The difference between Qingming Festival and Cold Food Festival. The relationship between Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival is like this.

What is the difference between Qingming Festival and Cold Food Festival? Is Cold Food Festival the same as Qingming Festival? Next, let’s take a look at the relationship between Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival.

The difference between Qingming Festival and Cold Food Festival

Different time

1. Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Festival, Ghost Festival, and Hades Festival, together with the Zhongyuan Festival on July 15 and the Xiayuan Festival on October 15, are collectively known as the Three Hades Festivals, all of which are related to the worship of ghosts and gods. According to the Gregorian calendar, it is between April 4th and 6th every year and has a history of more than 2,500 years.

2. The Cold Food Festival is also known as the "No Smoking Festival", "Cold Festival" and "Hundred and Five Festival". The Cold Food Festival is generally held on the 105th day after the winter solstice. It is close to the date of Qingming Festival. In most areas of Shanxi, the Cold Food Festival is celebrated the day before Qingming Festival; in a few places such as Yushe County, the Cold Food Festival is celebrated two days before Qingming Festival; Yanqu County also celebrates the day before Qingming Festival as Cold Food Festival, and the two days before as Minor Cold Food Festival.

Different meanings

1. In China, the rebirth of new fire after the Cold Food Festival is a transitional ceremony to bid farewell to the old and usher in the new. It reveals the message of seasonal change and symbolizes the beginning of a new season, new hope, new life, and a new cycle. Later, it came to mean "gratitude", emphasizing more on the remembrance and gratitude for the "past".

2. During the Cold Food Festival, people are prohibited from using fire or eating cold food to offer sacrifices to tombs; during the Qingming Festival, people take new fire and go outings. Before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, "Qingming Festival" merely referred to one of the 24 solar terms that distinguished the change of seasons and agricultural operations. The main event of the Cold Food Festival was that every household abstained from smoking and ate cold food, and the time was in the cold winter season.

Merge the two

1. Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival were originally two festivals, but most people in Shandong combine the two festivals into one. It is generally called Qingming Festival, and in a few areas it is called Cold Food Festival, but the festival is celebrated on this day. The customs of the Cold Food Festival include visiting graves, going on picnics, cockfighting, swinging on swings, playing on rugs, and tug of war. Among them, the custom of visiting graves is a very ancient one. In the past, spring sacrifices in China were held on the Cold Food Festival, until it was later changed to the Qingming Festival.

2. In Kenli, the three days before Qingming Festival are called "Da Hanshi", "Er Hanshi" and "San Hanshi". The fourth day is Qingming Festival. People sweep tombs and go outings during these four days. Juancheng regards the day before Qingming Festival as Cold Food Festival, which is also known as Qingming Festival "Ghost Gate Festival".