Imagine this, you're a prince who's starving to death and a kind soul makes you a soup made of their literal flesh to keep you alive. You're desperate and consume it, promising to reward that deed as soon as you're able. Later on you, the prince, become Duke and thank and honor your loyal followers with rewards. But. Oops. You forgot the man who made you soup from his own flesh to keep you sustained. Seems like a big oversight right? Well you know this guy lives in seclusion in the woods with his mother, and you need to fix this mistake pronto. But, it would be a big undertaking to search the whole forest, to which a malicious and jealous subject suggests setting the woods ablaze to draw him out. You love it. Set the trees alight and wait for him to come and receive his reward. Only, things don't go as planned and the man has perished along with his mother in the fire.
This is the story of Duke Wen and Jie Zitui. The Duke felt incredibly sad after the incident in the forest and in his grief, and out of respect, he made a grave for Jie and his mother underneath a burnt willow tree. When Duke Wen came back a year later to pay his respects, the burnt willow had regrown into a healthy tree- much to his surprise. On that day he declared that no fire shall be used for cooking. Which is how the festival comes by one of its other names; The Cold Food Festival.
Every year in China, on the 15th day after the spring equinox, the Qingming Festival kicks off- a time to remember and honor the deceased while celebrating the start of spring. On April 4th this year, the people of China will be sweeping gravestones and sprucing them up with decorations, as they have done for over 2,500 years. They will burn incense and fake paper money and leave food offerings for their love ones who have passed on. Afterward, they will enjoy the start of spring with activities like kite flying and picnics with their families. Because of the declaration to not use fire for cooking on this day, two traditional dishes called Qingtuan and Sanzi are made a day or more prior and eaten cold on the day of the festival. Qingtuan are green dumplings made of glutinous rice and Chinese mugwort or barley grass that are typically filled with red bean paste, while Sanzi are thin strands of dough that are fried in piles or various shapes.
To commemorate the willow tree in the story, and because willows are thought to defend people from wandering spirits, willow branches will often be carried around or placed on gates. Thanks to Buddhist influence, willows are important and seen as magical thanks to the traditional images of the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin, where she is depicted seated on a rock, holding a willow branch in a vase at her side. They may also be placed on gravestones as well.
The Qingming Festival is truly a blend of many festivals that, I'm guessing, happened at or around the same time so they merged it into one, as the date also marks the beginning of spring. Kites will be flown and picnics enjoyed with family after they have looked after their loved ones' places of rest. It is common to see kites floating freely in the sky, untethered to the Earth by string, as cutting the string of a kite is believed to allow your bad luck to fly away with the newly freed kite.
If you're interested in checking out this unique festival next year, or parts of it, it seems like it will be on April 4th again for 2025!
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