Festival of purity and clarity Qing Ming in China (Ching Ming Festival)

Exactly 106 days after the winter solstice, Qing Ming is celebrated, a holiday reminiscent of All Souls' Day. Most often the date falls at the beginning of April. Usually on the eve or after the fifth day of that month. According to the agricultural calendar, Qingming is one of the 24 seasons, which signals the arrival of bright and pleasant days. It is not without reason that it is called the day of purity and clarity. It is with the onset of this season that coincides with the beginning of warm weather, lighter winds, which are beneficial for agriculture. Nowadays, the Qing Ming holiday is an opportunity to visit family and relatives, as well as the graves of loved ones. According to beliefs, the souls of the dead wander the world and have the same needs as the living, they feel cold, hunger and thirst that must be satisfied. On this day, the whole family gathers at the cemetery, and the eldest member of the family places a ritual bowl of food on the grave for the deceased. There is a tradition of burning ritual money and other requisites, which, according to tradition, are thus transferred to the deceased. Such rituals are now most often held outside the cemetery. In addition to special money, also called hellish currency, cardboard models of beautiful houses, luxury cars, branded smartphones, and sometimes figurines of “prostitutes” are burned. Judging by the number of zeros on the hellish currency, the needs of the deceased are many times higher than those of the living. All family members, from the oldest to the youngest, pay tribute to the deceased by bowing to the ground three times. Symbolic sacrifices are also made to deities and wandering unknown souls. People believe that fed souls do not haunt the living, but help them. The Qing Ming Festival is a tribute and remembrance for people who are not around. Also, according to beliefs, an angry soul can greatly harm its relatives. That is why, in order not to test the patience of the ancestors, such interesting and unusual rituals are performed.