Zee Wong

    zedwong@163.com

    ANCESTOR worship is a huge part of Chinese culture. However, we don’t have to immerse ourselves in mere melancholy in order to show respect and gratitude toward deceased family members.

    While observing the rigorous custom of tomb sweeping during the Cold Food Festival and the Qingming Festival, we may also enjoy some delicious cold food. Note that these two festivals happen around 15 days after the spring equinox, when the plane of the Earth’s equator coincides with the center of the Sun.

    Since these two festivals are held at approximately the same time (Cold Food is two days ahead of Qingming), and similar in significance, we usually combine them.

    The Qingming Festival in 2014 will take place April 5, hence, the Cold Food Festival on April 3.

    There is a well-known legend about the Cold Food Festival, which commemorates Jie Zitui, a loyal official to the state of Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.). Jie guarded Prince Chong’er to escape from the civil war for 19 years.

    Once, they were starving and Chong’er fainted from hunger. Jie cut out a chunk meat from his thigh and made soup for Chong’er. Without knowing the truth, Chong’er ate the soup and recuperated. When the state stabilized, Chong’er gained power and became the lord of Jin. He finally learned the truth about the life-saving soup and was moved by Jie’s altruism.

    Chong’er decided to promote Jie but Jie preferred an idyllic life. He wanted only to reside in a mountain with his mother. The lord insisted by ordering an army to bring Jie back to the court. To force Jie out of the mountain, the army ignited it. Jie and his mother were burned to death. Lord Jin mourned for their deaths and forbade the use of fire on that day. This day became the Cold Food Festival.

    Since cooking with fire was forbidden, families usually prepare food for storage prior to the festivals. Therefore, food such as aici, a glutinous rice ball, is commonly prepared and consumed in large quantity in southern China. Aici also earned the name qingtuan (green rice ball) in northern China for its natural green color.

    In addition to the green rice ball, we also make plain, white ones. These two colors symbolize the Qingming (green and bright) Festival. In fact, the color green is derived from the leaves of mugwort, which yields a slightly bitter extract.

    Mugwort leaves are not only used for flavoring food, though. They are also used in spa treatments and acupuncture to promote blood circulation. Mugwort is known as “Dr. Herb” and was recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica written by Li Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

    Chinese food and medicine have the same origin. It is important to use every part (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits) of a plant effectively. This is important to the prosperity of the Chinese population. Long before vitamins and minerals can be extracted through modern techniques, Chinese people have regular intake through daily meals.

  Zee Wong is a Chinese student at Carnegie Mellon University who is also offering an innovative course in Chinese language and culture to multinational students and professionals.