Qingmingjie — the Chinese Day of the Dead, is being celebrated in China today!
Qingmingjie is one of the most important holidays in the Chinese calendar. It is celebrated about 15 days after the spring solstice, this year it falls on April 5. As a reminder, the dates of Chinese holidays are based on the lunar calendar, so according to our Gregorian calendar, these holidays take place on different days each year.
➡ In China, it is believed that the souls of the dead lead second lives after death and have similar needs as living people — they feel thirst and hunger. According to old beliefs, they can be helped through appropriate rituals.
➡ Due to lack of space, in China most cemeteries are located in the mountains these days. On the Day of the Dead, the families gather at the burial site of their ancestors, perform rituals and then have a picnic with special holiday foods. The eldest member of the family lights candles and incense, and a bowl with a ritual meal for the dead is placed in front of the headstone. Wine-dipped paper money is then set on fire, firecrackers are set off and the entire family, from the oldest to the youngest member, pays tribute to the dead by hitting their foreheads against the ground three times.
Flying kites is also popular during the holiday — some people attach small colorful lanterns to them, which is especially visible in the evening on the day of the holiday.
➡ It is worth remembering that Qingmingjie is a public holiday in China, so the day is not included in delivery times provided by factories. Moreover, please bear in mind that no replies from China will be received on this day.
