Thanh Minh Festival: Honoring Ancestors and Tending Graves in Vietnam

The Thanh Minh Festival (Tết Thanh Minh), also known as Ancestors Day (Ngày Cúng Tổ Tiên) or the Festival for Tending Graves (Lễ Tảo Mộ), is an important tradition in Vietnam, similar to the Qingming Festival in China. This day is dedicated to honoring ancestors, tidying gravesites, and strengthening family bonds. While influenced by Chinese traditions, Thanh Minh has developed its own unique cultural significance in Vietnam.

This festival is not only about spiritual remembrance but also a time to reconnect with nature, as it falls in early spring when the weather is clear and bright. Vietnamese families gather to clean and maintain ancestral graves, make offerings, and pray for blessings, preserving the tradition of filial piety and gratitude.

What are the origins of Thanh Minh, and what customs are practiced during this solemn yet meaningful festival? Let’s explore its traditions with Chus!

What is the Thanh Minh Festival?

The Thanh Minh Festival is based on the ancient lunisolar calendar, where the year is divided into 24 solar terms. Thanh Minh is the fifth term after Lập Xuân (Beginning of Spring), marking a period of clear skies and refreshing spring air.

• In the Gregorian calendar, Thanh Minh usually falls between April 4–6 and lasts until April 20 or 21, just before the next solar term, Cốc Vũ (Grain Rain).
• The festival has Chinese origins, but over time, it became deeply ingrained in Vietnamese spiritual and cultural life.
• It is recognized as one of Vietnam’s four major traditional celebrations, alongside Tết Nguyên Đán (Lunar New Year), Tết Đoan Ngọ, and Tết Trung Thu (Mid-Autumn Festival).

This name reflects both the pleasant weather and the purpose of the festival—cleaning and tending to ancestral graves to ensure they remain well-kept and respected. Traditionally, the first day of this solar term is observed as the official Thanh Minh Festival.

Main Activities During Thanh Minh Festival

Translation: "Thanh Minh in the third lunar month,
Grave sweeping is solemn, yet springtime is bright."

These lines from The Tale of Kiều by Nguyễn Du capture the essence of the Thanh Minh Festival, which revolves around two main customs:

Grave Sweeping (Tảo Mộ) – Festival for Tending Graves

One of the most important traditions of Thanh Minh is tảo mộ, where families visit and clean the graves of their ancestors. This practice symbolizes filial piety and respect for one’s roots.

During this time, cemeteries become bustling with families tending to graves by:
✔ Cleaning the tombstones and removing weeds
✔ Offering incense, flowers, food, and votive paper
✔ Performing prayers and rituals to honor the deceased

Grave sweeping is the most significant tradition during Thanh Minh." (Photo: Source)

This tradition is especially important for teaching younger generations about ancestor worship and their responsibility to maintain family heritage. It is also a time when relatives living far away return home to reunite with family and partake in a meaningful ancestral meal together.

2. Spring Outings (Du Xuân) – Enjoying Nature After the Rituals

After the grave-tending rituals, people often take a leisurely stroll to enjoy the fresh spring air, a practice that resembles the "Đạp Thanh" (踏青) custom in East Asian cultures.

In China, the Qingming Festival is accompanied by various outdoor activities such as kite flying, swing games, and archery. However, in Vietnam, Thanh Minh remains primarily focused on ancestral veneration rather than public festivities. Some Vietnamese families plant trees or pray for good fortune, but large-scale celebrations like in China are uncommon.

"Ten Beauties Flying Kites" – a Chinese woodblock print illustrating the Qingming Festival's kite-flying tradition."

Why is Thanh Minh Festival Important?

Thanh Minh Festival is more than just a ritual—it serves as a bridge between past and present, life and afterlife.

• Spiritual Meaning – It is a time for connecting with ancestors, maintaining family graves, and offering prayers.
• Cultural Significance – The festival strengthens family bonds and reinforces the tradition of "paying respects to one's roots."
• Environmental Awareness – Cleaning graveyards and planting trees promote responsibility for public spaces and nature conservation.

Despite the fast pace of modern life, Thanh Minh reminds Vietnamese people of the importance of gratitude, remembrance, and family unity. Even a simple act—lighting incense, offering a prayer, or sharing a meal—can make the occasion meaningful.

What to Do and Avoid During Thanh Minh Festival

1. Meaningful Activities to Do

✔ Prepare offerings such as incense, flowers, fruits, cakes, and votive paper.
✔ Clean the house and ancestral altar to refresh the spiritual space.
✔ Dress modestly and respectfully when visiting graves.
✔ Burn incense for nearby unclaimed graves as an act of kindness.
✔ Share a family meal after the rituals to reinforce family unity.

A traditional offering tray for ancestors during Thanh Minh." (Photo: Source)

2. Things to Avoid

✖ Avoid holding weddings, birthdays, or housewarming parties.
✖ Refrain from taking group photos near gravesites.
✖ Ensure that ancestral graves are well-maintained—neglecting them is believed to bring bad luck.
✖ Avoid wearing new shoes, covering your forehead with hair, or stepping on offerings, as these are considered inauspicious.

Is Gift-Giving Part of Thanh Minh Festival?

Unlike Lunar New Year Tết Nguyên Đán, Thanh Minh is not a time for exchanging gifts between the living. Instead, offerings to ancestors are considered the true “gifts” of the festival. These may include:

✔ Food, tea, and wine
✔ Votive paper and symbolic money
✔ Personalized items that represent the deceased’s preferences

These symbolic tributes express love, gratitude, and respect for ancestors, ensuring their spirits are remembered and honored.

Conclusion

Through this article, we hope you’ve gained a deeper understanding of Vietnam’s Thanh Minh Festival—a sacred time for honoring ancestors and preserving traditions.

By continuing these customs, Vietnamese people uphold the values of filial piety, gratitude, and family unity, ensuring that even as times change, their heritage remains alive for generations to come.

For more insights into Vietnamese cultural traditions and heritage-inspired gifts, explore more articles on Chus!