April brings one of China’s most important holidays, Qingming Day (清明节 - qīng míng jié), a day to remember our ancestors and visit the resting places of our loved ones. There are a lot of traditions surrounding the day, and one of our favorites is the making of steamed flower buns - 花馍馍 (huā mó mo).
Steamed Flower Buns
Qingming Day falls on the 108th day of the lunar year, right after the winter solstice. On the Gregorian calendar, it falls somewhere between April 4th - 6th (this year it’s on April 5th). Similar to Día de los Muertos, it’s a day of honoring loved ones and ancestors who have passed.
A key part of preparation for this day is to make steamed buns, 花馍馍 - huā mó mo, in the shapes of flowers and animals. These buns are offered to ancestors through memorial rituals when families visit the cemetery. Similar to papercutting, steaming flower buns is a unique folk art that originated in the Chinese countryside.
Notes
It’s important to let the buns rest for 30-40 minutes after you shape them. They’ll likely rise a little more 💨, and this way, you can reshape them as needed before steaming them. You can also use any dried fruits or dried sausage (if you like a savory treat) - just be wary of using anything high in water content.
Qingming Day Traditions
Instead of a second recipe, we’d like to give more background on this day 😊. Qingming Day started over 2500 years ago during the Zhou Dynasty (周朝 - zhōu cháo, B.C. 1046 - 256) to honor the royal family’s ancestors. Over time, the day turned into a national holiday for families to remember all ancestors and loved ones.
On Qingming Day, family members gather in the early morning to first memorialize their ancestors: this is called 祭祖 (jì zǔ - ancestor worship). Then, families head to the cemetery to visit the tombs of their loved ones. This ritual is called tomb sweeping (扫墓 - sǎo mù), which is where we get the English translation for this day: Tomb-Sweeping Day.
The ritual starts with families clearing weeds around the tombs and sweeping away dust that’s gathered. Families greet their passed loved ones, arrange dishes of food (like steamed buns and the favorite foods of their loved ones) in front of the tombs, and report updates from the year.
Afterward, they sit around the tombs to share in a picnic. Wine is poured around the tombs, and after lunch, the head of the household burns paper money and paper versions of household items (like cars or TVs) in front of the tombs to deliver these gifts into the afterlife.
If you ever went to Chinese school, you might have learned this poem by a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, 杜牧 - Dù Mù:
清明时节雨纷纷 - As rain drizzles on Qingming Day,
路上行人欲断魂 - Broken-hearted mourners fill the streets.
借问酒家何处有 - Where can I find the nearest tavern?
牧童遥指杏花村 - The shepherd boy points to a village among the apricot blooms.
Though Qingming Day is a day of quiet rituals (and despite how sad that poem is), it is also an occasion to enjoy the coming of Spring. After visiting the cemetery, families and friends get together to picnic, fly kites, play 蹴鞠 - cù jū (the earliest recorded form of soccer - and yet we never make the World Cup 🥲), and just enjoy each other’s company. As we remember our ancestors and loved ones, Qingming Day is also a time to reflect on the hope and optimism of life.