Festival · 节日

Pure Brightness (清明)

Sweeping graves, offerings, a walk in green things.

Qingming Festival (清明节, "pure brightness") is one of two festivals — alongside Mid-Autumn — built around honoring ancestors. Families visit gravesites to clean them, leave offerings of food and flowers, and burn paper money for the departed. It also coincides with one of the 24 solar terms, marking the start of warm spring weather.

When does Pure Brightness fall?

• 2026 — Sunday, April 5, 2026 (2026年4月5日)
• 2027 — Monday, April 5, 2027 (2027年4月5日)
• 2028 — Tuesday, April 4, 2028 (2028年4月4日)

Traditions

Tomb sweeping (扫墓)

Families clean ancestors' gravesites, replace flowers, burn incense, and offer food and paper "spirit money".

Spring outing (踏青)

After tomb sweeping, families take a walk in nature — picnics, kite flying, the lightness of new spring.

Cold food (寒食)

Some regions observe Han Shi the day before Qingming, eating only cold food in memory of an ancient minister.

Common questions

What date is Qingming 2026?

Qingming 2026 falls on Sunday, April 5, 2026 — it always lands around April 4–6 each year because it's tied to a solar term, not a lunar date.

Why is Qingming both a festival and a solar term?

It is one of the 24 solar terms (节气) in the Chinese calendar — the only term that doubles as a major festival. The solar term marks roughly 15° solar longitude past spring equinox.