Qingming is one of the twenty-four solar terms in China, as well as one of the four traditional Chinese festivals. So what do the Chinese people eat during Qingming Festival? How do the people in Guangdong celebrate Qingming Festival? If you want to learn about the customs of Qingming Festival in different regions, come and take a look at Huayi Network!

In some parts of northern China, the custom of eating cold food during Qingming Festival still exists. In Shandong, Jimo eats eggs and cold steamed buns, while Laiyang, Zhaoyuan, and Changzhuo eat eggs and cold sorghum rice, it is said that otherwise there will be hailstorms.

In some parts of southern China, there is a custom of eating green rice balls. Green rice balls are also known as Qingming cakes, cotton vegetable dumplings, corm cakes, Qingming porridge, Aiye porridge, Ai cakes, Qingming porridge, spinach cakes, Qingming porridge, Aiye dumplings, Ai cake, Ai herb cake, Qingming rice balls, warm mushroom buns, and Ai herb green balls, among others.

In Guangdong, Qingming Festival is called "sweeping the mountain", "paying homage to the mountain", or "paying homage to the tomb". During the Qingming period, the Guangdong region has already shown a springtime scenery with clear weather, and tomb sweeping and ancestral worship, as well as going on excursions are the main themes of the festival for the people of Guangdong. Taking advantage of the opportunity, families also go on an outing in the countryside and fields. The people of Guangdong place great importance on ancestral temples and ancestors; the rituals for ancestral temples, clan halls, and tombs have always been regarded as top priorities. Every Qingming Festival, whether they are overseas or just near their hometown, they return home to join the local villagers in paying homage to their ancestors. Qingming has thus become a day for family reunions.

Guangdong has the customs of "Xingqing" and "going on excursions". "Xingqing" is different from "going on excursions"; going on excursions refers to sightseeing and getting close to nature, while "Xingqing" means that a family or clan agrees on a time to go together to sweep the mountain. When people visit the tombs each year, they first clear the weeds around the ancestral tombs, then make paper offerings, and set up offerings such as sacrificial pigs, chicken, duck, fish, meat, fresh fruits, pastries, and wine for the ceremony. After completing the ritual, they have a picnic with roasted pork and fresh fruits and snacks on the spot, or hold a banquet at home. In Guangdong, Qingming Festival is a grand and important occasion for ancestral worship. Some places have had the tradition of holding Qingming gatherings and having Qingming banquets since ancient times, where all members of the clan, both men and women, young and old, participate, creating a grand and lively scene.