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Post by douglaslam on Aug 11, 2012 5:07:22 GMT -5
janiech, those images are a few months old now. I am glad you have taken the time to read my posting. I enjoy sharing my thoughts on different subjects. It is comment like yours that keeps me going. Many thanks.
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Post by laohuaqiao on Aug 11, 2012 7:33:29 GMT -5
On a related note, my parents still follow the tradition and celebrate Ghost Festival 中元节 , 盂兰节, or 鬼节, which is around this time of the year. Formally, it's either the 14th or 15th (depending on the region) day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar.
On this day, the Gate of Hell is opened and all the ghosts are released back to earth. Family members gather to welcome the spirits of their ancestors back home. The ritual itself is same as any others when paying respect to one's ancestors, burning incense, offering of food and burning hell money, and then, of course, a family meal afterwards.
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Post by douglaslam on Aug 12, 2012 5:34:20 GMT -5
Google "ghost festival", you'll get an idea of what it is about. It is not as well observed as the Mid-Autumn ( Moon Festival), or the Dragon Boat Festival. Individual households may offer food or burn offerings to the spirits, but we in Australia largely do not observe it.
In Hong Kong, the Festival is also an occasion for acts of philanthropy. Basic food staples such as oil, canned food, and rice are given to the needy and the elderly by donors.
Traditional entertainment is also staged. Cantonese operas are performed at indoor venues or in big makeshift theatres at many outdoor locations. The outdoor theatres, not unlike the big top of a Western circus, are constructed of bamboo with a tin roof in open spaces. As it is a festival for the spirits, the first two rows of seats are reserved for them. Don't be surprised when you see the choicest seats in the house are not occupied. It is for a good reason.
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Post by laohuaqiao on Aug 12, 2012 10:32:39 GMT -5
I am aware of one ghost story in my family. I gave it a title, "Marriage Made in Hell".
This was back in the late 50s, I was old even to know something was happening but not enough to know the details.
A family member had an enlarged thyroid. Eventually she went to a western medical doctor and had surgery on the thyroid, this was in Hong Kong. In those days people had no idea if it was cancerous or not, or what cancer was.
Words of this got out to relatives. I had an aunt who died as an infant, had she lived she would have been in her late teens or early 20s then, ie marriage age. Someone suggested that her spirit was restless and the enlarged thyroid was her attempt to come back to the living world; if she was to be married, she would be at peace. A matchmaker found another family who had a son who died young and would have been the right age. The marriage was arranged, I don't recall any rites or ceremony. There was suddenly an "in-law" family who lived a few streets away. On all festival days, my brother and I would always bring pastries and other goodies to the "in laws", which we didn't mind at all because we each always received a red packet "lucky" money. Since the thyroid condition never came back, the ghost theory worked out just as well as modern medicine.
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janiech
Member
My novel "Three Souls", inspired by my grandmother's life, just published by HarperCollins in Canada
Posts: 11
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Post by janiech on Aug 17, 2012 19:22:50 GMT -5
Hello Douglas (and everyone else) - there is a lot to read on this forum and I"m slowly working my way through.
Laohuaqiao, stories like yours are so enjoyable, little anecdotes about the way our culture shapes our behavior.
