Clear and Bright Festival: A Time for Remembrance and Reflection
篇一:Clear and Bright Festival: A Time for Remembrance and Reflection
Clear and Bright Festival, also known as Qingming Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival that takes place on April 4th or 5th each year. It is a time when people honor their ancestors, pay respect to the deceased, and cherish the memories of loved ones who have passed away.
During Clear and Bright Festival, people visit the graves of their ancestors to clean and tidy the tombstones. This act of cleaning the tombstones is seen as a way to show respect and to honor the deceased. People also bring offerings such as food, fruits, and burning incense to the gravesites. This is done to show gratitude and to ensure the well-being of the ancestors in the afterlife.
Apart from paying respect to ancestors, Clear and Bright Festival is also a time for people to enjoy outdoor activities and appreciate the beauty of nature. It often coincides with the arrival of spring, when flowers bloom and trees regain their lush greenery. Many families take this opportunity to go for outings and enjoy the fresh air and picturesque scenery. It is also common to fly kites during this festival, as it is believed to bring good luck and drive away evil spirits.
In recent years, with the advancement of technology, people have found new ways to pay tribute to their loved ones during Clear and Bright Festival. Online platforms and mobile applications have been developed to allow people to create virtual memorials and share their memories with others. This allows individuals who are unable to physically visit the gravesite to still participate in the festival and remember their loved ones.
Clear and Bright Festival holds great significance in Chinese culture as it serves as a reminder of the importance of family, tradition, and heritage. It is a time for people to reconnect with their roots, appreciate the sacrifices made by their ancestors, and reflect on the values that have been passed down through generations.
In conclusion, Clear and Bright Festival is a time for remembrance and reflection. It is a time when people honor their ancestors, pay respect to the deceased, and cherish the memories of loved ones who have passed away. Whether through physical visits to the gravesites or through virtual memorials, the festival serves as a way for individuals to reconnect with their family history and appreciate the values that have been instilled in them.
清明节的英文作文 篇三
Origin 清明节的起源
Qingming Festival, also known as Pure Brightness Festival or Tomb-sweeping Day, is one of the 24 segments of the Chinese calendar. It normally falls on the 4th or 5th of April, between spring plowing and summer weeding, and is a time to pay respects to ones ancestors and to tidy their gravesite. On this day, whole families, young and old, go to the gravesite of deceased family members to burn incense and perform a ritual offering while clearing away plant overgrowth from the gravesite.
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 festival originated from Hanshi Day (寒食节, literally, Day with cold food only), a memorial day for Jie Zitui (介子推, or Jie Zhitui). Jie Zitui died in 636 BC in the Spring and Autumn Period. He was one of many followers of Duke Wen of Jin before he became a duke. Once, during Wens 19 years of exile, they had no food and Jie prepared some meat soup for Wen. Wen enjoyed it a lot and wondered where Jie had obtained the soup. It turned out Jie had cut a piece of meat from his own thigh to make the soup. Wen was so moved he promised to reward him one day. However, Jie was not the type of person who sought rewards. Instead, he just wanted to help Wen to return to Jin to become king. Once Wen became duke, Jie resigned and stayed away from him. Duke Wen rewarded the people who helped him in the decades, but for some reason he forgot to reward Jie, who by then had moved into the forest with his mother. Duke Wen went to the forest, but could not find Jie. Heeding suggestions from his officials, Duke Wen ordered men to set the forest on fire to force out Jie. However, Jie died in the fire. Feeling remorseful, Duke Wen ordered three days without fire t
o honour Jies memory. The county where Jie died is still called Jiexiu (介休, literally "the place Jie rests forever").
Customs 清明节的风俗习惯
Qingming Festival is a time of many different activities, among which the main ones are tomb sweeping, taking a spring outing, flying kites. Some other lost customs like wearing willow branches on the head and riding on swings have added infinite joy in past days. The festival is a combination of sadness and happiness, perhaps bittersweet.
Tomb Sweeping or Ancestor Worshipping
The major custom in Qingming Festival is tomb sweeping. According to folk religion, the spirits of deceased ancestors still live underground and look after the family; the tombs are said to be their houses; thus it is very important to keep the tombs clean.
The Qingming Festival is spent honoring the dead, which is one of many ways good Confucians demonstrate filial piety. On this day, people visit their family graves to remove any underbrush that has grown. They would uproot weeds near the gravesites, wipe the tombstones and decorate the tombstones with fresh flowers. And then they will set out offerings of food and paper money.
清明节的英文作文 篇四
Qing Ming is a time to remember the dead and the dearly departed. More important, it is a period to honour and to pay respect to ones deceased ancestors and family members. Because it reinforces the ethic of filial piety, Qing Ming is a major Chinese festival.
Literally meaning "clear" (Qing) and "bright" (Ming), this Chinese festival falls in early spring, on the 106th day after the winter solstice. It is a "spring" festival, and it is an occasion for the whole family to leave the home and to sweep the graves of their forebears. Chinese being practical people this sweeping of the graves is given an extended period, that is, 10 days before and after Qing Ming day. Among some dialect groups a whole month is allocated.
清明节是一个纪念祖先的节日。主要的纪念仪式是扫墓,扫墓是慎终追远、郭亲睦邻及行孝的具体表现;基于上述意义,清明节因此成为华人的重要节日。 清明节是在仲春和暮春之交,也就是冬至后的106天。扫墓活动通常是在清明节的前十天或后十天。有些地域的人士的扫墓活动长达一个月。
ORIGIN 起源
Qing Ming is popularly associated with Jie Zi Zhui, who lived in Shanxi province in 600 B.C. Legend has it that Jie saved his starving lords life by serving a piece of his own leg. When the lord succeeded in becoming the ruler of a small principality, he invited his faithful follower to join him. However, Jie declined his invitation, preferring to lead a hermits life with his mother in the mountains.
Believing that he could force Jie out by burning the mountain, the lord ordered his men to set the forest on fire. To his consternation, Jie chose to remain where he was and was burnt to death. To commemorate Jie, the lord ordered all fires in every home to be put out on the anniversary of Jies 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 occurs on the eve of Qing Ming and is often considered as part of the Qing Ming festival. As time passes, the Qing Ming festival replaced the "cold food" festival. Whatever practice is observed,the basic observation of Qing Ming is to remember ones elders by making a special effort to visit their graves, ashes or ancestral tablets. To make the visit even more meaningful, some time should be spent to remind the younger members of the family of the lives and contributions of their ancestors, and the story of Jie Zi Zhui who choose death over capitulation.
谈到清明节,有点历史知识的人,都会联想到历史人物介子椎。据历史记载,在两千多年以前的春秋时代,晋国公子重耳逃亡在外,生活艰苦,跟随他的介子椎不惜从自己的腿上割下一块肉让他充饥。后来,重耳回到晋国,作了国君(即晋文公,春秋五霸之一),大事封赏所有跟随他流亡在外的随从,惟独介子椎拒绝接受封赏,他带了母亲隐居绵山。
晋文公无计可施,只好放火烧山,他想,介子椎孝顺母亲,一定会带着老母出来。谁知这场大火却把介子椎母子烧死了。为了纪念介子椎,晋文公下令每年的这一天,禁止生火,家家户户只能吃生冷的食物,这就是寒食节的来源。
寒食节是在清明节的前一天,古人常把寒食节的活动延续到清明,久而久之,清明取代了寒食节。拜介子椎的习俗也变成了清明扫墓的习俗了。无论以何种形式纪念,为了使纪念祖先的仪式更有意义,我们应该让年轻一代的家庭成员了解先人过去的奋斗历史,当然,还要学习介子椎宁死不屈的气节。