The Origin of Qingming Festival（清明节来历）
大约始于周代，已有二千五百多年的历史。清明最开始是一个很重要的节气，清明一到，气温升高，正是春耕春种的大好时节，故有“清明前后，种瓜种豆”“植树造林，莫过清明”的农谚。后来，由于清明与寒食的日子接近，而寒食是民间禁火扫墓的日子，渐渐的，寒食与清明就合二为一了，而寒食既成为清明的别称，也变成为清明时节的一个习俗，清明之日不动烟火，只吃凉的食品。
清明节起源于春秋战国时代，是中国汉族的传统节日，为中国二十四节气之一，时间约在每年的阳历4月5日前后。清明节后雨水增多，大地呈现春和景明之象。这一时节万物“吐故纳新”，无论是大自然中的植被，还是与自然共处的人体，都在此时换去冬天的污浊，迎来春天的气息，实现由阴到阳的转化。
There is a saying in ancient times that the day before the Qingming Festival was known as the "Cold Food Festival". It is said that it began during the Spring and Autumn period when Duke Wen of Jin mourned for Jie Zituis "cutting of his thigh to satisfy hunger", and gradually merged into one Qingming Cold Food Festival. The tomb sweeping date in the Tang Dynasty was generally during the Cold Food Festival, and after the Song Dynasty, it was moved to the Qingming Festival. Legend has it that the origin of the "Cold Food Festival" is in the central part of Shanxi Province, known as Jiexiu. The origin of Jiexiu was to commemorate Jiezi Tuis "cutting of the thigh to satisfy hunger" without seeking revenge, and he was ultimately burned down by a large fire here, resulting in the death of Mianshan, also known as "Jieshan". According to legend, after the Great Yu controlled the floods, people used the phrase "Qingming" to celebrate the end of the flood and the peace of the world. At this time, spring is warm and flowers are blooming, everything is reviving, and the sky is clear and the earth is bright. It is a good time for spring outings and outings. Spring outings began as early as the Tang Dynasty and have been a tradition throughout history. In addition to appreciating the natural scenery of lakes, mountains, and spring scenery, spring outings also carry out various cultural and entertainment activities to add fun to life.
古有清明前一天为“寒食节”之说，相传起于春秋时期晋文公悼念介子推“割股充饥”一事，后逐渐清明寒食合而为一。唐代扫墓日期一般在寒食节，宋后移到清明。传说中“寒食节”的起源地就在山西中部介休，介休一名的来历即是为纪念介子推“割股充饥”而不图为报，最终在此被大火烧山而亡，绵山也因此又称“介山”。相传大禹治水后，人们就用“清明”之语庆贺水患已除，天下太平。此时春暖花开，万物复苏，天清地明，正是春游踏青的好时节。踏青早在唐代就已开始，历代承袭成为习惯。踏青除了欣赏大自然的湖光山色、春光美景之外，还开展各种文娱活动，增添生活情趣。
The Origin of Qingming Festival（清明节起源）
The origin of Qingming Festival is said to have originated from the ancient ritual of "tomb worship" by emperors and prime ministers. Later, people also followed suit and worshipped ancestors and swept tombs on this day, which has been a fixed custom of the Chinese nation throughout history. Originally, Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival were two different festivals. In the Tang Dynasty, the day of worshipping and sweeping graves was designated as Cold Food Festival. The correct day for the Cold Food Festival is 105 days after the winter solstice, around the time of Qingming. As the two days are similar, Qingming and Cold Food are merged into one day.
清明节的起源，据传始于古代帝王将相“墓祭”之礼，后来民间亦相仿效，于此日祭祖扫墓，历代沿袭而成为中华民族一种固定的风俗。本来，寒食节与清明节是两个不同的节日，到了唐朝，将祭拜扫墓的日子定为寒食节。寒食节的正确日子是在冬至后一百零五天，约在清明前后，因两者日子相近，所以便将清明与寒食合并为一日。
The custom of worshipping ancestors and sweeping graves in front of graves has a long history in China. As early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, tombs were highly valued. During the Eastern Zhou and Warring States periods, the "Mencius Qi Ren Pian" also mentioned a person from Qi who was often ridiculed. He often went to the Dongguo Tomb to beg for food and offer sacrifices to the tomb, indicating that the trend of tomb sweeping was very popular during the Warring States period. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, a decree was issued to designate cold food tomb sweeping as one of the "Five Rites" at that time. Therefore, every Qingming Festival arrived, "the fields and roads were filled with scholars and women, and the servants and beggars of the soap province all had their parents pay homage to the tomb." (Liu Zongyuans "Letter to Xu Jingzhao") Tomb sweeping became an important social custom. According to the "Biography of Yan Yannian" in the Book of Han, even if Yan was thousands of miles away from the capital, he would "return to the East China Sea to sweep graves" during the Qingming Festival. From the perspective of the development and strengthening of Chinese ancestor worship and kinship consciousness, Yan Yannians actions are reasonable and reasonable. Therefore, in later generations, tomb sacrifices that were not standardized in ancient times were also included in the Five Rites: "For families of scholars and commoners, it is advisable to go to the tomb and incorporate it into the Five Rites, which will always be the norm." With official recognition, the trend of tomb sacrifices will inevitably flourish.
