Qing Ming Jie

Qing Ming Jie (Chinese: 清明节; pinyin: Qingmíng jié), literally Pure Brightness Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival/holiday on the 106th day after the winter solstice, occurring on April 4 or April 5 of the Gregorian calendar (see Chinese calendar). It marks the middle of spring and above all, a sacred day of the dead.

The holiday is also known by a number of other names in the English language:

All Souls Day (not to be confused with the Roman Catholic holiday, All Souls Day, of the same name)
Clear Brightness Festival
Festival for Tending Graves
Grave Sweeping Day
Tomb Sweeping Day
For the Chinese, it is a day to remember and honour ones' ancestors. Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food and libation to the ancestors. The rites are very important to most Chinese and especially farmers.

Nowadays, the festival is also a patriotic day. The April Fifth Movement and the Tiananmen incident were major events involving Qing Ming Jie that took place in the history of the People's Republic of China. When Premier Zhou Enlai passed away in 1976, thousands visited him during the festival to pay respect. In the Republic of China, April 5th conincides with the passing of Chiang Kai-shek and the date is designated as a national holiday.