Qingming Jie, Xian

Qingming Jie, Xian

The Qingming festival is also referred to as the clear and bright festival and is one of the special terms which were assigned to the twenty solar divisions of their calendar year. The festival falls around the first week of April and it motivates people to go out and enjoy the excellent weather that the country presents during that particular time. The time is just perfect to sow new crops and plant new trees.

There are quite a few legends about the origin of the festival and one legend has that it is celebrated to respect the honor of one minister of high values Jie Zitui who preferred to burn to ashes rather than accept a position of power.

People haven't forgotten the great act and they don't light fire in their kitchen on a particular day of the year to respect the departed soul. The day has slowly evolved into a no fire day and people are expected to have cold food. However the festival has taken different shapes and forms with the advent of different dynasties like with the arrival of the Qin and Han dynasties the day was also marked for cleaning the graves of their ancestors and to pay respect to the departed souls of the loved ones.

Starting with the Tang dynasty people started associating with outings and traveling to the country side. Greenery and nature was the flavor of the season perhaps the nascent form of eco tourism the world has ever seen. Other forms of celebration of the festival include carrying willow branches and putting them in the house to bar the entry of insects in the room. People also indulge in some sporting activities like flying activities, cockfighting, ancient Chinese football and a simple activity like swinging. Some other forms of expression are also there thus making this festival a truly unique one.

Book Xian hotels now