Qing Ming festival is a day where you pay respects at your departed loved one’s grave. The day varies each year as it goes according to the Chinese lunar calendar. This year it falls on the 5 April 2014. However, it is an acceptable tradition for the families to pray to their ancestors 10 days before and 10 days after the actual day. This is to avoid major congestions at the cemeteries and temples. As many countries like Singapore are densely populated and short of land, most of the deceased are cremated. If you would like to know how this festival originated, check out Chinese Culture for more details.
Now I like to share with you some photos of how it looks. Besides offering the traditional types of gold ingots and money, there are now offerings that include high tech gadgets to allow the afterlife to “catch up” with trends!
My granddad passed away in 1989 on Chinese New Year day. So on every Chinese New Year day, besides the celebrations, we will also offer joss sticks. These photos were taken a couple years ago before the 25 years lease is up. Now my family has moved and cremated my granddad and placed his remains along with my grandma who passed away on 24 March 2013.
The tombstone is very well decorated along with the Stone Lions. There were offering like chicken, dry candies, candles, and a cup of tea with tea leaves, flowers, paper money, a box of paper clothing and many more. Once they had done the praying, one of them would toss the two wooden red divination blocks (cashew-shaped block) to check if he had finished his food. If the red divination blocks turned both sides facing the same direction means he is not ready. If the divination blocks are both facing different sides, it means he had finished.
After that, they would go to a designated area to burn the paper offerings. The paper offering can be anything from clothing, gadgets, cars, passports to maids! Chinese believe that the spirit would need these afterlife and the act of burning these provides an offering to the afterlife. If you were to rip open these paper offerings, in fact, they are just printed coloured cardboard. I know it is hard to believe how would spirit will be able to receive the offering and use it. It is not up to us but this is how Chinese culture and tradition has been going on for years!
Once again, I would like to thank my uncle for taking his time to take these photos! Please remember never said anything bad or give your opinion on any deceased’s tombstone/photo. (Please refer to Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories on 31 March 2023 podcast. It is a real story happened to someone who disrespect the dead.) Show some respect, behave your thoughts and do offer joss sticks to your deceased relative’s neighbours.
Read more about the paper offerings trade here.
So so beautiful I love learning about different cultures and the Chinese is one of my favourites , I’ve learnt something new by reading this
Beautifully written post, I love learning about new things and why people do what they do. This post has prompted me to look more into the qing ming festival and educate myself a bit more! Thanks Eileen x
I love posts like this, which teach me something new I’ve never knew before
What a beautiful tradition. You’ve captured it so well in this post.
What a brilliant post , I love to read about your culture x
I read about this the other day, and think it’s fascinating. Thanks for posting this – it’s always interesting to read more about your culture.
What a fascinating post. I love to hear about your traditions and culture, it is so interesting.
I haven’t heard about this before, it’s so great learning about different cultures, thanks for sharing this with us. x
so interesting finding out all these things about a different culture! x
I love reading your posts about your culture – fascinates me no end – thank you so much for sharing x
so interesting to see a tradition that is very different to my own but very fascinating
such an interesting post – it is eye opening seeing other cultures and understanding why they do things
Im not sure but it might.
We also have Ghost Month Celebration (the seventh month) which I will cover in August, do look out for it!
Truly fascinating. I am really enjoying your insights into the Chinese culture. I never knew about these paper offerings before so I feel I am going to bed more knowledgeable. Thank you.
A fascinating post Eileen, I love reading your posts about your heritage, really interesting.
so interesting learning about traditions in other peoples cultures!
It is always so interesting to learn about another culture’s traditions x
Wow, it’s so lovely to read posts about different traditions, thank you for sharing, I always find them so interesting x
What an interesting way to remember your loved ones.
Another really interesting post – thanks for sharing your traditions x x
We have similar traditions in Romania, after Easter people go and pay their respect to the dead and spend a whole afternoon in the cemetery!
thank you for sharing with us-your readers, its always interesting to know about culture and traditions of the blogger
This is such an interesting read, it’s always lovely to explore different traditions x
Fascinating – I know so little about Chinese culture. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Wow, that really is fascinating. I couldn’t understand all those expensive gifts before, but now I know it is all paper it makes much more sense 😀
Another fascinating post Eileen, so interesting to read about these traditions.