清明节Qingming Festival

Qingming Festival

Rewritten by Wang Wei

A well-known poem by tang dynasty writer du mu tells of a sad scene in earlyApril(Tranlated by Wan Changsheng & Wangjianzhong):    

唐朝著名诗人杜牧有一首著名的诗,描述了四月初令人伤感的一幕场景(Wan Changsheng & Wangjianzhong译)：

The ceaseless drizzle drips all the dismal day,

So broken-hearted fares the traveler on the way.

清明时节雨纷纷,路上行人欲断魂。

When asked where could be found a tavern bower,

A cowboy points to yonder village of the apricot flower.

借问酒家何处有？牧童遥指杏花村。

The Qingming Festival, known as Tomb-sweeping Day,falls on either April 4th or 5th of the Gregorian Calendar,and is one of the Chinese Twenty-four Solar Terms.From the date temperatures begin to rise and rainfall increases.

清明节又称祭祖节,在公历的4月4日或5日,是中国二十四节气之一,从这天起,气温开始上升,雨量逐渐增加。

However, it is not merely a seasonal symbol,it is also a day to pay respect to the dead.

然而,清明不仅仅代表季节变化,也是一个纪念逝者的日子

Legend has it that Jin prince Chong'er ran away from the country with his supporters due to persecution.There were no foods and they were stranded in an alien environment.They were homeless for 19 years and things got so bad that Chong'er began to starve to death. One of the prince's faithful followers, Jie Zitui, cut a piece of muscle from his own leg and served it to his master. Chong'er was saved and, in 636 BC, he took back the throne.

据历史记载,晋国公子重耳（晋文公）因受到迫害,率其支持者出逃。他们在异地他乡食不果腹,19年间,他们居无定所,漂泊四方。一次,他们的处境相当窘迫,重耳几乎饿死。这时,忠心耿耿的介子推从自己的腿上割下一块肉献给了重耳,重耳因此得救。公元前636年,他夺回了王位。

He rewarded the officials who had stayed loyal to him but only forgot about Jie Zitui. By the time Chong'er remembered him, Jie Zitui had traveled deep into the mountains. Chong'er wanted to persuade Jie to come home, so he had the hills set on fire. But Jie was later found beside a Great Willow with his old mother on his back. Both were dead.

即位之后,重耳对支持者大加封赏,却忘记了介子推。等到想起来要对他论功行赏时,淡泊名利的介子推却遁入山林深处。重耳想逼他出山,所以就大火焚山。后来,在一棵老柳树旁边发现了背着老母亲的介子推。两人都被烧死了。

Chong'er ordered 3 days without making fires to cook in honor of Jie Zitui.

重耳下令三天不许生火做饭以祭奠介子推

Build a temple in memory of Zitui on the top of the mountain so the Jin people can worship him forever.

在山顶上,为子推修寺建庙让国人世代供奉

Bury Jie Zitui and his mother ceremoniously,Chong'er's eldest son Bo Tiao will take part in the funeral in mourning dress.

隆重厚葬介子推母子,命寡人长子伯鲦披麻戴孝为子推送行

A memorial ceremony is to be held every year.

以后每年按时祭奠

Chong'er is here to announce this day is called "Cold Food Day".

重耳还要公告天下以后这一日为寒食节

On this day every year all the people across Jin must not make fires or cook only cold food is allowed.

这一天,我晋国上下皆不允许点火煮饭,需服以冷食

From this comes Cold Food Festival.

这就是寒食节的来源。

The second years he led his ministers climbing the mountain to sacrifice Jie Zitui , founding the old willow tree was resurrection. So he gave a name to the great willowQingming Liu and declare it to the world, setting the Cold Food Festival’s second day as Tomb Sweeping Day .

第二年重耳率众臣登山祭奠,发现老柳树死而复活。便赐老柳树为“清明柳”,并晓谕天下,把寒食节的后一天定为清明节。

The Cold Food Festival occurs on the eve ofTomb Sweeping Day and is often considered as part of the Tomb Sweeping Day.As time passes, theTomb Sweeping Daythen became an important holiday from an originally simple farming day.

