As such, Tomb Sweeping Day always falls around April 3 or 5 on the Gregorian calendar, or the modern-day solar calendar.

Unknown to many, the Chinese lunar calendar designates 24 days in its year to follow the path of the sun, including the spring equinox, or Chunfen, the summer solstice, or Hsiachih, the autumnal equinox, or Chiufen, and the winter solstice, Tungchih. The equinox is one of two days of the year when the day is as long as the night, the summer solstice is the longest day of the year, while the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year.

The 24 days, the so called “solar terms” of the Chinese lunar calendar, were designated as early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-24 B.C.) by the Imperial Court to govern agricultural arrangements.

In ancient times, as the 24 solar terms were kept between the emperor and the court’s astronomer, the emperor wielded enormous power over the people by setting the agricultural timetable.

The 24 solar terms, or Chiehchi, also keeps the lunar calendar in synch with the four seasons, which is apparent with the beginning of spring, summer, autumn, and winter included in the terms.

Other 24 solar terms embody the phenomena of climate such as the Waking of Insects, or Chingche, Fullness of Grain, or Hsiaoman, Grain in Beard, or Mangchong.

Still others indicate change of climate such as Rain Water, or Yushui, Grain Rain, or Kuyu, Lesser Heat, or Hsiaoshu, and Greater Heat, Tashu.

Technically, the 24 solar terms each indicate the position of the sun every time it travels fifteen degrees on its elliptical path.

Tomb Sweeping Day, or Chingming of the 24 solar terms, is also known as Chingming Festival with the word meaning clear and bright.

Celebrations for Tomb Sweeping Day have evolved since ancient times, when people would dance, sing, picnic, and fly kites to mark the rebirth of nature that comes after the height of spring.

The emperor would even plant trees on the palace grounds while young men and women in the villages would court each other.

With the passing of time, the festival evolved into a time to honor past ancestors.

In accordance to folk religion, Chinese people believed that the spirits of deceased ancestors look after their families. Now, Chinese visit tombs of their ancestors to tend to any brush that has grown around the location and sweep the dirt away before setting out offerings of food and spirit money.

Besides visiting the tombs of their ancestors, Chinese people also fly kites on Tomb Sweeping Day, which come in all shapes, sizes, and colors such as designs of frogs, dragonflies, butterflies, crabs, bats, and storks.

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