Rambling about The Cold Food Festival And The Qingming Festival Part 2

Qingming is the fifth solar term among the twenty-four solar terms, typically falling on April 4th to 5th in the Gregorian calendar, with the sun at 15° of celestial longitude. In the Chinese lunar calendar, Qingming is the solar term of the third month, usually occurring in the first half of the month. Qingming is another solar term named according to phenology. During Qingming, nature presents a scene of clear skies, gentle breeze, and the bright spring landscape, which is the origin of its name.

In the history of China, the development of the twenty-four solar terms took several hundred years. During the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods, people used gnomon measurements to determine the equinoxes and solstices. It was not until the late Warring States period, around 239 BC, when "Lüshi Chunqiu" was compiled, that records of the beginning of spring, summer, autumn, and winter appeared. It wasn't until around 139 BC, during the early Han Dynasty when "Huainanzi · Astronomy" was compiled, that the twenty-four solar terms were considered complete. In the first year of Emperor Wu of Han's reign in 104 BC, the "Tai Chu Calendar" was promulgated, which for the first time fully included the twenty-four solar terms in the calendar. Thus, it can be seen that Qingming began to be popularized among the people during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, while Qingming as a festival originally formed during the Tang Dynasty.

The Cold Food Festival is close to the Qingming solar term, and over time, the Cold Food Festival gradually merged into Qingming, combining the two festivals into one. Qingming also integrates the customs of another earlier festival, the Shangsi Festival. The Shangsi Festival, commonly known as the third day of the third lunar month, was an important festival for the ancient practice of "purifying and bathing by the riverside". Its origins in China can be traced back to the pre-Qin period and remained popular until the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. However, from the Song and Yuan Dynasties onwards, it gradually merged with the Qingming Festival. The main activities of Qingming Festival include ancestor worship and tomb sweeping to honor the deceased, as well as outings and spring outings to connect with nature. These activities are suitable for the fine weather and vibrant natural environment of Qingming.

The Song Dynasty poet Wang Yucheng wrote a poem titled "Qingming", which depicts the Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival:

Without flowers or wine, Qingming passes by, My spirits as desolate as a wild monk. Last night, I borrowed a new fire from my neighbor, To share with him the lamp for reading at dawn.

The poet, experiencing poverty in his youth, was deprived of the joy of celebrating with flowers and wine, instead rising early to study by lamp light. The line "Last night, I borrowed a new fire from my neighbor" reflects the custom of lighting a fire on the second or third night after the Cold Food Festival. He passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty-nine. This poem can also be seen as an inspirational piece.

Speaking of Qingming, one cannot ignore the famous Tang Dynasty poem "Qingming" by Du Mu:

In the rainy season of Qingming, Travelers on the road feel their souls about to break. I ask where to find a tavern? A shepherd boy points to the apricot blossom village.

This poem has become a classic through the ages, so much so that many places in history have claimed that the apricot blossom village mentioned in the poem was located there. According to the "Dictionary of Chinese Tourism Culture" (published by Jiangxi Fine Arts Publishing House, 1994), it is now certain that the apricot blossom village referred to by Du Mu is in the western suburbs of Guichi City, Anhui Province. "Apricot blossoms cover the fields, creating a picturesque scenery, and it also produces famous wine." During the reign of Emperor Huichang of Tang Dynasty, Du Mu served as the magistrate of Chizhou, and often roamed the apricot blossom village in his spare time, enjoying the scenery and tasting the famous wine, thus composing the immortal poem mentioned above.

"Herding boy points to the apricot blossom village."

There are many ancient poems praising the activities of ancestor worship and outings during the Qingming Festival; here are just two examples. Please read the poem "Outing on the Outskirts" by the Song Dynasty philosopher and poet Cheng Hao:

Through fragrant fields and green wilderness I wander, Spring permeates the distant mountains' azure. My heart follows the scattered red blooms through alleyways of willows, Resting by the flowing stream on a mossy rock. Do not refuse the cup of wine, it's offered with utmost sincerity, For fear that wind and flowers will scatter with a single gust. Especially on this fine Qingming day, Don't hesitate to roam, but remember to return.

The poet expresses his joyful mood during a spring outing, while also advising others not to waste the beautiful spring scenery. The poem reflects the ancient Chinese philosophical concept of the unity of heaven and man.

