When Is Cold Food Festival? Date, Origins and Traditional Customs Explained in Detail

The Cold Food Festival generally falls in early April on the Gregorian calendar. According to the traditional calendar, it is calculated as the 105th day after the winter solstice, which is why it is also popularly known as the Hundred and Five Festival. Its date usually comes one or two days before Qingming Festival. Because Qingming is set according to the solar terms, the exact day of the Cold Food Festival shifts slightly from year to year, but it basically falls around early April.

The origin of the Cold Food Festival is traditionally linked to Jie Zitui of the Spring and Autumn period. It is said that Jie Zitui once followed Duke Wen of Jin into exile, and after the duke succeeded, Jie Zitui lived in seclusion in the mountains and refused any reward or title. To commemorate him, Duke Wen ordered that fires be banned and only cold food eaten during this period, and from this the festival gradually took shape. This legend is widely told, and because of it the Cold Food Festival carries the cultural meaning of commemorating past worthies and honoring loyalty and righteousness.

The most central custom of the Cold Food Festival is banning fire and eating cold food. In ancient times people did not light fires to cook on this day, and instead prepared cold food such as cold porridge, qingtuan (green rice balls), and sanzi (fried dough twists) in advance. Because the date is close to Qingming, activities such as visiting graves to honor ancestors, spring outings, and planting willow branches are also often carried out together during the Cold Food and Qingming period, and the customs of the two festivals blend with each other.

Over time, the Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival gradually merged. Today, many places combine the customs of both festivals, and the old practice of banning fire and eating cold food is rarely seen, but the habits of eating qingtuan and of grave sweeping and spring outings continue. Understanding the date and origins of the Cold Food Festival not only answers questions about holiday arrangements, but also allows one to appreciate the meaning of carefully attending to the departed and remembering one's roots in traditional culture.