Tomb-sweeping Day

Tomb-sweeping Day, also called the Qingming Festival, is a Chinese traditional festival. on the 104th day after the winter solstice(or the 15th day from the Spring Equinox)，usually occuring around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar.

Tomb-sweeping Day originated from Hanshi Day (cold food day), a memorial day for Jie Zitui. And it is credited to the Emperor Tang Xuanzong in 732. Then observance of Qingming found a firm place in Chinese culture and continued for over 1000 years.

The Tomb-sweeping Day is an opportunity for celebrants to remember and honor their ancestors at grave sites.Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, joss paper accessories.

The Tomb-sweeping Day is a time when the sun shines brightly, the trees and grass become green and nature is again lively. Since ancient times, people have followed the custom of Spring outings.

Qingtuan which literally means"green bulb" was originally an offering for ancerstors during Qingming. As the custom of worshipping ancestors has weakened with time. it is now regarded as a favored spring outing snack. especially popular among people in south of the Yangtze River.

Qingtuan is a round green dessert, Its green dough is made by mixing glutinous rice flour with bolied mugwort juice. The dough is then wrapped around red bean paste or other sweet fillings, then steamed until cooked.

The combination of its soft and chewy dough with sweet and smooth fillings makes it a delicious light snack. now more new types of Qingtuan are available, and some novel fillings are even going viral, such as egg yolk with meat, vegetarian options and fillings with fruit.