Concentrating on her target, Olivia Chen, 5, threw her arrow like a javelin during a game of “pitch pot” on April 11, outside the Belmont Public Library. She and her 2-year-old sister Rylee were there enjoying activities and crafts at the Qingming Festival, celebrating spring.
Their mom, Anna Chin, who said they just moved to Belmont last summer from Taiwan, was happy to hear that traditional events like Qingming take place in her new hometown.
“It’s very nice for kids to learn [about] their culture,” she said while helping her daughters take aim.
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Belmont residents Tingting Fang and Yuanyuan Huang, both members of the Belmont Chinese American Association (BCAA), helped plan the Qingming Festival – also known as Tomb Sweeping Day in China – held at the Belmont Public Library on April 11. (Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice) 
Angela Sylvan, 3, flew a kite she made on April 11, during the Qingming Festival – also known as Tomb Sweeping Day in China – at the Belmont Public Library. The event was sponsored by the Belmont Chinese American Association (BCAA). (Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice) 
Mother Anna Chin and her daughters Olivia Chen, 5, and Rylee Chen, 2, played a game of “pitch pot” (arrow toss) on April 11, during the Qingming Festival – also known as Tomb Sweeping Day in China – at the Belmont Public Library. The event was sponsored by the Belmont Chinese American Association (BCAA). (Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice) 
Nathan Nie, 6, walked under a tree festooned with kites on April 11, during the Qingming Festival – also known as Tomb Sweeping Day in China – at the Belmont Public Library. The event was sponsored by the Belmont Chinese American Association (BCAA). (Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice) 
Xiaofei Wong of the Belmont Chinese American Association (BCAA) reads a story to children on April 11, during the Qingming Festival. (Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice) 
Dylan Li, 7, and Una Wang, 6, had fun participating in a scavenger hunt on April 11, during the Qingming Festival at the Belmont Public Library. (Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice) 
Audrey Wang, 3, enjoyed coloring her kite on April 11, during the Qingming Festival – also known as Tomb Sweeping Day in China – at the Belmont Public Library. The event was sponsored by the Belmont Chinese American Association (BCAA). (Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice) 
Henry Wang, 2, had fun making a lavender sachet on April 11, during the Qingming Festival at the library. (Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice) 
Isaac Wei, 2, had fun making a kite on April 11, during the Qingming Festival – also known as Tomb Sweeping Day in China – at the Belmont Public Library. The event was sponsored by the Belmont Chinese American Association (BCAA). (Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice)
Beyond marking the arrival of spring, the event – sponsored by the Belmont Chinese American Association (BCAA) – is known as “Tomb Sweeping Day” in China. It’s a time that “connects us to family, community, and the season of growth,” according to the BCAA. During the 2,500-year-old holiday, relatives “sweep and decorate gravesites, burn incense and paper money, and make food offerings,” according to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.
The celebration is also “about nature education and life education,” said BCAA member and event organizer Xiaofei Wong.
Inside the library’s Morrissey Hall, which was decorated in verdant greens, children first listened to stories about Qingming traditions before using their creativity to craft kites and other items. While some youngsters stayed inside, others went outside to take a nature walk, try different games, or fly their finished kites.
“It means a lot” to hold the Qingming festival in Belmont for the first time, said Wong.
“It’s hard for us to do in America,” said new town resident Lin Quan, who brought her son, Isaac Wei, age 2.
Like other parents, Haoyu Wang was glad his son Oliver, 7, and daughter Audrey, 3, were enjoying the celebration as they created colorful designs on their kites. The Belmont resident said he brings his kids to the library several times a week and enjoyed marking Qingming in his own town.
As 2-year-old Henry Wang carefully worked on a lavender sachet, his father Jackson Wang summed up the experience, saying it was “pretty cool.”
For information on upcoming BCAA events in Belmont, visit https://www2.bcaa-ma.org/.
