I stumbled upon this story about Qing Ming when I was reading their Feng Shui article on Section 14 Petaling Jaya:
The Qing Ming season, a time when the Chinese tend to the graves of their dearly departed, is upon us and it is interesting to see how it is practised today. Qing Ming (one of the 12 important Chinese festivals) is observed on the 106th day after the Winter Solstice, which often falls on April 4 or 5 in the Gregorian calendar.
In Taiwan, China (since 2008), Macau and Hong Kong, Qing Ming is a public holiday. In countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, the Chinese celebrate the festival anytime from 10 days before up to 10 days after Qing Ming, usually on a weekend as it is also off days.
Qing Ming was originally called Hanshi or day of cold food. It started with the story of Duke Wen (the equivalent of the king in a small state) of Jin who lived from 697 BCE to 628 BCE. For 19 years before he became a duke, Wen lived in exile and hardship with his entourage of followers.
One day, Wen was served some meat soup and wondered where it came from. His loyal servant Jie Zhitui actually used flesh cut from his own thigh. Wen was deeply moved and promised to reward him in future but the humble Jie declined.
After Wen became a duke, he rewarded all his benefactors but somehow forgot Jie because Jie did not step forward to claim it. Instead, he resigned and hid in a forest.
Wen and his men could not find Jie. At a minister’s suggestion, they set the forest on fire to force him out. They later found the remains of Jie hugging his mother next to a charred tree. The remorseful duke ordered the Hanshi to commemorate Jie’s death and the people went without fire for three days.
Fast forward to 732 CE. Tang emperor Xuanzong found his rich citizens trying to outdo each other with ostentatious display of wealth to honour their ancestors. He decreed that ancestral homage could only be done at the gravesite on Qing Ming.
Therefore, Qing Ming is only meant to be celebrated on the actual prescribed date, just as nobody celebrates Chinese New Year 10 days in advance. Furthermore, it should be celebrated without fire: food should be eaten cold and joss paper scattered on the grave, not burnt.
Interesting how times have changed and the practice has reverted to ostentatious offerings. With paper “designer bags, credit cards, bungalows, servants (wooden frames glued with paper), limousines” and “iPhones,” as well as after-world paper money, the dead never had it so good.
More where that came from:
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