Preserving the beauty of the Thanh Minh Festival.

This year, the Qingming Festival falls on April 4th (the 7th day of the 3rd lunar month), and the atmosphere of ancestral tomb sweeping in many localities is quite lively. The Qingming Festival holds sacred significance in the Vietnamese psyche. It is an occasion for descendants to remember their roots by sweeping the graves, offering incense, and performing rituals to honor their ancestors. Even those living and working far away still try to arrange their schedules to return to their hometowns on this day to sweep the graves and gather together around the family meal.

Early this morning, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Loan, from Ngo Quyen ward, Vinh Yen city, woke up early to prepare offerings for her husband and children to take back to their paternal grandparents' village to visit their graves. Afterwards, she also took the opportunity to visit her maternal grandparents' village to light incense. Previously, on April 3rd (the 6th day of the 3rd lunar month), Mrs. Loan's family prepared the ingredients to make banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) to take back to their hometown for the Thanh Minh festival.

This morning, the Km4 Cemetery in Dinh Trung Ward, Vinh Yen City, was bustling with vehicles bringing families to perform funeral rites.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan said: “Every year, during the Thanh Minh festival, my husband and children return to our hometown ( Nam Dinh ) early. At the graves of our grandparents and ancestors, our relatives gather to clean and tidy them, then arrange fruits, sweet and savory offerings for worship. After visiting the graves, everyone returns to the family ancestral temple to cook a meal to offer to our ancestors, then they all eat together in a joyful and warm atmosphere.”

According to Mrs. Loan, in the past, when she and her husband were young, her husband drove the family back to their hometown. Now that they are older, their eldest son has taken over driving everyone back to their hometown. This tradition has been maintained by their family for decades, across generations. Aware of its significance, no matter how busy they are, her children always arrange their schedules to bring their parents back to their hometown on the day of the Thanh Minh festival.

Grave cleaners, people who perform rituals for their ancestors.

According to folk beliefs, the Qingming Festival comes 45 days after the beginning of Spring. "Qing" means pure and clean, and "Ming" means bright and clear. In Northern Vietnam, this is the time when the drizzle and dampness have ended, and the weather becomes clear and pleasant. The Qingming Festival is a time of mild, bright weather, cool and pleasant air, and flourishing nature. This year, the Qingming Festival begins from the 7th to the 22nd day of the 3rd lunar month.

Descendants sincerely pay respects to their ancestors on the Qingming Festival.

At the Km4 Cemetery in Dinh Trung Ward, Vinh Yen City, the weather this morning was beautiful, with gentle sunshine and a cool breeze. From early morning, many families were already present in the area to visit graves and clean up.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan said: "I came from Bac Ninh city to light incense for my ancestors on the occasion of Thanh Minh Festival. When I was young, my family lived in Dong Da ward, Vinh Yen city. Although my parents have passed away, I still have relatives in my hometown, so every year I try to return to Vinh Yen 2-3 times, including Thanh Minh Festival. Since today is not a holiday, only my wife and I came back to our hometown, whereas in previous years many children and grandchildren came. Even though it's far away, being able to light incense for our ancestors makes us feel at peace and warm in our hearts."

Besides middle-aged and elderly people, the Km4 Cemetery also has many young married couples and unmarried young people who accompany their parents and grandparents to visit the graves. Every family prepares a thoughtful ceremony and sincerely offers incense to remember their ancestors.

During the Qingming Festival, in addition to the custom of visiting graves, families also pay attention to offering sacrifices to their ancestors. A feast is offered to the ancestral altar after the Qingming ceremony at the graves. Depending on local customs, the offerings will vary, but usually include savory dishes along with incense, flowers, fruits, betel nuts, etc.

With its sacred significance, visiting graves on Thanh Minh Festival is a traditional cultural custom of the Vietnamese people. Nowadays, with modern life, the rituals of Thanh Minh Festival have changed somewhat to be more convenient, economical, and efficient.

Nevertheless, the humanistic meaning of showing filial piety and gratitude of descendants to their grandparents and ancestors remains a beautiful cultural aspect in every family, contributing to the creation of family traditions and customs, and preserving the traditions of our forefathers within the cultural flow of the nation.

Text and photos: Ha Tran

Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/126187/Gin-giu-net-dep-Tet-Thanh-minh