Ching Ming Festival清明节

Ching Ming Festival， also known as tomb-sweeping day， is celebrated 15 days after the spring equinox in the Chinese lunar calendar and this year falls on April 4. In China， the festival is a public holiday.

清明节是祭祖扫墓的日子，为中国农历春分后的第15天，今年的清明节是在4月4日。在中国，清明节为法定节假日。

What is the festival’s origin？

清明节的起源

Its name originates from the saying “plants start to revive and prosper at Ching Ming in a clean and bright way”. Thus Ching Ming literally means “clean” and “bright” in Chinese， and marks both the beginning of spring and of farm work.

清明节的名称源于古语“万物生长此时，皆清净明洁”。因此，“清明”在汉语中的字面意思是“清净”与“明洁”，标志着春天和农活的开始。

The customs of the festival as we know it today， however， originate from hanshi jie， or the Cold Food Festival.

不过，我们今天所熟知的清明节习俗其实源自寒食节。

According to legend， in the 7th century BC in the Chinese state of Jin， an exiled duke called Wen was starving and had no food to eat， so one of his followers， named Jie Zitui， cut a piece of his flesh from his thigh to make soup for Wen. Wen was grateful for the meal and wanted to pay Jie back.

相传，在公元前7世纪中国的晋国，公子重耳（后来的晋文公）在外流亡时，饥饿难耐而无食物充饥，于是一位名叫介子推的从者割下自己大腿的肉为他熬汤。晋文公十分感激，想要报答介子推。

However， the story does not end well： when Wen eventually became the ruler， he forgot about Jie， who had moved to a remote mountain with his mother. When he learned of his saviour’s whereabouts， he ordered his army to set the forest on fire， hoping to force Jie out of hiding. The fire raged for three days and eventually the emperor saw Jie and his mother clinging， dead， to a charred willow tree. He buried them under the tree.

然而，故事的结局并不美好：晋文公最终成为一国之君后，忘了介子推，而介子推早已带着母亲隐居到了一座偏远的山中。晋文公在得知救命恩人的下落后，命令军队放火烧山，希望以此迫使介子推出山。大火烧了三天。最终，晋文公只看见介子推和他的母亲紧紧抱着一棵烧焦的柳树，二人都已亡故。晋文公将他们埋葬在了这棵柳树之下。

Out of remorse， Wen decreed no fires were allowed on the anniversary of Jie’s death， forcing people to eat only cold food; this marked the beginning of the Cold Food Festival. The emperor went to Jie’s grave to pay his respects and express his condolences the following year. Upon the tomb the emperor saw the burned willow tree coming back to life. After sweeping the tomb， Wen named the tree “Ching Ming Willow” and the day “Ching Ming Day”.

出于悔恨，晋文公下令，在介子推忌日这天，人们不准生火，只能吃冷食。这便是寒食节的由来。次年，晋文公前往介子推的墓前祭拜，以表达敬意和哀思。他看到墓旁被烧焦的柳树重新焕发出生机。扫完墓后，晋文公将这棵树命名为“清明柳”，并将这一天定为“清明节”。

Since the Cold Food Festival usually fell one or two days before Ching Ming， the customs associated with it eventually became part of the Ching Ming Festival.

由于寒食节通常是在清明节前一两天，因此寒食节的相关习俗最终变成了清明节的一部分。

How is the Ching Ming Festival observed？

清明节的习俗

When paying tribute to ancestors and visiting their graves， people may burn incense and paper goods—money and models of things their ancestors might need in the afterlife such as a stored-value card， a wok， a luxury handbag or car—to ensure they enjoy a good afterlife. Some will place flowers， fruit and other foods on the tomb to remember the dead.

祭祖扫墓时，人们会在墓前上香，并烧一些纸扎——包括纸钱和先人死后在阴间所需物品的模型，例如储值卡、炒锅、奢侈品包包或汽车等——以确保先人九泉之下过得幸福。还有些人会在墓前摆上鲜花、水果及其他食物来缅怀逝者。

In China， where most urban dwellers’ ancestors are buried in nearby rural areas， the Ching Ming Festival sees some of the heaviest traffic on the roads.

在中国，大部分城市居民的祖先都埋葬于附近的农村地区，因而清明节是道路交通最为拥堵的时段之一。

In recent years， virtual tomb-sweeping has also become popular， allowing people to pay their respects online by posting letters or messages to the deceased and offering virtual fruit， flowers， and incense as a tribute.

近些年，线上扫墓逐渐兴起。人们可以在线给逝者寄信或留言，并献上虚拟的水果、鲜花和香火作为供品，来表达悼念之情。

As Ching Ming Festival also marks the start of spring， many people will spend some time outdoors enjoying nature on what should be some of the first warm days of the year.

由于清明节也标志着春天的开始，许多人都会在这个一年中刚刚回暖的日子外出踏青，享受大自然的美好。

A popular activity during such spring outings is kite flying. In ancient times， people used to tie pieces of paper with lists of their ailments and problems to a kite. They would then cut the string once the kite was high in the air and let it soar away， believing this to fend off misfortune and evil spirits.

放风筝是一项十分流行的春游活动。在古代，人们常将写上自己病痛和烦恼的纸条绑在风筝上。待风筝飞上高空，人们就会剪断风筝线，让风筝随风飞走，人们相信这样可以驱赶厄运和邪灵。

What is the difference between the Ching Ming and Chung Yeung festivals？

清明节与重阳节的区别

Unlike two other dates in the Chinese lunar calendar， the Mid-Autumn Festival， when mooncakes are eaten， and the Dragon Boat Festival， which are distinctive and easy to remember， the Ching Ming and Chung Yeung festivals—the latter falling in autumn—share similar customs and tend to confuse people.

相比中国农历中另外两个各具特色且容易记住的节日——有吃月饼习俗的中秋节和有赛龙舟风俗的端午节，清明节和重阳节（后者在秋季）有着相似的习俗，容易让人混淆。

Both festivals are marked by tomb sweeping to honour ancestors and deceased loved ones. During Chung Yeung Festival it is also the custom to climb mountains to enjoy nature， and fly kites to fend off bad luck. Both are similar to the activities seen during spring outings for Ching Ming.

这两个节日都有通过扫墓来缅怀先人和已逝亲人的传统。此外，重阳节也有登高望远享受自然和放风筝驱除厄运的习俗。这两种习俗与清明节踏青时的活动十分相似。

The difference between the two festivals is in when they fall and what they symbolise： Ching Ming Festival celebrates the start of spring， when plants grow new shoots， and warmer weather is in prospect， while Chung Yeung， observed on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese lunar calendar， is in autumn， a time when the weather becomes cooler and plants begins to wither.

二者的区别在于节日的时间和象征意义：清明节标志着春天的开始，此时草木萌动、天气转暖；重阳节则是在中国农历九月初九，正值秋季，是天气转凉、草木开始凋零的时节。

The bigger picture

更广阔的节日图景

Look closer and paying respects to ancestors， praying for blessings and warding off evil spirits， serving traditional foods and taking part in celebratory activities are common to nearly every festival in the Chinese calendar.

仔细观察会发现，追念祖先、祈福辟邪、端出传统美食及参与庆祝活动，几乎是所有中国农历节日共有的习俗。

（译者单位：上海海洋大学）