The picture is a scroll. "Qingming Festival on the Bianhe River" (2)

The second part of the scroll is a suburb of Kaifeng city. Qingming holiday morning. Merchants and peasants rush to the market, festive theatrical and circus performances are played.
Qingming is "a festival of pure light." This day is celebrated 104 days after the winter solstice. Usually falls on April 5th.
Qingming originated during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) This is a special day, bright and sad at the same time - the day of remembrance of the dead.
The main ceremony in it is visiting the graves of their close and distant ancestors, caring for them and carrying out special rituals, offering to the Deity of the earth and the Heavenly Lord of bright and beautiful flowers, food, tea, wine, incense.
After completing all the obligatory ceremonies, the family party begins. In the culture of the Chinese, this is a symbol of the unity of the living with the ancestors who have passed away.
Songs, ritual dances, theater and circus performances are an obligatory part of the Qingming Festival. On the Qingming holiday, it is customary for the Chinese to fly kites, tug-of-war and swing on a swing.
The eroglyph "tsin" means "young, green". It was believed that on this day, yang and yin come into balance. The sky (yang) fertilizes the earth (yin), new life is born.
In the Chinese language there are many proverbs and sayings about the connection of this holiday with agriculture, for example: “In Qingming days, melons and legumes should be planted”; “You cannot plant trees after Qingming, and before it - plant at least chopsticks, and they will turn green.” It is believed that after the completion of Qingming, you can start sowing.
This holiday is inextricably linked with another, much more ancient - "Cold Food Day" or "Fire Renewal Day."


authors: Chen Mei, Sun Hu, Jin Kun, Dai Hong, Cheng Chih-dao