在墓前祭祖扫墓，这个习俗在中国起源甚早。早在西周时对墓葬就十分重视。东周战国时代《孟子·齐人篇》也曾提及一个为人所耻笑的齐国人，常到东郭坟墓同乞食祭墓的祭品，可见战国时代扫墓之风气十分盛行。到了唐玄宗时，下诏定寒食扫墓为当时“五礼”之一，因此每逢清明节来到，“田野道路，士女遍满，皂隶佣丐，皆得父母丘墓。”（柳宗元《与许京兆书》）扫墓遂成为社会重要风俗。《汉书·严延年传》载，严氏即使离京千里也要在清明“还归东海扫墓地”。就中国人祖先崇拜和亲族意识的发达、强固来看，严延年的举动是合情合理的。因此后世把上古没有纳入规范的墓祭也归入五礼之中：“士庶之家，宜许上墓，编入五礼，永为常式。”得到官方的认可，墓祭之风必然大盛。
The Qingming Festival has a history of over 2500 years. In ancient times, it was also known as the Spring Festival, March Festival, Ancestor Worship Festival, Tomb Sweeping Festival, Ghost Festival, and so on. It is also known as the three famous "Ghost Festivals" in China, along with the Zhongyuan Festival Festival on the 15th of July and the Hanyi Festival on the 1st of October. The Qingming Festival falls around the fifth day of the fourth lunar month and is one of the twenty-four solar terms. Among the 24 solar terms, the only one that is both a solar term and a festival is Qingming.
清明节已有2500多年历史，古时又叫踏青节、三月节、祭祖节、扫墓节、扫坟节、鬼节等。它与七月十五的中元节、十月初一的寒衣节，并称为中国三大著名“鬼节”。公历四月五日前后为清明节，是二十四节气之一。在二十四个节气中，既是节气又是节日的只有清明。
On May 20, 2006, the Qingming Festival declared by the Ministry of Culture of the Peoples Republic of China was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.
Stories and legends of Qingming Festival（清明节故事传说）
When it comes to "Qingming" and "Cold Food", people often mention Jiezi Tui. In fact, in China, there are usually customs first, followed by legends. Legend has it that "Qingming" and "Cold Food" were established by Duke Wen of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period to commemorate Jie Zitui. Duke Wen of Jin designated the day when Jie Zitui died in a great fire in Mianshan as the "Cold Food Festival", and also designated the day after the Cold Food Festival as the "Qingming Festival". In the Quwo area where Duke Wen of Jin was located, the Cold Food Festival is already full of spring, while in higher dimensional areas, spring has not yet arrived. The most important thing for the Cold Food Festival is to cut off the fire, because fire cannot be used, so people can only eat cold rice. In literary works, there are indeed records of Jie Zituis character, but in historical books such as Zuo Zhuan and Shi Ji, there is no scene of Jie Zitui being burned to death on a mountain. Moreover, the origin of the Cold Food Festival dates back to the commemoration of Jie Zitui, and this statement was not recorded until the turn of the Han Dynasty (as seen in Huan Tans "New Treatise"). Many scholars believe that this was created by later generations to explain the association with the Cold Food Festival. According to research, the origin of Qingming Festival is actually unrelated to Jiezi Tui.
