清明節（tomb-sweeping day）

1、qing ming jie（all souls' day）

qing ming is a time to remember the dead and the dearly departed. more important, it is a period to honour and to pay respect to one's deceased ancestors and family members. because it reinforces the ethic of filial piety, qing ming is a major chinese festival.

literally meaning "clear" (qing) and "bright" (ming), this chinese festival falls in early spring, on the 106th day after the winter solstice. it is a "spring" festival, and it is an occasion for the whole family to leave the home and to sweep the graves of their forebears. chinese being practical people this sweeping of the graves is given an extended period, that is, 10 days before and after qing ming day. among some dialect groups a whole month is allocated.

清明節是一個紀念祖先的節日。主要的紀念儀式是掃墓，掃墓是慎終追遠、郭親睦鄰及行孝的具體表現；基于上述意義，清明節因此成為華人的重要節日。 清明節是在仲春和暮春之交，也就是冬至后的106天。掃墓活動通常是在清明節的前十天或后十天。有些地域的人士的掃墓活動長達一個月。

origin（起源）

qing ming is popularly associated with jie zi zhui, who lived in shanxi province in 600 b.c. legend has it that jie saved his starving lord's life by serving a piece of his own leg. when the lord succeeded in becoming the ruler of a small principality, he invited his faithful follower to join him. however, jie declined his invitation, preferring to lead a hermit's life with his mother in the mountains.

believing that he could force jie out by burning the mountain, the lord ordered his men to set the forest on fire. to his consternation, jie chose to remain where he was and was burnt to death. to commemorate jie, the lord ordered all fires in every home to be put out on the anniversary of jie's death. thus began the "cold food feast", a day when no food could be cooked since no fire could be lit.

the "cold food" festival occurs on the eve of qing ming and is often considered as part of the qing ming festival. as time passes, the qing ming festival replaced the "cold food" festival. whatever practice is observed，the basic observation of qing ming is to remember one's elders by making a special effort to visit their graves, ashes or ancestral tablets. to make the visit even more meaningful, some time should be spent to remind the younger members of the family of the lives and contributions of their ancestors, and the story of jie zi zhui who choose death over capitulation.