Friday 11 April 2008

Tomb Sweeping Day

Let`s have a quick review of what had i done last week. Well, last Thursday was the Tomb Sweeping Day or what we commonly call as 清明節 (Qing Ming Jie) in Mandarin. For the Chinese, it is a day to remember and honour one`s acestors at graveyards. It is the day where all the relatives working outstation come back for a family outings. Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep or clean the tombs and offer food, tea, fruits, libation to the ancestors and burn (joss) paper accessories. The rites are very important to most Chinese and still practised until today.


Tanjong Malim Chinese Cemetery.

Probably i had been studying in Japan for five years and then travelling around the world, and lately busy with my job hunting, i totally had forgotten the festival until my mother told me day before. We went to pray my grandfather quite early in the morning to avoid the traffic jam. There, we gotta first pay the GUARD of the cemetery a visit before heading to my grandfather`s tomb. This is a very important custom.




The GUARD and our offerings to HIM.

My grandfather`s grave site, before and after.

My grandfather was buried on the right side. So we could only burn the josssticks and candlesticks on that side. A particular red paper covered on the left side of the tombstone is represent that my grandmother is still alive. Therefore, the left half shouldnt be touched. Well we bought and made my grandfather`s favourite food and fruits. My father even burned him a cigarette.


The offerings for my grandfather.





After cleaning my grandfather`s grave site, and got all the offerings served, we started to burn the paper accessories such as money, clothes, watches, cigarette, cellphone, passport and DVD player that kept inside the boxes. I am wondering how does my grandfather`s life look like up there? With the influences of the technologies, one`s can even now buy paper camera, PS2, MP3, WiFi, etc for his/her loved one.

Well as an educated people who concern the environmental issue, i certainly not agree to the custom that have been followed since thousands years ago. See, just only us, we already had burned so much. How about the other millions of Chinese in Malaysia? Not only here, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, China and other countries that have the same custom as well. Air pollution is another issue, but what i worry most is the global warming issue and widespread melting of land ice.

10 comments:

macaroonsashimi said...

haha.. i am here.. u dun have a tag box? =) thanks for teaching me a new word-DANG!!!

ok ok, mr bo sim ah gong... miss bo sim ah ma going out liao.pls take care.. when u come singapore, lets meet again.. =)

Ling

YNOT TONY said...

"buy paper camera, PS2, MP3, WiFi," ha ha... I wonder if there is any naughty grandsons actually burn porn magazines... :) Do they read that up there? :)

aaaandy said...

hello bro. How are you doing over there ? :D
wow so you're gonna find a job in singapore? that's nice, i'm thinking about visiting you someday :D
I've got your cards, they're so nice, i'm jealous u got to surf

古小玉 said...

oh. Tanjong Malim so so nearby my hometown Sungkai..

U working now or still in "honeymoon" ? Congrats u become the "Featured Zorpia", u r popular now..hehe!

Air said...

haha..
pls get a tagboard!
so much easier..=P
yea..come singapore must tell me...

Unknown said...

あそこはどこですか?ふさんは日本人ですね、どうして清明節知っています?清明節は中国の習俗ですね。
私も拜山に行きました。今のBurning paperはとてもおもしろいよね、例えば:LVかばん、$50と$100のHKbankの鈔票、きゃゃゃ。
それから、私は拜山だ後で足が痛かった、大変ね。

fufu said...

Ling : i dont wanna add a tagbox... comment here ok? hahaha,sure ah gong will definitely find ah ma one...no worries =)

Tony : lol you jerk!!! ok i will remember to burn you bunch of playboy next time!!!

Andy : yeah keep me posted about your visit to Malaysia or Singapore =) thanks god you received all my postcards =p

Khoo : sungkai arrr, near but quite far also i guess. i am waiting for the arrangement of my interviews in spore. wow i am the featured of the month? good, finally =)

Air : no tagboard lol ok i guess i will be going to spore in these couples of days, stay in touch mate!

fufu said...

skinny : マジで?LVの鞄までか。。。 信じられないやて お墓参りはしんどかった? HKのお墓はすごいね。。。 もし名前はよく読んで俺は日本人かとうか分かるでしょう?

Anonymous said...

thanks for share this important costums with us
and thanks for indroduce me more about your culture
See you and take care
Isa

fufu said...

Isa : hey of course i will try my best to share everything here =) just stay tuned ya my friend