4 major traditional festivals of Taiwan 2/4：清明節 [Qīng míng jié]

《認識清明節的背景和傳統》

This page deepens your understanding of  "清明節" [Qīng míng jié] (Qingming Festival) which is one of the four major traditional festivals in Taiwan and the biggest festival in Spring.

What is 清明節 [Qīng míng jié] ?

清明節 [Qīng míng jié] (Qingming Festival) is a period of the 節氣 [Jié qì] (the 24 solar terms).

A day to clean the ancestor's grave. The biggest festival in Spring.

Origin of 清明節 [Qīng míng jié]

Before the Warring States period, it was a festival called 上巳節 [Shàng sì jié] (The Double Third Festival). During the Warring States period, it changed to 寒食節 [Hán shí jié] (the Cold Food Festival). They are fused with the times, and it continues to the present as a day when respect ancestors and unite family. It is called 清明節 [Qīng míng jié] (Qingming Festival) because this period is 清明 [Qīng míng] (Qingming) on the 24 solar terms.

In Taiwan, the customs of sweeping graves differ depending on the ethnic groups such as 閩南人 [Mǐn nán rén], 客家人 [Kè jiā rén] (Hakka), 外省人 [Wài xǐng rén] (Chinese immigrants), and 原住民 [Yuán zhù mín] (indigenous).

In 1935, the government established the Qingming Festival as a national holiday, and it was formally nationwide.

Customs of 清明節 [Qīng míng jié]

• Worship God of the lands.
• Visit the ancestor's grave.
• Relatives get together and have some meal.

Trivia

There are still many burial tombs in various parts of Taiwan. Due to the lack of cemeteries and public health problems, the government has actively promoted cremation since 2001, and in 2009 the cremation rate exceeded 90% for the first time. In 2019, it became the second largest cremation rate in the world after Japan. Currently, burials are completely prohibited in some cities, and due to rising costs and changes in people's awareness, they are almost no longer seen nationwide.

Summary of 清明節 [Qīng míng jié]

清明節 [Qīng míng jié] (Qingming Festival) is the day when all the relatives meet and visit the graves of their ancestors.

The same custom remains in the Okinawa region of Japan. In Okinawa, 清明 [Qīng míng] is called "Shimi" with an accent.