Friendly
remind that Intech office will be closed on Apr. 2nd – Apr. 4th,
2016, due to the advent of Qingming Festival. It is a Chinese traditional
festival that usually falls on the 4th to 6th of April.
The Origin of Qingming
Festival
Qingming
Festival also called Tomb Sweeping Day or Pure Brightness Festival, which can
trace back to the Spring and Autumn Period. Jie Zitui, a loyal supporter of Jin
princes Chong'er, cut a piece of meat from his own leg to save Chong'er,
because they were fugitive and starving. In 636 BC, Chong'er became the duke of
Jin, and he rewarded all the supporters who once helped him but forgot Jie
Zitui. When Duke Wen thought of him, Jie had moved into the forest living a
tranquil life together with his mother. Duke Wen spared no effort to persuade
Jie to get out of the forest by setting the forest on fire, however, Jie
refused and died in the fire. In honor of Jie Zitui, Duke Wen ordered that the
fire cannot be lit in three days. This is the origin of the Cold Food Festival.
Over the time, it evolves into Qingming Festival.
The Custom of Qingming Festival
One of the major customs in this festival is tomb sweeping, which is one of good way to demonstrate filial piety according to Confucianism. As a result, on each Qingming Festival, Chinese people usually come to the cemeteries of their ancestors to commemorate them. They dig the weeds, decorate the graves with flowers and offer the food for the ancestry. Additionally, there are diverse activities holding in this day, such as Spring Outing, Flying Kites, Planting Willow Trees, etc.