提到“清明”、“寒食”，人们往往提及介子推。事实上，在中国，一般都是先有节俗，后有传说。传说“清明”、“寒食”是春秋时期晋文公为了纪念介子推而设，晋文公将介子推在大火烧绵山死了这一天定为“寒食节”，又把寒食节的后一天定为“清明节”。晋文公所在的曲沃一带，寒食节已经春意盎然，而维度更高的地方，春天还未到来。寒食节最重要的就是断火，因为不能用火，所以人们只能吃冷饭。 在文献作品中，确有介子推其人的记载，但在《左传》、《史记》等史书的记载中，并没有介子推被焚山而死的情节。并且，寒食节起源于纪念介子推，这一说法最早也要到两汉之交才有记载（见于桓谭《新论》）。许多学者认为这是后人为了解释寒食节附会而来。据考，清明节的起源其实与介子推无关。
Qingming, as a spring festival, was already established before the Zhou Dynasty. China has a vast territory, with different customs in the north and south during the pre Qin period. The literature mainly records the northern customs. The Tang Dynasty was a period of fusion of tomb worship customs in various regions, and since then, the tomb worship customs of the Qingming Festival have gradually appeared in the literature. In the historical development and evolution, traditional festivals are often associated with a legend as their "origin", but in actual examination, these claims are far later than the birth of festivals.
清明作为一个春祭大节，远在周代之前已经确定。中国地域辽阔，先秦时期南北风俗各异，文献上主要记载北俗，唐代是各地墓祭风俗融合时期，此后清明节的墓祭节俗渐出现于文献上。在历史发展演变中传统节日大多会被附会一个传说作为“起源”，但实际考察，这些说法远远晚于节日诞生。
Traditional customs of Qingming Festival（清明节传统习俗）
扫墓祭祖
中国历史上，寒食禁火，祭奠先人，清明节扫墓祭祖成了此后持续不断的风俗传统。就是到了今天的社会，人们在清明节前后仍有上坟扫墓祭祖的习俗：铲除杂草，放上供品，于坟前上香祷祝，燃纸钱金锭，或简单地献上一束鲜花，以寄托对先人的怀念。
荡秋千
这是我国古代清明节习俗。秋千，意即揪着皮绳而迁移。它的历史很古老，最早叫千秋，后为了避忌讳，改为秋千。古时的秋千多用树桠枝为架，再拴上彩带做成。后来逐步发展为用两根绳索加上踏板的秋千。荡秋千不仅可以增进健康，而且可以培养勇敢精神，至今为人们特别是儿童所喜爱。
蹴鞠
鞠是一种皮球，球皮用皮革做成，球内用毛塞紧。蹴鞠，就是用足去踢球。这是古代清明节时人们喜爱的一种游戏。相传是黄帝发明的，最初目的是用来训练武士。
射柳
射柳是一种练习射箭技巧的游戏。据明朝人的记载，就是将鸽子放在葫芦里，然后将葫芦高挂于柳树上，弯弓射中葫芦，鸽子飞出，以飞鸽飞的高度来判定胜负。
斗鸡
古代清明盛行斗鸡游戏，斗鸡由清明开始，斗到夏至为止。我国最早的斗鸡记录，见于《左传》。到了唐代，斗鸡成风，不仅是民间斗鸡，连皇上也参加斗鸡。如唐玄宗最喜斗鸡。
蚕花会
“蚕花会”是蚕乡一种特有的民俗文化，过去清明节期间，梧桐、乌镇、崇福、洲泉等地都有此项民俗活动。每年蚕花会人山人海，活动频繁，有迎蚕神、摇快船、闹台阁、拜香凳、打拳、龙灯、翘高竿、唱戏文等十多项活动。这些活动有的在岸上进行，绝大多数在船上进行，极具水乡特色。
拔河
早期叫“牵钩”“钩强”，唐朝始叫“拔河”。它发明于春秋后期，开始盛行于军中，后来流传于民间。唐玄宗时曾在清明节举行大规模的拔河比赛。从那时起，拔河成为清明习俗的一部分。
踏青
清明时节，春回大地，自然界到处呈现一派生机勃勃的景象，正是郊游的大好时光。我国民间长期保持着清明踏青的习惯。
放风筝
清明放风筝是普遍流行的习俗。在古人那里，放风筝不但是一种游艺活动，而且是一种巫术行为：他们认为放风筝可以放走自己的秽气。所以很多人在清明节放风筝时，将自己知道的所有灾病都写在纸鸢上，等风筝放高时，就剪断风筝线，让纸鸢随风飘逝，象征着自己的疾病、秽气都让风筝带走了。
植树
清明前后，春阳照临，春雨飞洒，种植树苗成活率高，成长快。因此，自古以来，我国就有清明植树的习惯。有人还把清明节叫做“植树节”。植树风俗一直流传至今。
Food customs（食俗）
Youth League
青团
The green plant pulp is usually mixed into the glutinous rice dough, and most of the green rice dough on the market is colored with wheat green juice. Wheat green juice is extracted from winter wheat, mixed with water milled glutinous rice flour, kneaded into balls, wrapped with various sweet and salty fillings, and steamed in steamers. When released from the cage, a layer of oil is applied to the green dough, which has a bright color and a faint aroma of mugwort. The taste is sticky and soft. Qingtuan was originally a traditional specialty snack eaten during the Qingming Festival in the south, but in recent years, Qingtuan has gradually become popular in the north. Every Qingming Festival, green dumplings filled with filling awaken peoples taste buds with the scent of spring.
