Comments on: Tomb Sweeping Festival http://laowaichinese.net/tomb-sweeping-festival.htm Tips and Strategies for Learning to Speak Mandarin Chinese Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:57:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Veronica http://laowaichinese.net/tomb-sweeping-festival.htm/comment-page-1#comment-4246 Veronica Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:21:52 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=113#comment-4246 The Tomb-Sweeping Day is April 4th in China. The customs this day are interesting and abundant. Besides fire prohibition and tomb sweeping at this day, Chinese people do much folk sports, such as swings, kite flying, tug-of-war, spring country walk, tree planting etc. Because it is said that Chinese people must have cold food and prohibit fire at Tomb-Sweeping Day, they joined some sports to strengthen body. Folk customs of Tomb-Sweeping Day Swing It is a custom of Tomb-Sweeping Day in ancient China. Playing swing not only can strengthen body, but also can cultivate one’s brave spirit. So until now it is still popular with Chinese people, especially with Children. Kite flying It is also a custom of Tomb-Sweeping Day loved by Chinese people. At that day, Chinese people not only fly kites at day, but also at night. At night, they hang a string of small lanterns under kite, which seem like blinking stars in the night sky. In the past, some people cut off the pull wire after it fly high in the sky and the kite will fly with wind to anywhere, maybe the end of the earth. It is said that it could help get rid of disaster and bring good luck by free the kite. Spring country walk It is also called Spring Travel, also called Seeking Spring in ancient time. Tomb-Sweeping Day is March in Chinese lunar month, when spring is just coming back and everything in nature is growing and thriving. It is good time to walk out and travel. So people reserve the custom that they go out of door to travel at Tomb-Sweeping Day to now. To attend one-on-one online live Chinese lessons with professional and native Chinese teachers by entering: http://www.echineselearning.com/?a_aid=post, Free Trial Now! The Tomb-Sweeping Day is April 4th in China. The customs this day are interesting and abundant. Besides fire prohibition and tomb sweeping at this day, Chinese people do much folk sports, such as swings, kite flying, tug-of-war, spring country walk, tree planting etc. Because it is said that Chinese people must have cold food and prohibit fire at Tomb-Sweeping Day, they joined some sports to strengthen body.
Folk customs of Tomb-Sweeping Day
Swing
It is a custom of Tomb-Sweeping Day in ancient China. Playing swing not only can strengthen body, but also can cultivate one’s brave spirit. So until now it is still popular with Chinese people, especially with Children.

Kite flying
It is also a custom of Tomb-Sweeping Day loved by Chinese people. At that day, Chinese people not only fly kites at day, but also at night. At night, they hang a string of small lanterns under kite, which seem like blinking stars in the night sky. In the past, some people cut off the pull wire after it fly high in the sky and the kite will fly with wind to anywhere, maybe the end of the earth. It is said that it could help get rid of disaster and bring good luck by free the kite.
Spring country walk
It is also called Spring Travel, also called Seeking Spring in ancient time. Tomb-Sweeping Day is March in Chinese lunar month, when spring is just coming back and everything in nature is growing and thriving. It is good time to walk out and travel. So people reserve the custom that they go out of door to travel at Tomb-Sweeping Day to now.

To attend one-on-one online live Chinese lessons with professional and native Chinese teachers by entering: http://www.echineselearning.com/?a_aid=post, Free Trial Now!

]]> By: Albert http://laowaichinese.net/tomb-sweeping-festival.htm/comment-page-1#comment-4114 Albert Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:49:17 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=113#comment-4114 Yeah, I should have thought about that. It's a sad day right? Some of my students said they don't set off firecrackers in their hometown because it sounds too happy for a day that's supposed to be sad. Sorry if I was insensitive. Yeah, I should have thought about that. It’s a sad day right? Some of my students said they don’t set off firecrackers in their hometown because it sounds too happy for a day that’s supposed to be sad. Sorry if I was insensitive.

