Next: 5 Apr 2027
Qingming Festival
Tomb-sweeping day in early April: families clean graves, make offerings and picnic in the spring air.
When is Qingming Festival in 2027?
Qingming Festival 2027 is on Monday, 5 April 2027. Other years: 2026, Sunday, 5 April 2026; 2028, Tuesday, 4 April 2028.
About Qingming Festival
Qingming, "clear and bright", is a solar term and holiday in early April, when Chinese families visit the graves of their ancestors. They weed and sweep the grave, set out food, tea and wine, burn incense and joss paper, and bow in respect. Sometimes the whole family eats a meal there, sharing what is left. After the sweeping, people go out to enjoy the fresh green of the countryside, fly kites, and plant willow twigs. Cold foods are traditional on the day, among them qingtuan, green rice dumplings coloured with mugwort, which is eaten in the lower Yangtze region. Cemeteries in cities such as Hong Kong and Taipei become very crowded, so some now offer online or recorded tributes.
Qingming Festival dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Qingming Festival date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, 5 April 2026 |
| 2027 | Monday, 5 April 2027 |
| 2028 | Tuesday, 4 April 2028 |
What is eaten
- qingtuan
- cold dishes
- popiah
Traditions of Qingming Festival
Also part of it, and being written: Qingtuan (The green dumplings of the season.), Ancestor veneration (The wider custom behind the day.).
More marked on Qingming Festival
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Qingming Festival" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Chinese funeral rituals: Salzmann, E.v., CC BY-SA 3.0 de, source
- Joss paper: Vmenkov, CC BY-SA 3.0, source