Qingming Festival, or Ching Ming Festival, called Pure Brightness Festival or Tomb-Sweeping Day in English. Qingming Festival falls in early April, when the weather warms up and everything comes to life. It is such a good time for a spring outing to enjoy the fresh air and to relax. This year Qingming Festival is on Sunday, April 4.
清明节，或清明节，在英语中称为清明节或清明节。四月初的清明节，天气变暖，万物复苏。现在正是春游的好时机，可以呼吸新鲜空气，放松身心。今年的清明节是4月4日，星期日。
Qingming Festival is also the 5th of the traditional Chinese 24 Solar Terms, meaning “the days are going to be warm and bright (when not raining) and vegetation turns green.” It is a day for people to go out for tomb sweeping and spring outings.
There are various interesting traditions and activities for Chinese people to celebrate Qingming Festival.
清明节也是中国传统节气24节气中的第5个节气，意思是“天气温暖明亮(不下雨的时候) ，植被变绿”这是人们出去扫墓和春游的日子。中国人有各种各样有趣的传统和活动来庆祝清明节。
Qing Ming Festival Activities:
- Kite Flying
- Spring Outing
- Tree planting
- Tomb Sweeping
- Hanging Willow Branches
- Eating Sweet Green Rice Balls
During Qingming Festival, people do not only fly kites in the daytime, but also fly them at night. They attach strings of little lanterns to the end of the kite, which look like blinking stars. The lanterns are called Magic Lamps. It is said that if you cut the string after the kite have flown into the sky and let it go freely, it will ward off sickness and bring you good luck!
清明节期间，人们不仅白天放风筝，晚上也要放风筝。他们把一串串的小灯笼挂在风筝的末端，看起来就像闪烁的星星。这些灯笼叫做魔法灯。据说，当风筝飞上天空后，如果你把绳子剪断，让它自由地飞走，就可以预防疾病，给你带来好运！
Traditionally, Chinese people bring tea, wine, food, incense, firecrackers, and zhi qian (paper made to resemble money and burned as an offering to the dead) when visiting the tombs of their ancestors.
传统上，中国人带来茶，酒，食物，香，鞭炮，纸钱(纸制成类似金钱，并焚烧作为祭祀死者) ，当参观他们的祖先的坟墓。
People take foods as an offering, burn firecrackers and zhi qian, cover the tomb with some new soil, insert several Willow branches on the tomb, and worship their ancestors. After this routine people would go back home and eat family dinner together.
人们以食物作为祭品，燃放鞭炮和直前，用新的土壤覆盖墓穴，在墓穴上插入几根柳枝，祭拜祖先。在这之后，人们会回家，一起吃家庭晚餐。
Today, it is forbidden to burn incense, firecrackers and zhi qian in many cities in China, so people present fresh flowers instead, usually chrysanthemums and lilies.
今天，在中国的许多城市都禁止燃烧香、鞭炮和制钱，所以人们用鲜花代替，通常是菊花和百合。
The sunshine and rain are sufficient during Qingming Festival, which makes for a high survival rate for trees planted at this time. Hence people would like to plant trees upon Qingming Festival’s arrival.
清明节期间阳光充足，雨水充足，这使得此时种植的树木成活率很高。因此人们喜欢在清明节到来时种树。
There are also some places wearing soft willow branches or hanging the branches on gates during Qingming Festival to exorcise evil spirits. Because a Buddhist Goddess Guanyin often show up to save living beings with a willow branch in a vase of water. People believe that the goddess uses the mysterious water and willow branches to scare away evils.
此外，亦有部分地方在清明节时佩戴柔软的柳枝，或将枝条悬挂在门上以驱邪。因为佛教观音经常用柳枝插在水瓶里拯救众生。人们相信女神用神秘的水和柳枝驱邪。
In South China, people are likely to eat Sweet Green Rice Balls when going on spring outings during Qingming Festival. It is a seasonal snack made from a mixture of glutinous rice flour and green plant juice then stuffed with sweetened bean paste or meat floss and egg yolk.
在中国南方，人们在春游的时候喜欢吃青团。这是一种季节性小吃，由糯米粉和绿色植物汁混合制成，然后填入豆沙或肉松和蛋黄。
What did we do at PICLC?
At PICLC we had the wonderful privilege of being taught by our own parents. Our parents enlightened us with the special meaning and traditions of this day.
During the day we had a very exciting cooking experience. All our learners learned how to make our own sweet, green rice balls. We had these rice balls for our afternoon snack and nothing tastes better than your own hard work.
做青团 话清明
清明节是中华民族古老的节日，既是一个扫墓祭祖的肃穆节日，也是人们亲近自然、踏青游玩、享受春天乐趣的欢乐节日。
为了让孩子们进一步了解清明节这一重要传统节日，我们的家长用通俗易懂的文字，生动详细的图片和视频介绍，让孩子们知晓了清明节的由来以及习俗。
同时，清明节是对孩子进行爱国教育的最好契机，在这慎终追远，寄托哀思的时刻，一颗爱国的种子正在孩子们心中悄然萌芽…
学习了清明文化习俗之后，孩子们开始了制作青团之旅。
在老师和家长的指导下，大家用两只手慢慢把面团搓圆、压扁，放上豆沙等馅儿，最后再搓圆，放入磨具！很快，一个个油绿如玉、糯韧绵软的青团呈现在大家的眼前。
碧青油绿的青团，糯韧绵软，甘甜细腻，清香爽口，从色彩到口感都有着春天的气味，自己动手做的真是太美味啦！
制作青团是清明节的习俗之一，通过实践活动既锻炼了孩子的动手能力、又发挥了孩子们的主动性，同时又让孩子们在活动中充分了解中国传统文化。