青团一般将绿色植物浆汁揉入糯米粉团，而市面上大多青团都以麦青汁上色。麦青汁是将冬小麦榨出汁液，与水磨糯米粉搅匀拌和，再将其揉制成一个个圆团，包入各种甜咸馅料，上蒸笼蒸熟。出笼时，青团上再刷上一层油，色泽透亮，带着淡淡的艾草香味，吃起来口感又糯又软。青团原本是南方在清明节吃的一种传统特色小吃，但近年来，青团也逐渐在北方流行开来。每到清明，一个个包着满满馅料的碧绿团子，带着春天的味道唤醒了人们的味蕾。
Cold eating swallow
寒食燕
Cold Food Swallow, also known as Zitui Swallow, is a seasonal food during the Qingming Festival in Shanxi Province. It is made by mixing jujube paste with flour and kneading it into the shape of a swallow to commemorate the sage Jie Zitui of the Jin Dynasty.
寒食燕，也称子推燕，是山西地方寒食清明时的节令食品，用枣泥与面粉调和，捏成燕子形状，以纪念晋国先贤介子推。
Black rice
黑饭
In the southern region, a special type of black rice is eaten. In the Ming Dynasty, in Hangzhou, monks and Taoist priests used Yangtong leaves to dye rice, which was called Qingjing rice to give back to the donor. It was called Qingci black rice. Due to the different ingredients and flavors used in Qingming meals, they can be used as Dim sum or as gifts to relatives and friends, especially children.
南方地区会吃一种特制的黑饭，明代杭州，“僧道采杨桐叶染饭，谓之青精饭，以馈施主”，称为“青糍黑饭”。各地清明饭因所用药料不同，风味各异，可作点心，亦可馈赠亲友，尤为儿童喜爱。
Rat Qukuo
鼠曲粿
Rat Qukuo is a green pastry made from glutinous rice. The reason it is called Rat Qukuo is because its ingredients include a herbaceous plant called Rat Qukuo grass (Rat Qukuo grass). Sage grass is a common plant in southern China. Except for the Chaoshan area in Guangdong, it is also used as food in Jiangnan, Fujian, and other places. On the Qingming Festival every year, in addition to the green dough made from mugwort skin, the combination of sage grass and glutinous rice skin is also a popular choice for many people.
鼠曲粿是用糯米做成的一种绿色的小糕点，之所以叫鼠曲粿，是因为它的制作原料中有一种草本植物——鼠麴草（鼠曲草）。鼠曲草这种植物，在我国南方比较常见，除了广东潮汕地区，在江南、福建等地，都会拿来做食物。每年清明节，除了用艾草皮做成的青团外，鼠曲草混合糯米做皮，也是不少人的选择。
Introduction to Qingming Festival（清明节介绍）
The lunar calendar has 24 fixed festivals every year. Among the 24 solar terms, Qingming is the only one that is both a solar term and a festival. The name of Qingming Festival is related to the characteristics of weather and climate at this time. "Huainanzi astronomy training" in the Western Han Dynasty said: "on the 15th day after the spring equinox, fighting finger B will bring the Qingming wind." "Qingming wind" is a fresh, clear and clean wind. "A hundred questions at the age of ten" says that "when all things grow, they are clean and clear. Therefore, it is called Qingming."
Although the Qingming Festival, as a festival, was formed in the Tang Dynasty, the Qingming solar term, as a timing symbol, has long been recognized by the ancients, and has been clearly recorded in the Han Dynasty.
农历每年有24个固定的节日。在二十四节气中，清明是唯一一个既是节气又是节日的节气。清明节的名称与此时的天气和气候特点有关。西汉《淮南子·天文训》说：“春分后十五日，斗乙指会带来清明之风。”“清明之风”是清新、清澈、洁净的风。《十岁百问》说“万物生长，皆洁而清。故曰清明。”