"Outing on the Outskirts" poetic sentiment

Now please read the poem "Qingming" by the Song Dynasty calligrapher and poet Huang Tingjian:

On the auspicious day of Qingming, the peach and plum trees laugh, But in the wild fields and desolate tombs, only sorrow grows. The thunder shocks the heavens and the earth, stirring the dragons and snakes from their slumber, While the rain saturates the outskirts, softening the grass and trees. People beg for offerings, both the proud and the humble, Some content to be cremated, refusing titles of nobility. Who among the wise and foolish, after a thousand years, will be remembered? In my eyes, all that remains is overgrown weeds and thistles.

The first and second couplets depict the phenological characteristics of Qingming: the blossoming of peach and plum flowers; the thunder shaking the heavens and the earth, startling even the dragons and snakes from their hibernation; and the abundant rain watering the grass and trees, causing them to turn green again in the outskirts. The third couplet describes the customs of Qingming, sweeping the tombs of ancestors, and the origin of the Cold Food Festival, involving two anecdotes. The first line of the third couplet involves an ancient fable, which tells the story of a man named Yu Fan from the state of Qi who, one year during Qingming, returned home after feasting extravagantly, claiming to have been invited by wealthy families. His wives did not believe him, so the next Qingming, they followed him and discovered that he was actually begging for leftover food and wine from those visiting the tombs, then returning home to boast about it. The second line of the third couplet refers to the anecdote of Jie Zitui from the Spring and Autumn period, which is also a poem praising both Qingming and the Cold Food Festival.

The beginning of this article mentioned that since the early Qing Dynasty, the Cold Food Festival has been officially set on the day before Qingming, which is due to the following historical fact. Before the implementation of the "Shixian Calendar" in the early Qing Dynasty, all previous dynasties used the "Pingqi" method for setting the solar terms, which divided the year into 24 equal parts, with each part corresponding to one solar term. There were more than 50 different calendar systems in Chinese history, each with varying lengths of the year. During the Spring and Autumn period, the "Ancient Four-Part Calendar" was used, with a year length of 365.25 days, which was continuously improved upon. By the time of the Southern Song Dynasty's "Tongtian Calendar," the year length was 365.2425 days, accurate to the modern Gregorian calendar. Therefore, the average duration between two solar terms was approximately 15.22 days. From the Winter Solstice to Qingming, there are 7 solar terms, equivalent to 106.54 days. Therefore, setting the Cold Food Festival 105 days after the Winter Solstice would conveniently fall on the day before or two days before Qingming (an accumulation of 0.54 days would round up to an additional day). Since the implementation of the "Shixian Calendar," the method of setting solar terms changed to the "Dingqi" method, starting from the Vernal Equinox (0° of the sun's celestial longitude), with each increment of 15° constituting one solar term. The Winter Solstice has a celestial longitude of 270°, and Qingming is at 15°, indicating that the sun has traversed 105° on the ecliptic from the Winter Solstice to Qingming. Based on rough estimates, this period spans approximately 104.15 days. Therefore, if the original method were still used, wouldn't the Cold Food Festival end up being set on the day after the Winter Solstice? No wonder the decision was made to set it on the day before Qingming, as a "hard" rule.

Readers may wonder: why did this period become shorter when using the "Dingqi" method? Originally, "Dingqi" reflected the true movement of the sun, i.e., the Earth's orbit around the sun. The Earth's orbit around the sun is an ellipse, and its movement conforms to Kepler's Second Law of Planetary Motion. Around January 3rd each year, the Earth passes through perihelion, when its speed of movement is the fastest, at about 30.3 kilometers per second; around July 4th, it passes through aphelion, when its speed of movement is the slowest, at about 29.3 kilometers per second. From the Winter Solstice to Qingming, the Earth traverses the fastest segment of its orbit, thus taking less time. The author estimated that after the Earth completes half of its orbit, from the Summer Solstice (90° of the sun's celestial longitude) to Cold Dew (195°), which also spans 105°, it takes approximately 108.93 days. The reason for this longer duration is precisely because during this period, the Earth passes through the slowest segment of its orbit.

According to tradition, during Qingming Festival, people do not exchange wishes like "Happy Qingming" as they do on other holidays, perhaps out of respect for ancestor worship during this time. Therefore, the author takes this opportunity to share an ancient poetic verse, "With the fine weather of Qingming, feel free to enjoy the spring outing but do not forget to return home," hoping everyone will have a joyful spring outing amidst the flourishing springtime.