And Ching Ming, or tomb-sweeping day, is celebrated today at Cypress Lawn, which we'll visit on July 27th.

"At Cypress Lawn, one of the many reasons we enjoy living in the San Francisco Bay Area is the opportunity to serve families from different cultural and faith backgrounds as they pay tribute to their loved ones in meaningful funeral services, visitations, and receptions. Every day, we see how beliefs, customs, and religious traditions bring tremendous peace and comfort to those planning a funeral for someone they love. In addition to helping families tell their loved one’s story, we also are honored to host special ethnic events, including our upcoming Ching Ming celebration."

Celebrate Ching Ming at Cypress Lawn

What is Ching Ming Festival, known as tomb-sweeping day, and how is it marked?

Traditionally a Chinese spring ritual, the tomb-sweeping festival is said to have its roots in an emperor’s cruelty to a follower

Ching Ming Festival, also known as tomb-sweeping day, is celebrated 15 days after the spring equinox in the Chinese lunar calendar, and in 2025 falls on April 4. In mainland China and Hong Kong, the festival is a public holiday.

What is the festival’s origin?

Its name originates from the saying “plants start to revive and prosper at Ching Ming in a clean and bright way”, according to People’s Daily. The literal translation of the Chinese ching is “clean” or “pure”, while ming means “bright”. The festival was traditionally seen as marking both the beginning of warm spring weather and of farm work.

The customs of the festival as we know it today originate from hanshi jie, or the Cold Food Festival.

According to legend, in the 6th century BC in the Chinese state of Jin, an exiled duke called Wen was starving and had no food to eat, so one of his followers, named Jie Zitui, cut a piece of his flesh from his thigh to make soup for Wen.

What is Ching Ming Festival, known as tomb-sweeping day, and how is it marked?

Greg