]]> By: eChineseLearning http://laowaichinese.net/tomb-sweeping-festival.htm/comment-page-1#comment-4113 eChineseLearning Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:00:07 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=113#comment-4113 Happy Qīngmíng Jié 清明节 everyone? Maybe Chinese people won't say this. Happy Qīngmíng Jié 清明节 everyone?
Maybe Chinese people won’t say this.

]]> By: Nicki http://laowaichinese.net/tomb-sweeping-festival.htm/comment-page-1#comment-4085 Nicki Sun, 06 Apr 2008 09:16:18 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=113#comment-4085 Hooray the computer is working again - here are those pictures from 清明节 in 海口! http://picasaweb.google.com/wallaby78erik/QingMingJie2008 Let me know if you can't see them. Hooray the computer is working again – here are those pictures from 清明节 in 海口!

http://picasaweb.google.com/wallaby78erik/QingMingJie2008

Let me know if you can’t see them.

]]> By: Albert http://laowaichinese.net/tomb-sweeping-festival.htm/comment-page-1#comment-4081 Albert Sat, 05 Apr 2008 07:04:18 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=113#comment-4081 Nicki, Yes do leave the link if you can get some pictures up. On the bus today I came across (and thankfully remembered) another appropriate word: gǔhuī 骨灰 = ashes of the dead. Nicki,

Yes do leave the link if you can get some pictures up.

On the bus today I came across (and thankfully remembered) another appropriate word: gǔhuī 骨灰 = ashes of the dead.

]]> By: Tom http://laowaichinese.net/tomb-sweeping-festival.htm/comment-page-1#comment-4080 Tom Sat, 05 Apr 2008 05:39:57 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=113#comment-4080 Fearing that the young generations may forget about their Chinese festivals and therefore their Chinese origin, at the threat of western cultural influence, the government finallly took this measure. It is also a manifestation of the growing of our comprehensive national strength. Fearing that the young generations may forget about their Chinese festivals and therefore their Chinese origin, at the threat of western cultural influence, the government finallly took this measure. It is also a manifestation of the growing of our comprehensive national strength.

]]> By: Nicki http://laowaichinese.net/tomb-sweeping-festival.htm/comment-page-1#comment-4079 Nicki Sat, 05 Apr 2008 04:24:52 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=113#comment-4079 Thanks for the vocab - I actually went out to the tombs here in Haikou on 清明节 and got to observe what they do locally firsthand! It was a great scene - conical earthshaped mounds in the woods, families repainting faded characters on tombstones with bright red dripping paint, roast pigs and incense and paper money bonfires, men bowing down in front of the freshly weeded and re-shaped mounds, the sounds of firecrackers and drifting smoke obscuring everything...the thing that most intruiged me was that on the road outside were piles of sod, being sold to the families. They put two chunks of sod at the pointed top of each grave - one grass side down, and on top of that, one grass side up. If/when I get my home computer un-virused and working again, I will try to post pictures online somewhere. Thanks for the vocab – I actually went out to the tombs here in Haikou on 清明节 and got to observe what they do locally firsthand! It was a great scene – conical earthshaped mounds in the woods, families repainting faded characters on tombstones with bright red dripping paint, roast pigs and incense and paper money bonfires, men bowing down in front of the freshly weeded and re-shaped mounds, the sounds of firecrackers and drifting smoke obscuring everything…the thing that most intruiged me was that on the road outside were piles of sod, being sold to the families. They put two chunks of sod at the pointed top of each grave – one grass side down, and on top of that, one grass side up. If/when I get my home computer un-virused and working again, I will try to post pictures online somewhere.

]]> By: KF http://laowaichinese.net/tomb-sweeping-festival.htm/comment-page-1#comment-4078 KF Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:32:14 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=113#comment-4078 I like the contextual vocabulary. Good stuff. I like the contextual vocabulary. Good stuff.

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