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Post by Ah Gin on Mar 30, 2009 20:34:58 GMT -5
This year, 清明 falls on April the 4th. But as the Northern Spring warms the earth, more people are taking advantage of being early, to visit the graves of their friends, relatives or clansmen. This is the good tradition of Ching Ming, as practised by the Chinese, especially the overseas Chinese.
This year I have the opportunity of joining our Association to visit the graves of our clansmen, at Colma, the Ning Yueng Cemetery Section (Old & New). Last Sunday, some 40 of us from the Gin Family Association, SF, travelled in a comfortable coach from Chinatown to Colma, just outside San Francisco. We had the usual offerings: A Golden Pig, Chickens, eggs, 白糖糕 (White Sugar Cake), oranges, Hell Money, joss sticks, candles, drinks. We paid respects to the dearly departed and had a good picnic at the site. The roast pig, chicken, egg -- in fact everything tasted extra good. We had the usual take home food as well -- a small portion of the roast pig. Ah, we Chinese, will always have a reason to eat. It was also an important occasion for us.
And as luck had it, I found my Big Mother's grave -- it was meant to be. My father would have been very pleased indeed.
So how did you folks celebrated Ching Ming this year?
Regards, Ah Gin
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Post by helen on Mar 31, 2009 1:23:18 GMT -5
Ah Gin - sounds like a great time was had - we will be going after Easter this year - 18 April - as my Mother in law passed away last June, and supposedly you do not go in the first year, as she would be only a young spirit. Everything you describe is like it is in New Zealand. Now I am the older generation, we hope the young ones will remember in their own way.
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Post by chansomvia on Mar 31, 2009 2:26:28 GMT -5
Dear ahgin and Helen,
It is nice to describe the Ching Ming Celebration which is an important day for the Chinese to remember and pay respects to our departed. This celebration is by no means confined to the Chinese; Christians have the All Soul Day and one of the rituals perfomed by Muslims in Malaysia and Indonesia is to take time out of their Muslim New Year (Idd) celebration to go and tend the graves.
Ching Ming is a very important day as the family in Malaysia will wake up at the crack of dawn armed with the offerings as described by ahgin, but also with weeding tools, brooms, and flowers to clean the grave site. " Paai San" Some of the Chinese grave sites are in remote places without attendants, and it is quite an adventure to slash around the grave site and then leave it spick and span with a geat deal of satisgaction, for it to grow back into the jungle for another year.
Some of these areas are mosquito and fly ridden in the scorching hot and humid weather in Malaysia, so having a picnic is not a usual event, but the cold packet drinks with a straw handed around is a welcome relief. A lot of stories are told as we visit the graves of friends and relatives, paying special attention to those whose families are unable to come to tend the grave.
There are many dos and donts for this day, Helen has pointed out one custom, a lot of the younger generation do not understand the customs as they are rarely told the reason for it, hopefully with the sharing of our experiences some of the things done by the older generation can be understood and appreciated by the young ones.
Joe
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