The Qingming Festival - Experience Chinese traditions during your stay!

Qingming, which means “Remembrance of Ancestors Day” or “Grave-Sweeping Day” takes place on the 15th day after the Spring Equinox. This means it usually takes place on April 4th or April 5th in the western calendar. At Qingming festival, the graves are swept, food, flowers and objects that the deceased loved during their lifetime are placed in front of the graves, incense sticks are lit, and death benefit is burned. The burning of the imitation money is for the deceased to use in the afterlife. In recent years, the burning of paper imitations of a wide variety of consumer goods, such as iPhones, designer handbags, houses and sports cars, has become popular.

Each family member comes in front of the headstone and bows three times with their right fist held cupped in their left hand. Some families will then eat the food at the gravesite, akin to having a picnic with their deceased relatives. It is said to bring good luck to eat the food that was offered to the deceased. Some families may also set off firecrackers to scare off evil spirits and to alert the deceased relatives that they are there to pay their respects.

The festival is usually a family gathering, but this year was different. It had to be largely avoided to protect the population from the corona virus. In memory of the Corona victims, the whole country stood still for three minutes on Saturday.