This festival is usually observed ten days before and after the actual date of Qingming which is in early April. It is obligatory for family members to visit the graves of their close relatives to pay their respects and to receive blessings from the departed. On this day, the cemeteries will be crowded with people, who have come to sweep the tomb and offer prayers, food and other paper offerings. However for the last two years, few have observed this because of the Covid-19 virus pandemic. This year, people have started to do tomb sweeping once more.
Food and paper offerings such as joss paper
(currency in the after world), paper clothes, shoes, gadgets such as smart
phones and tablets, etc. are brought to the site of the tomb. Before the
goodies are laid out, the tomb is swept and cleared of any detritus or weeds.
Pieces of colored paper are put on the
grave site (I don’t remember what the significance is). I remember as a young
child, I was told to place a small stone on each of the colored paper so that
it is not blown away by the wind.
When the grave site is spruced up, the
offerings are laid out. Then family members will pray, using joss sticks (incense
sticks). Prayers invite the departed to partake of the feast before them and
then supplications are made, asking for blessings for the family, keeping the
family safe, etc.
Coins are tossed to determine if the departed
has finished his meal. A head and a tail would indicate that he has. Then the
offerings can be burnt so that he will receive them in his world.
My grandfather’s tomb is on a
hill and it commands a great view. The higher a grave is, the better the
fengshui. My grandmother’s tomb is close by his. She was the first of his five wives to join
him after his death. As you can see, the tombs are big and elaborate. My
brothers went to pay their respects and took these photos. The graves are very
well maintained.
