Thanks to Tran Duyet on Pixabay for this lovely photo above -  https://pixabay.com/photos/rice-fields-bicycles-water-trees-5081530/.

April is the most delightful month because in April, spring blossoms, and everything is restored. China's Qingming Festival and the Christian festival of Easter are celebrated in the same month in April.

Let’s see what these two festivals have in common.

Both a spring festival contemplating the revenant themes of life and death, the Qingming Festival focuses on remembrance, while Easter celebrates rebirth.

On Easter, Christians commemorate Jesus Christ and celebrate spring, while the Chinese commemorate their ancestors and celebrate spring during the Qingming festival.

What is the Qing Ming festival?

The Qingming Festival, pronounced as 'ching-ming’, is an ancient Chinese tradition, also referred to as Tomb Sweeping Day, dedicated to honouring ancestors. This traditional festival has been observed for more than 2,500 years.

This festival falls on the 15th day after the Spring Equinox. The name of this festival means ‘Pure Brightness Festival’. It suggests a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime.

Significance of Qingming Festival

The Qingming festival is significant for the Chinese people. First, it is a day to honour their ancestors. Second, on this day the Chinese people show respect to the dead. The Chinese people believe that by visiting the graves of their ancestors, the living can help to ensure that their ancestors are at peace in the afterlife. In the study of yin Feng Shui, the orientation of grave headstones is considered to have a lasting influence on the descendants and is why many wealthy families hire a fengshui master to advise upon the site and orientation of their tombs.

This festival is a way for families to come together and bond over their shared heritage and traditions.

Activities and Customs During Qingming Festival

Tomb Sweeping

Tomb sweeping is the most significant custom observed during the Qingming Festival. Families visit the graves of their ancestors and clean them. Thus, they remove any weeds or debris accumulated over the year. They will also offer food, flowers, candles, and other items as a sign of respect.

The burning of joss paper

Joss paper is a type of paper that is burned as an offering to the deceased. There is a traditional belief that the smoke from the burning paper will carry the offerings to the afterlife, for the deceased to use them.

In addition to these activities and customs, several traditional activities are associated with the Qingming Festival.

Flying of Kites

Flying kites is a very popular activity during the Qingming Festival, for both kids and adults. People will fly kites in the shape of animals or other objects. 

The significance lies in the belief that the higher a kite flies, the greater the luck and fortune it will bring to the family in the upcoming year. 

Additionally, there's a traditional belief that cutting the string of a kite and letting it fly away will carry away all the accumulated bad luck.

Chinese Chess or Mahjong

 Another popular activity is playing Chinese chess known as mahjong. These games are a way for families to bond and have fun together.

Foods during the Qingming Festival

 Various regions of China have their culinary traditions for the Qingming Festival.

One popular dish during this period is qingtuan, green dumplings made from glutinous rice mixed with Chinese mugwort or barley grass.

Legend has it that consuming food during the Qingming Festival can impart a radiance to one's eyes.

Qingming is more than a food festival and time to reflect on and honour our ancestors. It also marks the beginning of spring. People first pay respects and clean the graves of ancestors, and after that, they spend more time outdoors and in nature with their loved ones.

What Feng Shui tips can we apply at Easter?

My regular readers will know by now that there is no 'one size fits all' since Feng Shui is very personalised to an individual's astrology and also the unique chi quality and orientation of the house or apartment. Yet there are some simple things you can do to help create more harmony in your home.

• Have a good Spring Clean! It sounds so obvious, yet you would be surprised how cluttered and grimy a space can become even with a regular cleaner! Cleaners mostly tidy and clean what is easily within reach, but not those awkward spaces and jobs that you know need doing! It always astounds me how much fluff can accumulate under a bed for example! And how many coins/pens etc can be found under sofa cushions! To keep a space vibrant and healthful it is really important to get help with moving large items of furniture and having a deep clean behind and under such pieces. Otherwise the energy in the home can easily stagnate.

• Carpet and curtain cleaning - similarly, it is incredible how much grime carpets & curtains collect, so these too need to be professionally cleaned. There are companies that use natural products only that smell of amazing orange essential oil. So you don't need to be adding chemicals into the space.

• Once you have had a good clean to refresh the energy, you can put a Water Feature or a goldfish in the North of the home and this will help with career and clarity on your life journey. Ideally you would have a full consultation so I can not only select the position but also a good date to activate the water. Contact us for more information.

• Buddha - a Buddha figurine (or simply a big crystal if you don't believe in using icons) will be very helpful in either the NE or the NW of your home. Just as we consider the rebirth of Jesus over Easter, you can call upon the protective energies of the Buddha to help you rebirth yourself into a higher awareness of your true nature.

Just as the Chinese engage with 'tomb-sweeping' activities in honour of their ancestors, you could make a point of visiting the graves of relatives and giving them a tidy.  I always take a bag full of useful items when I take my mother to my father's grave - an old washing up brush to scrub the tombstone lettering, scissors to cut back grass, a large bottle of water to clean everything and put in the vase for the fresh flowers, which we pick from her garden or in Winter buy them as not much going on in the flowerbed at that time! And I kneel on the plastic bag to scrub the grave before then drying everything off with kitchen paper towel and taking the old flowers to the compost bin. And all the while having a silent chat with Dad!

Even though the energetic start of the new year is the Winter Solstice, Spring has such an air of rebirth to it. It is a great time to get your Feng Shui in order to support you for the rest of the year - if you need our help with a project do Contact Us.  I am on a break for a few weeks, but have some capacity after that resting time.

If you are unsure which way to go in life, you could consider a full Chinese horoscope reading. I have such incredible feedback about my work, it never ceases to amaze me how accurate these systems are and how fortunate I am to understand them well enough to help people in their lives. It is truly a privilege.

What can we learn from the Qingming Festival?

Let's use this Spring and Easter break to strengthen bonds with our loved ones, cherishing the moments we share and creating new memories together.

In life's hustle and bustle, let the Qingming Festival inspire us to pause, appreciate the beauty of nature, and embark on a fresh start in the time of ‘Pure Brightness’.

As the season blooms with possibilities, may we seize the opportunity to rejuvenate our spirits, nurture our relationships, and embrace the promise of new beginnings.

I am wishing you all a blessed Easter filled with love, laughter, and cherished moments with your loved ones.

Sarah xx