Why Chinese sweep tombs around Qingming Festival

The weather around Qingming Festival gets warmer as the air becomes fresher and the day turns brighter and more beautiful with sunshine. The landscape is clean and clear, as the name “Qingming” is derived from. According to Chinese geomancy custom, it is around Qingming that yang-qi rises, and the exchange of yin qi and yang qi between heaven and earth is frequent; therefore, Qingming is the most suitable time for living people to make spiritual communications with dead souls. Descendants come to visit their ancestors’ tombs, conducting ancestor worshipping rituals and sweeping those tombs. It is believed that this will give them inner peace for the whole year. This annual tomb sweeping takes care of weeding and cleans up the area to welcome a fresh and vigorous spring. Scenery of a new spring is believed to symbolize how the souls of their ancestors rest in peace. Although ancestors are no longer with us, they are still connected with us spiritually. Tomb sweeping is our way to maintain harmonious bond with ancestors. This is why tomb sweeping is held each year during Qingming Festival since ancient time.

Ancients ate cold food on Qingming Festival

In ancient times, the day before Qingming Festival is the Cold Food Festival. The Cold Food Festival was celebrated by Duke Wen of Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China with the purpose of memorizing Jiezitui. There is a long history custom of prohibiting fire and eating cold food during Qingming Festival, but these are not as common in modern times. Only a few would know about the Cold Food Festival. However, lots of people also eat cold or vegetarian food before sweeping tombs to show their respect to ancestors.

Better to sweep tombs between 7:00 and 17:00

According to Chinese geomancy custom, the best time to sweep a tomb is when yang-qi is the strongest. Normally, it is between 7 o’clock in the morning and 5 o’clock in the afternoon, and it’s not advisable for tomb sweeping after sunset or when the sky is dark. If one is not in a good spiritual condition, he or she may wear some jade article to stabilize one’s spirit. One should dress himself or herself properly and wear a solemn and respectful face. It’s not allowed to say any rude words, talk loudly, or speak any disrespectful words about the dead. One should concentrate when sweeping tombs instead of gazing around or looking into details of or stepping on tombs of others. In addition to being overcritical with others’ tombs, it is also disrespectful to take pictures among tombs. Pregnant women, those who are sick, and children under seven years of age are not permitted to sweep tombs.

After the tomb sweeping, many will feel tired. It’s time to take a shower and change clothes. According to ancient customs, one should step over a fire pan before entering the door to remove ying qi.

Wearing dark clothing means projecting a solemn and serious manner

Some people think that one should wear bright colors, like red and yellow, instead of black clothes. Their reason is that black clothes attract yin qi, which is unreasonable. Wearing dark means solemnity and seriousness, the right way to express grieves to our ancestors. It is considered disrespectful to dress in bright colors.

Some also believe that one should not buy shoes on Qingming Festival because shoe and evil are pronounced the same way in Chinese, and buying shoes may attract evils. However, this is merely a superstition from an ancient time. Buying shoes on Qingming won’t bring bad fortune to anyone.

As time passes, there are less taboos during the time to conduct riturals during Qingming Festival. The remaining rituals are praying in front of the tomb while lighting incense, removing weeds, providing offerings, lighting paper money and gold ingots, and decorating the tomb with some flowers to entrust their memories about their ancestors. Today, the traditional tomb worshipping has changed, and the rituals have become more simplified and innovated. Especially in the cities, some environmentally friendly offerings, such as flowers, a yellow ribbon or “A Letter to the Heaven”, are accepted by more and more people.

Source: Confucius Institute Online