Qing Ming Festival: The Story Behind Tomb Sweeping Day

Qing Ming Festival takes place every year in April. You may ask, ‘where does this festival originate?’ Well, allow us to tell you!

Origins of the Festival

Legends reveal that there was an exiled prince called Wen who was very poor and barely had food to eat. A man named Jie gave him some pork broth to keep his hunger satiated.

Since meat was very rare and expensive in those days, Wen had to try save his soup for a few days. He was however, very grateful for his meal and wanted to repay Jie for his kind deed. But, after returning to the palace and becoming King, Wen forgot all about Jie.

Time passed. Jie moved to the mountains to live with his mother and spend the rest of his life in peace. One day, Wen remembered him and decided to visit him to repay him for his kindness. But when he tried looking for him, he couldn’t find him. So, he ordered his army to set fire to the mountains thinking that Jie would come out and show himself.

However, that didn’t happen. Jie and his mother sadly died in this fire on April 5, 1636. Wen was very upset with himself and felt very sorry that he did such a thing. So every year, on that day, setting fires were forbidden, and only cold food was allowed to be served.

Festival Activities

This day is now called the Qing Ming Festival or Cold Food Festival, where it’s a chance for the living to honour the dead by burning incense, offering gifts of food and burning joss paper, also known as ghost money. This festival marks respect for those who have passed on and has been practised for generations.

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You can also purchase and enjoy our storybooks about Chinese Festivals here and learn more about Chinese festivals! 

The collection includes 11 storybooks and 1 activity book. What’s better than reading stories and doing fun activities at home with your family during this Qing Min festival!