The Chinese All Souls Day and the Cold Food Day 清明节与寒食

The Chinese All Souls Day, or Qingming Festival, meaning Clear and Bright Festival, is a time for people to visit and clean their ancestral grave yards. It usually starts on 4 or 5 April every year, which is in the third month of the lunar calendar. This year it starts on 4 April afternoon.
The festival is also known by a number of other names in the English: Clear Brightness Festival, Festival for Tending Graves, Grave Sweeping Day, Chinese Memorial Day, Tomb Sweeping Day, and Spring Remembrance, etc.
In China, there is one tomb or mausoleum that is visited by many, especially during the Qingming festival. That is the Huangdi Mausoleum in the Huangling County, Yan-an City, Shaanxi Province of China. The Chinese people consider Huangdi to be their common ancestor and for thousands of years, every Qingming swarms of people have come here to hold a memorial ceremony to Huangdi. In 2008, the memorial ceremony was attended by 8,000 people. In recent years, the memorial ceremony has become a major national event in China’s Qingming calendar.
Qingming is not just a day of remembrance; it is also a day to celebrate the coming of spring. It is therefore also a time for spring outings. Another unique pastime during Qingming is that people fly kites at night. In modern China, the Qingming Festival is also a time to plant trees. Since 1979, 12 March has become the official Tree Planting Day in China.
There is another festival which is practised one day before Qingming Festival. It is known as the Haishi Day (or Cold Food Day). On that day every year, no fire or smoke is allowed and people shall eat cold food for the whole day.
According to the legend, the day is in memory of Jie Zhitui who lived in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC). Jie worked for Crown Prince Chong-er of the Jin State. Before Chong-er became the king, Jie once saved Chong-er’s life by cutting the fresh off Jie’s own leg and boiled for Chong-er. After ascending the throne, Chong'er decided to reward his officials. But he forgot about Jie Zitui. Jie was so sad that he left and lived in seclusion with his mother in mountains.
Chong-er felt so guilty that he went to the mountains to look for Jie. For it was impossible to find him in the endless trees and hills, Chong-er ordered to set the mountain on fire, so as to force Jie out of his hiding place. But Jie didn't show up; he and his mother were found to be dead in arms after the fire was put out, together with a note written by him in blood: ‘I cut off my own flesh to dedicate to you, only to wish my king will always be clear and bright.’
Chong'er was deeply saddened by this tragedy. He ordered that a temple be built in memory of his most loyal follower. He also ordered that no fires were allowed on the anniversary of Jie Zitui's death. So people had to eat their cold food on that day, or the day of Hanshi. In addition, people began to visit Jie Zitui's tomb and pay their respects to his memory.
The tradition of the Hanshi Festival was gradually combined into the Qingming Festival and today, it is part of the Qingming festival.
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清明节是人们前往扫墓的日子。清明是在农历三月初，西历则在每年的四月四或五日开始。今年的清明节就从四月四日下午开始。
在中国，有一个墓陵被很多人祭拜，那就是在中国陕西省延安市黄陵县的黄帝陵。黄帝是华人的共同祖宗，所以千年以来，每逢清明都有不少人到那里做公祭。2008年就有超过8千人参与公祭拜祖大典。近年来，公祭黄陵大典已成为中国清明的一项重要活动。
清明并不单是纪念先人的日子，它也庆祝春天的到来。所以也是春游的好时刻。另一个独特的风俗是人们在晚间玩风筝。在现在的中国，清明也是种树的日子。自从1979年以来，三月十二日已成为正式的植树日。
在清明节的前一天，还有一个节日，那就是寒食节。每年这一天，不准起火或生烟，人们只能整日吃寒冷的食物。
据传说，这是为了纪念春秋时代(770-476BC) 的介子推。介子推是晋公子重耳的臣子。晋公子登位前，有一次为了救重耳一命，介子推把自己腿上的肉割下来煮给重耳吃。重耳登位之后，决定重赏旧臣，但他把介子推忘了。介子推很伤心，与母亲离开到深山里隐居。
重耳感到内疚，到山里找介子推。可是无穷的树和山，根本就没法找到介子推。为了把介子推从他的隐居中逼出来，重耳下令放火烧山。可是介子推并没有出来。火平息后，却发现介子推与其母拥抱在一起的尸体，还有他以血书写的字条：‘割肉奉君尽丹心，但愿主公常清明。’
重耳为了这个悲剧而大为伤感。他下令为这位忠臣建庙纪念，并规定在他的每年忌日不可起火。所以人们只好在当天吃寒冷的食物。同时，人们开始到介子推的坟墓去参拜与怀念。
后来寒食节慢慢地融入清明节。今天，它已成为清明节风俗的一部分了。