Cold Food Festival

Overview

The Cold Food Festival (Hanshijie), also known as the Smokeless Festival or Cold Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday that occurs on the 105th day after the winter solstice, typically falling on the day before the Qingming Festival. The festival involves abstaining from fire and eating cold food to commemorate Jie Zhitui, a loyal official from the Spring and Autumn Period. Over time, the festival has evolved and merged with Qingming Festival, though some regions still maintain distinct celebrations. The festival reflects ancient Chinese beliefs about fire, filial piety, and ancestor veneration.

History

Ancient Origins

The Cold Food Festival can be traced back to ancient times when people worshipped fire as a divine entity. Fire was essential for daily life but also posed dangers, leading to the practice of "changing fire" (gaihuo) - extinguishing old fires and ceremonially lighting new ones. This ritual typically occurred during the second lunar month when the "Great Fire" star (Dahuo) became visible in the eastern sky, marking what was considered the beginning of the new year.

During this transition period, families prepared sufficient cooked food to sustain themselves while fires were extinguished, a practice that eventually evolved into the Cold Food Festival. The "Liangchu Sui Ji" (Record of Seasons in Jing-Chu) from the Southern Liang Dynasty mentions preparations of sweet malt syrup, barley porridge, cockfighting, and egg games during this period.

Association with Jie Zhitui

By the Spring and Autumn Period, the festival became associated with Jie Zhitui (Jie Zhitui), a loyal official who served Duke Wen of Jin (formerly known as Prince Chong'er). According to historical accounts, after helping Duke Wen regain his throne, Jie Zhitui refused all rewards and withdrew to live as a hermit with his mother in Mianshan (now in Jiexiu, Shanxi).

When Duke Wen failed to locate Jie Zhitui to reward him, he mistakenly believed that as a filial son, Jie would emerge if a fire was set around the mountain. Tragically, Jie and his mother died in the fire. Overcome with remorse, Duke Wen ordered that no fires be lit on the anniversary of Jie's death, and people should only eat cold food, thus establishing the Cold Food Festival.

Development Through Dynasties

During the Han Dynasty, people in Shanxi observed a month-long fire prohibition in memory of Jie Zhitui. In the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao attempted to abolish the custom, issuing the "Yin Fa Ling" (Order on Punishing Prohibitions) which imposed penalties on those who observed the festival. However, after the Jin Dynasty reunified China, the tradition was restored and spread throughout the country.

The Tang Dynasty elevated the Cold Food Festival to a national holiday. During the Kaiyuan era (713-741), it became a three-day official holiday. By the Zhenyuan era (785-805), the holiday was extended to five days, and later to seven days during the Tang. The imperial court also held special banquets during the festival. During this period, the Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival began to merge due to their close proximity.

In the Song Dynasty, the Cold Food Festival was considered one of the three major festivals, along with the Winter Solstice and New Year's Day. The seven-day holiday featured rich cultural activities, as depicted in Zhang Zeduan's famous painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," which shows the bustling celebrations of the period.

During the Yuan Dynasty, the cultural significance of the festival gradually diminished, replaced by more entertainment-focused activities. By the Qing Dynasty, the Cold Food Festival had largely merged with Qingming Festival, with most of its customs being absorbed into Qingming observances. After the calendar reform by Schall von Bell (Tang Ruowang) in the early Qing Dynasty, Qingming Festival was officially set for the day after Cold Food Festival.

Key Information

Cultural Significance

Food Traditions

The most distinctive custom of the Cold Food Festival is the consumption of cold food in remembrance of Jie Zhitui. Various cold dishes are prepared, including:

• Cold Food Porridge (寒食粥): Various types of porridge prepared the day before, including rice porridge, mixed grain porridge, barley porridge, and flower-flavored porridges.
• Cold Food Noodles (寒食面): Typically made with buckwheat noodles served with cold sauces.
• Green Rice (青精饭): Also known as black rice, a specialty from Jiangsu region made from glutinous rice dyed black with mugwort leaves.
• Qingtuan (青团): Green rice dumplings popular in the Jiangnan region, originally made for ancestor worship and then eaten as cold food.
• Hanju (馓子): Fried dough twists, also called "cold implements" due to their association with the festival.

Regional specialties include cold noodles and jelly in southern Shanxi, fried "qi" (diced dried cake) in northern Shanxi, and roasted grain flour in mountainous areas.

Customs and Activities

Several customs are associated with the Cold Food Festival:

• Tomb Sweeping: The festival was historically considered the "first great sacrificial day" of the year. Families would visit ancestral graves to clean, add soil, hang paper money, and offer special foods like "snake盘兔" (snake coiled around rabbit) and "Zitui Yan" (swallow-shaped buns named after Jie Zhitui).
• Willow Branch Decorations: Willows were considered symbolic of the festival, originally representing the hope for political clarity in memory of Jie Zhitui. Customary practices included inserting willow branches at doors, gates, and in homes, as well as wearing them.
• Spring Outings (踏青): The pleasant spring weather during the festival season made it ideal for family excursions to enjoy nature.
• Games and Entertainment: Traditional activities included swinging (秋千), cuju (ancient Chinese football), cockfighting, and egg games.
• Poetry Composition: The festival inspired numerous poems throughout Chinese literary history, with over 300 poems from the Tang Dynasty alone in the "Complete Tang Poems" collection.

Literary and Artistic Representations

The Cold Food Festival has been a rich source of inspiration for Chinese literature and art:

• Poetry: Famous poems about the festival include Du Fu's "Cold Food," Han Hong's "In the Capital," and Du Mu's "Qingming," which has become indelibly associated with the festival despite originally being a separate poem.
• Calligraphy: Su Shi's "Cold Food Post" (寒食帖) is one of the most celebrated calligraphic works in Chinese history.
• Paintings: The festival is depicted in various artworks, including "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" by Zhang Zeduan and "Song Taizu Cuju Tu" (Song Taizu Playing Cuju) by Qian Xuan.

Modern Status

Today, the Cold Food Festival has largely merged with the Qingming Festival in most parts of China, with many people observing both on the same day. However, some regions maintain distinct traditions:

• In most areas of Shanxi province, the Cold Food Festival is still observed on the day before Qingming Festival.
• In Yushe County and a few other places, it's celebrated two days before Qingming.
• In Yuanqu County, the day before Qingming is "Cold Food Festival" and two days before is "Small Cold Food Festival."

The cultural significance of the Cold Food Festival has diminished in modern times, with many people no longer familiar with its specific customs and history. Nevertheless, efforts have been made to preserve and promote this cultural heritage:

• In 2008, Jiexiu was named "China's Hometown of Cold Food and Qingming Culture" by the China Folk Literature and Arts Association.
• The same year saw the first "China Qingming (Cold Food) Cultural Festival" held at Mianshan scenic area.
• In 2011, the "Legend of Jie Zhitui" was listed as a county-level intangible cultural heritage item, and "Qingming Festival (Jiexiu Cold Food and Qingming Customs)" was included in the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage.

References

1. Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge University Press, 2010.

2. Kuhn, Philip A. Chinese Among Others: Emigration in Modern Times. Rowman & Littlefield, 2008.

3. Watson, Burton. The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry: From Early Times to the Thirteenth Century. Columbia University Press, 1984.

4. Yu, Pauline. The Reading of Imagery in the Chinese Poetic Tradition. Princeton University Press, 1987.

5. Little, Stephen. Taoism and the Arts of China. University of Chicago Press, 2000.