Qingming

The Qingming Festival, also called Pure Brightness Festival, Clear Bright Festival, Ancestors Day, Festival for Tending Graves, Chinese Memorial Day, Spring Remembrance or Tomb Sweeping Day which is celebrated the fifteenth day from the Spring Equinox and it is usually on April fourth, fifth or sixth. During 2010 it was on April 5 and in 2011 it will be on April 5. Amusingly this day is also called All Souls Day which can be confused with the Catholic holiday of the same name.

The tradition of honouring ancestors in Qingming goes back over 2,500 years and the origin of the holiday is credited to the Tang Emperor Xuanzong in 732 where wealthy citizens of China were reportedly were having too many extravagant and expensive ceremonies in honour of ancestors. Emperor Xuanzong declared that such respects could only be formally paid at ancestors graves only on Qingming to try to deal with the practice. Interestingly, many years into the future the Communist Party of China repealed the holiday in 1949 and the holiday was suppressed until 2008 in which the holiday was reinstated.

During the celebration of Qingming, people honour ancestors at grave sites, at the name Tomb Sweeping Festival suggests, the tombs are swept while  food, drinks such as tea and wine, joss paper and such things are offered to their ancestors. Bland food usually are offered as it is said that ghosts roam the grave area and the food is likely to not be eaten by the ghosts as the food won’t be very appealing
People also respectively do a type of bow known as a kowtow at the gravesites in respect of ancestors. It tends to be three kowtows but can be as many as nine.

People will also do some singing, dancing and flying kites to celebrate spring. People will also colour eggs and break them open to symbolize springs opening of new life.

On the day of Qingming the branches of willow trees are also carried, put on gates and/or put on doors as it is said it is the will branches will help ward off evil spirits.