What do you think of when you hear about the Qingming Festival?
A day for ancestor worship, an outing festival, or the Cold Food Festival... Actually, in ancient times, the Qingming Festival was entirely a women’s holiday.
Ancient women were not like women today; they were mostly “confined” to their homes, not allowed to show themselves in public casually. As the saying goes, "raised deep within the inner chambers, unknown to the world." So, we often see in TV dramas ancient women looking for their beloved men by secretly peering from their towers. You can imagine how lonely women in ancient times must have been.
What could they do if they couldn’t go out on ordinary days? The Qingming Festival became their perfect time to let loose. With all things reviving in spring and the season arriving, Qingming is also a day to honor ancestors. So, on this day, ancient women would dress up carefully and head out early to pay respects at their ancestors’ graves. After the memorial ceremony, they would go for outings and enjoy spring. This gave rise to the saying, “Qingming is for women, just as New Year is for men.”
Although modern women don’t have to be confined like those in ancient times, for people who’ve been cooped up all winter, everyone wants to go out during the Qingming holiday to breathe fresh air and search for the taste of spring. But where to go? Actually, the choice is simple—Qingming is for honoring ancestors and enjoying spring. Just find a place that lets you do both.
There are many such places, but in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the most distinctive is the Eastern Qing Tombs. The Eastern Qing Tombs, a wonder of world architecture, is a blessed land full of legendary stories and stunning landscapes. This year during Qingming, the Eastern Qing Tombs will host a unique royal Qing Dynasty prayer and ancestor worship ceremony: Emperor Kangxi will lead civil and military officials along with visitors in praying to heaven for blessings. High monks will chant sutras for blessings, sprinkle holy water upon devotees, bless their amulets, perform rituals for the souls of their ancestors, and more. The prayer and ancestor worship ceremony will be held twice daily during the Qingming period to allow more visitors to honor their ancestors and pray for blessings.
In addition to the royal prayer and ancestor worship ceremony, during the Qingming Festival, the Eastern Qing Tombs will also host a grand outing event for tens of thousands. Walk on this feng shui treasure land, admire classic world architecture, reflect on the stormy history of the Qing Dynasty, breathe in the fresh spring air, and gently touch the fresh new willow buds along the path... This timeless leisure experience is truly enchanting. After tiring from the outing, enjoy a carefully prepared Qing-style Cold Food Feast by the Eastern Qing Tombs, and savor the imperial culinary elegance of the past—it’s absolutely delightful.