The Qingming Festival or Tomb Sweeping Day is a traditional Chinese festival on the 104th day after the winter solstice, usually occurring around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar. The Qingming festival falls on the first day of the fifth solar term, named Qingming. Its name denotes a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime. On Qingming people go on family outings, start the spring plowing, sing, and dance. Qingming is also the time when young couples start courting. Another popular thing to do is to fly kites in the shapes of animals or characters from Chinese opera.
清明节通常在每年公历4月5日左右,是中国传统节日冬至之后的104天。清明节是是第五个节气的第一天,它的名字是指人们应该到户外去享受盎然的春天的时节。到清明时节,人们会组织家庭出游,开始春耕,或唱歌或跳舞,而年轻男女也开始互诉钟情,表达爱慕。清明另一个广受欢迎的活动就是放风筝,风筝的形状一般是动物或者京剧里的传统角色。
Qingming Festival is when Chinese people visit the graves or burial grounds of their ancestors. Traditionally, people brought a whole rooster with them to the graves visited but the occasion has become less formal over time. The Qingming Festival is an opportunity for celebrants to remember and honor their ancestors at grave sites. Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, joss paper accessories, and/or libations to the ancestors. Another common practice is to carry flowers instead of burning paper, incense or firecrackers.
清明也是人们去祖宗的坟墓扫墓的日子。传统上,人们带上一整只公鸡去扫墓,但是随着时间的推移,这种场合已经没有那么正式了。清明是人们纪念祖宗和向祖宗表示敬重的一个节日,年轻人和老人在祖先的坟前祈福,扫墓,供奉食物、茶水、酒、筷子和香纸之类的,向祖先奠酒,另一种常见的做法是向祖先赠送花束,而不是烧纸钱、烧香或放鞭炮。