The Qingming Festival, which usually falls between April 4 and 6 each year, on the 108th day after the Winter Solstice, is one of the 24 seasonal division points in the traditional Chinese calendar.
Qingming, strictly meaning “pure and bright”, shows rising temperatures and increased rainfall at the start of spring. It always rains around Qingming, providing a typical scene for the festival. Some 1,200 years ago, a Chinese poem written by the great Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu illustrated a scene of Qingming:
A drizzling rain falls like tears on the Mourning Day;
The mourner’s heart is going to break on his way.
Where can a wineshop be found to drown his sad hours?
A cowherd points to a cot’s mid apricot flowers.
The Qingming Festival in spring is the occasion for visiting ancestral graves. Qing Ming is popularly associated with Jie Zitui, who lived in Shanxi province in 600 B.C. To mark Jie, the lord Chong Er ordered all fires in every home to be put out on the anniversary of Jie’s death. Thus began the “cold food feast”, a day when no food could be cooked since no fire could be lit. The “cold food” festival falls on the eve of Qing Ming and is often considered as part of the QingMing festival. As time passed, the Qing Ming festival replaced the “cold food” festival. Whatever practice is observed, the basic observation of Qing Ming is to remember one’s elders by making a special effort to visit their graves, ashes or ancestral tablets.
One of the most important activities on this day is to tend graves to honor ancestors, dead relatives and friends. On Tomb Sweeping Day, thousands of Chinese families will head to cemeteries to clean and sweep the tombs of dead family members.
People in different places enjoy different food. For example, Qingtuan, or green rice balls, are widely popular in China’s Jiangnan area-the region south of the Yangtze River-on Tomb Sweeping Day. The seasonal delicacies are usually made from glutinous rice mixed with pounded mugwortan edible wild herb thought to prevent toxic insect bites.
18. The poem “A drizzling rain falls like tears on the Mourning Day, The mourner’s heart is going to break on his way.” refers to ________.
A.望君烟水阔,挥手泪沾巾。 | B.清明时节雨纷纷,路上行人欲断魂。 |
C.无为在歧路,儿女共沾巾。 | D.落花时节近清明,东风料峭雨难晴。 |
19. Qing Ming is popularly associated with ________.
A.Jie Zitui | B.Du Mu | C.Chong Er | D.Qu Yuan |
20. In China’s Jiangnan area, Qingtuan is usually made from glutinous rice mixed with pounded mugwort ________.
A.just for fun | B.to prevent toxic insect bites |
C.with good wishes | D.to remember one’s elders |
21. According to the passage ________.
A.Qing Ming is an important time to harvest |
B.people in the north of China enjoy Qingtuan on Tomb Sweeping Day |
C.one of the most important activities on Qingming is to tend graves |
D.Jie Zitui wrote a poem to illustrate a scene of Qingming 1,200 years ago |