The Qingming Festival is named after the first day of the fifth solar term (called Qingming) of the Chinese lunar calendar. The name directly translates to “Pure Brightness Festival”. It’s a Chinese holiday that honors ancestors and celebrates the start of spring. It could be described as Tomb Sweeping Day. 

This year, the holiday begins on April 4, 2026. As a holiday devoted to honoring and remembering the deceased, families sweep and decorate their ancestral gravesites. Tomb-sweeping is seen as a way to show respect to one’s ancestors. They also burn incense, paper money, and food offerings. 

The festival traditions derive primarily from Confucianism, which emphasizes respect and filial piety to both the deceased and other family elders. 

After paying respects to their ancestors, many people will spend time outdoors enjoying the weather and go on spring outings due to how the festival usually falls in early spring every year.