Shab-e-baraat, Eid-Ul- Fitar to non-religious occasions like birth of a child, a wedding or someone’s demise are all associated with specific kinds of feasts involving meals like biryani, sheer-khurma, daal chawal and much more.

Foreign Restaurants Exerting a Cultural Pull

Traditionally, the hot and spicy Pakistani food comprises of dishes like kebab rolls, nihari, haleem, biryani, and karahi chicken. These cuisines have always been a part of special occasions alongside large family gatherings. However, recent trends in urban lifestyles have introduced a trend of western dining and fast food in the country. Several international food chains including Subway, Nandos, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Dominoes, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) etc. have opened their doors throughout the country to cash on this opportunity. These restaurants have started attracting urban crowds on weekends, birthdays and even religious occasions like Eid. The entry of these international players in the food market has not only raised the level of competition in the local food industry but has also stirred somewhat of a cultural identity crisis among people. According to Sonya Rehman, based on the fact that the Pakistani youth views western food as much ‘cooler’ than their own, the fast food chains are capitalizing on this aspect. This affects cultural growth as the younger generation loses interest in its own culture.



February 2006 - Burnt KFC location in Karachi

Multinationals Facing Tough Challenges

On the flip side, though the foreign chains seem to be making huge profits, the costs paid in uncertain times are high. It is not uncommon to see a burnt or vandalized foreign food place (especially an American one) and an injured employee in the aftermath of any political commotion. Examples include burnt down KFCs and rioting at McDonalds. Moreover, since people associate western restaurants with western civilization trying to invade their cultural sanctity, businesses face a constant fear of backlash in politically unstable times.

The Result Remains to be Seen

Despite the presence of such a huge market, foreign investment in the food industry is still lower than investment in other sectors such as telecommunications given the political instability of the country. It appears to be a market just scraped on the surface by some foreign chains. Further effects on local dining culture (be it a move towards global trends or adoption of greater steps to preserve local tastes) still remain to be seen as more international chains venture into the Pakistani food market and test their potential in this land of over 169 million people.