寒食节是在清明节的前一天,古人常把寒食节的活动延续到清明,久而久之,清明节便从单纯的农业节气变为重要节日了。

It is one of the 24 solar terms, means that it’s good time for spring ploughing.Tomb Sweeping Dayfalls around April fifth, and it’s during the spring ofChina, so it is also calledspring outing.In addition to pay attention to the fire, the tomb-sweeping, and spring outing, swing, kite flying, play polo, willow branches inserted on each gate to ward off the evil spirits, and so on a series of customs sports activities.This is becauseTomb Sweeping Day to people from the fire, in order to prevent a cold buffet injury body, so everyone to take part in some of the sports activities, and to exercise.

清明节是24节气之一,预示着春耕的好时节已经到了。清明节又叫踏青节,因为一般在4月5日左右,正是中国的春天,除了讲究禁火、扫墓,还有踏青、荡秋千、放风筝、打马球、柳树枝挂在门口以抵御恶灵等一系列风俗体育活动。相传这是因为清明节要寒食禁火,为了防止寒食冷餐伤身,所以大家来参加一些体育活动,以锻炼身体。

How does your family celebrateTomb Sweeping Day?

People are going to visit the grave of the late relatives.

According to the old tradition, people folded some paper to make it look like gold money from ancient China. Meanwhile, people made some of the late relative’s favorite foods, like dumplings and pork char siu.

That day people are all up early, getting ready to go to the cemetery where the late relatives is buried. All the other families are also coming to pay respects to their ancestors.

The first step for Tomb Sweeping Day is to sweep the tomb. People clean the grave. Soon, all the dirt is cleared away, and the area looks as good as new!

Next, people bring out the food, set it in front of the tombstone as an offering to the late relatives, people pour out some rice wine in a cup and places it next to the food.

People take out a big, old bowl. People put the paper money in the bowl and light it.

As the money burns, the ash rises and goes to the late relatives. The relatives alway need money, even after life!

After people burn all the paper money, and light some incense and leave it at the grave.

People then take turn bowing three times in front of the tomb.

Until today, Chinese is influenced by its culture, Tomb Sweeping Day ancestor cult, mourning the late relatives customs still prevail, and the more brought to the attention of the people. This is already a kind of culture, a kind of habit.

直到今天,中国人受自身文化的影响,清明节祭拜祖先,悼念已逝的亲人的习俗仍很盛行,而且越加受到人们的重视。这已是一种文化,一种习惯。

There is also a festival similar to ourTomb Sweeping Day called a Festival for the Dead in Japan

日本也有类似我们清明节的节日叫亡灵节

A Festival for the Dead is held once a year in Japan. This festival is a cheerful occasion, for on this day, the dead are said to return to their homes and they are welcomed by the living. As they are expected to be hungry after their long journey, food is laid out for them. Specially-made lanterns are hung outside each house to help the dead to find their way. All night long, people dance and sing. In the early morning, the food that had been laid out for the dead is thrown into a river or into the sea as it is considered unlucky for anyone living to eat it. In towns that are near the sea, the tiny lanterns which had been hung in the streets the night before, are placed into the water when the festival is over. Thousands of lanterns slowly drift out to sea guiding the dead on their return journey to the other world. This is a moving spectacle, for crowds of people stand on the shore watching the lanterns drifting away until they can be seen no more.

Diwali-Festival of Lights

印度:点燃蜡烛纪念故人

Diwali or Deepavali, the festival of "rows of lights", is one of the most important of all Hindu festivals. People place candles on the stairs, hallway and balcony at home when night falls that day to pay respect to the deceased and pray for the family. Lighting lamps and candles during the festival is also considered auspicious by bringing light, knowledge and eternal life from darkness, ignorance and death.

