Tomb Sweeping Day

proper noun

An annual Chinese holiday on the first day of the fifth solar term in the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar (April 4 or 5), during which families gather to honor their ancestors and clean their tombs. The festival is also associated with the consumption of qingtuan.

Similar
QingmingChing-mingChing MingQingming FestivalChing Ming FestivalPure Brightness FestivalAll Souls' DayChinese Memorial Day
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Meanings

proper noun

alternative Tomb-Sweeping Day · alternative Tomb Sweeping Festival

  1. An annual Chinese holiday on the first day of the fifth solar term in the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar (April 4 or 5), during which families gather to honor their ancestors and clean their tombs. The festival is also associated with the consumption of qingtuan.

    Synonyms: Qingming, Ching-ming, Ching Ming, Qingming Festival, Ching Ming Festival, Pure Brightness Festival, All Souls' Day, Chinese Memorial Day

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounAn annual Chinese holiday on the first day of the fifth solar term in the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar (April 4 or 5), during which families gather to honor their ancestors and clean their tombs. The festival is also associated with the consumption of qingtuan.

Similar
QingmingChing-mingChing MingQingming FestivalChing Ming FestivalPure Brightness FestivalAll Souls' DayChinese Memorial DayAncestors' DayMourning Day
Also see
all souls' dayancestors' daymemorial daymourning daypure brightness festivalqingmingqingming festivaltomb sweeping festival

Origin

From its former Chinese name 掃墳節 /扫坟节 (Sǎofénjié, “Sweep-Tomb Festival”), from the traditional act of cleaning one's family grave with willow branches during the holiday.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 掃墳節 /扫坟节, 清明節 /清明节
  • 掃墳節 /扫坟节 (Sǎofénjié)holiday
  • 清明節 /清明节 (Qīngmíngjié)holiday
Dutch Qingmingfestival
  • Qingmingfestivalholiday
Finnish Qingming-juhla
  • Qingming-juhlaholiday
Thai เช็งเม้ง, เทศกาลเช็งเม้ง
  • เช็งเม้ง (cheng-méng)holiday
  • เทศกาลเช็งเม้ง (têet-sà-gaan-cheng-méng)holiday
Vietnamese Tết Thanh minh
  • Tết Thanh minhholiday
Cite this entry
APA

Tomb Sweeping Day. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tomb%20Sweeping%20Day

MLA

“Tomb Sweeping Day.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tomb%20Sweeping%20Day. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Tomb Sweeping Day,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tomb%20Sweeping%20Day.

Source: Tomb Sweeping Day on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.