Qingming Festival 清明节

清明节是中国重要的传统节日之一，至今仍是中华民族包括海外华人的重要节日之一。清明节古时也称三月节，已有两千多年历史。公历4月5日前后为清明节，为二十四节气之一。
As one of important traditional festivals in China, Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day) is an important festival for Chinese in mainland China and overseas. In the ancient time, Qingming Festival was also called Sanyue Festival (literally, a festival in March), with a history over 2,000 years. It usually falls around April 5 in the Gregorian calendar and is one of the Chinese 24 solar terms.
在中国农历二十四个节气中，既是节气又是节日的只有清明。由于二十四节气比较客观地反映了一年四季气温、降雨、物候等方面的变化，所以古代劳动人民据此来安排农事活动。清明一到，气温升高，雨量增多，正是春耕春种的大好时节,故有“清明前后，点瓜种豆”、“植树造林，莫过清明”的农谚，可见这个节气与农业生产有着十分密切的关系。
Among the 24 solar terms in the Chinese calendar, only Qingming Festival represents both a solar term and a festival. Because the 24 solar terms reflect the variations on the temperature, rainfall and phenology of a year, ancient farmers arranged their plowing and sowing time based on the calendar. When Qingming Festival comes, it is the best time for plowing and sowing due to the rising air temperature and increasing rainfall. It became a common knowledge for farmers: “sow crops around Qingming Festival” and “trees shall be planted during Qingming Festival”. Therefore, we can see that there is a close connection between this solar term and farming in China.
但是，清明作为节日，与纯粹的节气又有所不同，它包含着丰富的风俗活动内容。
Unlike other solar terms, Qingming Festival involves in a much more variety of custom-related activities.
清明节是纪念祖先的节日，主要活动仪式是祭祖、扫墓，这是人们慎终追远、敦亲睦族及行孝的具体表现。秦汉时代，墓祭已成为人们重要的礼俗活动之一。扫墓原是清明节前一天寒食节的内容。寒食节相传起于晋文公对介子推的悼念。唐玄宗开元二十年诏令天下，“寒食上墓”。后来，由于寒食与清明日子接近，这个民间禁火扫墓的日子就逐渐与清明合二为一了。寒食既成为清明的别称，也变成为清明时节的一个习俗，清明之日不动烟火，只吃凉的食品。
Qingming Festival is a time to revere the ancestor. Major rites involved are ancestor worshipping and tomb sweeping. All the rites manifest the devout worshipping, family togetherness and filial piety of the tomb sweepers. As early as the Qin and Han dynasties, tomb sweeping was considered an important customary practice. Tomb sweeping was originally organized on Cold Food Festival which falls one day earlier than Qingming Festival. Cold Food Festival is popularly associated with the lamentation of Jie Zitui by Duke Wen of Jin (ruler of the Jin Kingdom). In the 20th year of the Kaiyuan period, Emperor of Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty issued an imperial edict that people should pay respect to the dead at his tomb on Cold Food Festival. Later, Cold Food Festival was combined with Qingming Festival. Therefore, Hanshi (cold food) is an alternative name of Qingming Festival, and it is also considered a customary practice on Qingming Festival. On the Qingming Festival, food cannot be cooked with fire, so people only have cold food.
除了禁火、扫墓，还有踏青、放风筝、荡秋千、娱乐游戏等活动，江南还有蚕花会和祭祀蚕神等活动。因此，清明时节既有祭扫坟墓的悲酸之泪，又有踏青游玩的欢笑之声，是一个富有特色的节日。新中国成立后，各地群众多在清明节前后前往革命烈士陵园扫墓，表达对先烈的缅怀之情。
In addition fire prohibition and tomb sweeping, spring outings, kite flying, playing on swings and other amusements are also organized on Qingming Festival. In the south of Yangtze River, there is Canhua Fair, activity of offering sacrifices to Goddess Silkworm and other activities. Qingming Festival is a special day when sad tomb sweepers can also enjoy the greenery of springtime. Since the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, people usually visit the cemeteries of revolutionary martyrs around Qingming Festival every year to pay their homage.
清明节的文化意义非同寻常。它可以满足人们追思先人的情感需要，强化亲情关系。
Qingming Festival plays a distinctive cultural role. It satisfies the emotional needs in memory of the dead and incre