灯节为印度每年最大的节日。节日当天,夜幕降临后,人们会在楼梯、走廊、阳台及屋里都放上点燃的蜡烛,为死者祈祷,并期盼亡灵保佑家人平安。点灯还被视为带来光明、知识、永恒,驱走黑暗、无知和死亡。

All Soul's Day

墨西哥:化妆骷髅大游行

All Soul's Day, also called the "Day of the Dead" usually occurs on November 2, when families fondly remember the deceased by praying before an altar. It's also a time marked by festivities, including parades of skeletons. In one notable tradition, revelers lead a mock funeral procession with a live person inside a coffin.

万灵节是墨西哥的传统节日之一,又称扫墓节,定在每年11月2日。人们在家里摆祭坛,供上祭品,悼念死去的亲人。气氛浓厚的节日传统还包括化妆骷髅的盛大游行,以及把活人放进棺材里的"假面葬礼"。

Day of the dead

波兰:点蜡烛给亡灵指路

Poland and most of the Catholic world have celebrated the festival on Nov 1 for many centuries. Also known as All Saints Day, it's a national holiday when people all over Poland visit the graves of loved ones and to place candles and flowers at tombstones. The candles, which can burn for hours, are placed to help the departed souls find the way home.

每年11月1日,波兰及绝大多数信奉天主教的国家都要举行亡人节,也称万灵节,以悼念逝人。这天是法定假日,人们都去扫墓,摆上鲜花并点上可燃烧几小时的蜡烛,给亡灵指引回家的路。

Memorial Day in US

美国:鸣枪悼念阵亡烈士

Memorial Day is a US national holiday observed on the last Monday of May. It commemorates those who died while in military service to their country. Soldiers in service and veterans go to cemeteries to pay respect to their dead peers by firing guns and blowing trumpets. First enacted to honor American soldiers and casualties in the civil war, the two World Wars and other military actions, it later evolved as a popular civil festival for each family to commemorate the passing of their loved ones.

美国的阵亡烈士日通常在每年5月的最后一个周一,是法定假日。每逢这个日子,美国现役军人和老战士便前往墓地,鸣枪并吹响军中熄灯号,让死难将士安息。此节日最初用来纪念在南北战争和两次世界大战中战死的兵士,后来逐渐发展为一般家庭祭奠逝去的亲人。

Tomb sweeping is regarded as the most critical custom in the Qingming Festival.

清明扫墓是清明节最重要的习俗

Cleaning the tomb and paying respect to the dead with offerings are the two important rituals.

扫墓和祭奠是两项最重要的仪式

Weeding the tomb and adding some fresh soil to it are to let the dead live a comfortable life.

清除墓地杂草加增一抔新土愿逝者生活舒适

The dead person's favorite foods and wine are taken to sacrifice to them along with paper in the hope that they are not lacking meals and money.

奠些酒食,烧些纸钱,愿逝者衣食无忧

Bowing and mourning in silence is to show that we respect and miss the dead.

鞠躬默哀以示对逝者的尊敬与思念

Qingming Festival not only a day for or commemorating the dead, but also a time for people to get pleasure.

清明节不仅是一个纪念逝者的日子也是人们娱乐的日子

Throughout March, everything in nature takes on a new look, trees turning green, flowers blossoming and also the sun shining brightly.

三月大自然换上新装,树木变绿,鲜花盛开,阳光明媚

It is a fine time to go out and to appreciate the stunning scenes of nature.

正是一个外出欣赏大自然美景的好时机

Spring outings can not only add fun to our lives, but also benefit us physically and mentally.

春游不仅能给生活增添乐趣,而且有助于身心健康

Qingming represents the best time of spring scenery.

清明是春光最好的时节

Sacrificing to ancestors during such wonderful time, showcases the importance of inheritance in Chinese people's mind.

在这样的时节追思先祖体现的是中国人内心对于“传承”的重视

Thanks to such awareness of inheritance Chinese culture has always maintained the vitality for thousands of years.

而中国文化也正因为绵延千年的传承至今仍然保有鲜活的生命力。