Qing Ming

it's the 4th of april. according to the heavenly branches and eartly stems, it's the festival of qing ming. in other words, it's the day or rememberance to the departed. celebrated since early civilisation, this festival gained momentum under the teachings of confucius, that is to respect and venerate the elderly.

as such, the chinese have taken to cleaning the tombs of the departed, as well as making offerings to them. it's an anual ritual,and is also important as it reunites the family. during this day, all decendants are expected to return home to pay their respects. it is believed that they will receive blessings from the netherworld.

as this festival is celebrated according to the solar calendar, the dates doesn't change yearly. qing ming normally falls on the 4th or 5th of april, and is normally celebrated as early as 10 days ahead, or as late as 10 days after. during this period, families will gather around the tomb of their ancestors, clearing and sprucing up the tomb. grass and shrubs are uprooted, headstones are repainted, and earth is often added to the tomb. it's believed that all the clearing and cleaning will harness better yang energy, and this will benefit the living.

offerings are then laid out for the departed. normally, offerings are to include roasted pork, chicken and duck. however, with more and more people being cremated and placed in niches in temples, vegetarian offerings are becoming more and more common. other offerings include fresh fruits, rice, duck eggs, pineapple, and sweet meats such as 'huat kuih', or 'bee koh'. tea and wine is a must (unless u're in a temple whereby alcohol is forbidden). the food is laid out in front of the tomb, and the spirits are invited to partake in the feast. however, it's also common to see the living 'sharing' the food with the dead too... after all, they are family.

joss stick and candles are a must, as to invite the departed back to the yang world. joss paper, with gold and silver markings, are folded into ingots to be offered to the departed. besides that, paper clothes and other accessories, as well as hell bank notes are offered to the departed, wishing that the departed will have a better life in the netherworld. sometimes, all these are packed in a nice paper box which symbolises a chest, so that the departed may receive the offerings solely (spirits do fight in the netherworld for offerings). besides all these, there is also a certain type of paper, usually red, to be bought from the store so that it may be placed atop the headstone, and also on the grave itself. this paper (called 'khai chin') is stuck on the grave, symbolising that the 'house' of the departed has got a new roof. (don't ask me where did that come from..). anyhow, all those are getting more and more uncommon now as most of the population now is creamated and sealed in niches in the columbarium.

presently, the meaning of the festival is shrouded by commercialism, with people buying various materials such as paper fridge, paper petrol stations (??), and paper lingerie to be burnt to the departed. they've missed the importance of the festival, that is to remember and cherish the deeds of our ancestors. especially, those living in the south-east asian region (nanyang). without our ancestors taking the chance to the high sea, we'll never be here, on this prosperous land.

until the next festival post, stay safe. blessed be