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Post by tyuti1668 on Sept 7, 2012 0:09:00 GMT -5
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Post by douglaslam on Apr 14, 2014 7:39:15 GMT -5
Just to update everyone with our Chungshan Society's annual Ching Ming visit to the cemetery. It took place on Sunday, April 13. It was an overcast day, but the moisture-laden clouds did not open up. We expected a big crowd, and sure enough there was one. Cemetery visit needs not be a sombre event. To us it is a bonding session, family, kinfolk and friends getting together to pay our respects to our ancestors and forebears. The wider community can learn from us. There is also a serious side to it. If an able bodied -person chooses not to do his or her duties, the person will be judged harshly, his or her character or worth will be called into question. I noticed some random acts of vandalism to some of the older graves. The Chinese section is a long way from the railway station and main road. It once took me about 30 mins. to walk there. Another entrance has a locked gate. I guess it does deter large scale vandalism which is often seen elsewhere. Last year our Ching Ming rituals were deferred to June because of unfinished work on the rebuilt memorial. This is the new-look memorial to our Chungshan compatriots.  This slab tells it all, the memorial is dedicated to the dear departed from our county. On the other side, it shows the donors who gave generously for its rebuilding.  This is the new-look memorial. You can make a comparison to the old one.  The men are lighting up incense and candles for the spirits. The market umbrella is ready in case the rain does fall.  Paper offerings to be burnt  Photos of those being remembered and honoured here. The ones in red are reserved spots. It costs a few hundred dollars to secure a place.  In the pavilion, it is standing room only for many people. It is very crowded.  This is our roast pig. There is much food on offer. Whenever the Chinese gather, there'll always be food and plenty of it.  This roast pig is about to be carved up. It belongs to a big family group, the Lee clan from a well known village in Chungshan, Heng Mei 恒美.  This is the other Society using the pavilion. I like their banner with the kangaroos. The people are from Dongguan / Tung Koon, who are calling Australia home.You can't be more Australian than that.  This is a tablet representing their folk from the past. Food placed on the table is shared out, only a few bananas are left. What a fitting way to remember those who came before us. The high point for me undoubtedly was finding Lolly's grandfather's grave. It affected me in no small way because Lolly's search is becoming mine also. I cannot remain impersonal I am in it just as deeply as her. Please see my post yesterday in Lolly's thread. |
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Post by lolly on Apr 17, 2014 0:10:47 GMT -5
Douglas, your record of the event portrays a most enjoyable celebration. The new memorial looks very impressive and provides a wonderful focal point for the Chungshan people both past and present. Have to say that I love that the kangaroos are on the banner for the Goon Yee Tong. Honouring your ancestral heritage while also acknowledging the country has become your home is fantastic.
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Post by douglaslam on Apr 18, 2014 8:33:34 GMT -5
Lolly,for my future Ching Ming visits to Rookwood, I'll always include a stop at your grandfather's grave to offer just a few incense and clean out the obvious rubbish blown in. Andrew, after all was from my county,we shared a common dialect. My great aunt's husband, who passed away in 1960, is on the second row, just a few paces away. It requires no extra effort.
I guess most men out of Andrew's generation and mine were smokers. I tried it but never letting myself enslaved to it. No,I don't think I am going to light up a cigarette for him.
Now, I know a little of your paternal side of the family, when you unearthed more of your great-grandmother's side of the family, please share it with us.
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Post by helen on Jan 18, 2015 2:43:37 GMT -5
Ching Ming The Ching Ming ('Clear Brightness') festival has been celebrated annually at Sydney's Rookwood Cemetery since at least the 1880s. n my 56 years in Sydney I've noticed a great change. Earlier, people used to believe they should die and be buried in China so their spirits would be there. Now a lot of Chinese believe in staying in Australia so their children can worship them when they pass on. So Ching Ming is getting stronger than ever before I believe that the Chinese who carry out all their family obligations will receive more fulfilment and happiness. The Ching Ming ritual is a great way to bring the family together. It becomes like a family reunion, coming to the cemetery every year. King Fong, OAM JP, Trustee of Luk Fooktong Chinese Cemetery Committee Families and clan groups (originating from the same village) flock to the Chinese section of the cemetery to honour their ancestors, ensuring continued good fortune for the family and business. Gravesites are cleaned and repaired, and offerings of flowers, food and drink arranged by the grave. Non-food offerings such as joss paper and sticks are sent to the spirit world via burning. Paper effigies of essential goods such as clothing, shoes, and money are also burnt. Once the ancestor spirits have blessed the food and spiritually partaken of it, all the family shares in the feast. - See more at: australianmuseum.net.au/Ching-Ming/#sthash.glAO5F6C.dpufaustralianmuseum.net.au/Ching-Ming/
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Post by helen on Jan 18, 2015 2:44:49 GMT -5
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Post by lolly on Feb 1, 2015 20:48:30 GMT -5
Thank you Helen for that link. It certainly encourages you to try and make the effort to join in the Ching Ming celebrations at Rookwood. Unfortunately I live in Melbourne, so I would need to properly organise my time to make the trip to Sydney for the event. I think it would be well worth the planning, and my grandfather's grave is in need of some attention. It is now on my "to do" list.
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Post by douglaslam on Feb 2, 2015 7:05:26 GMT -5
lolly,I look forward to meeting you again at Ching Ming time. Let me assure you, I'll be stopping by your grandfather's grave to pay my respect in April. I now look to Andrew as an elder from my district, I am privy to so much of your family history. If you're thinking of doing something for Andrew's grave, please allow me to make a token contribution.
On the video Helen posted, you can see our Chungshan Memorial before the renovation ( see earlier part on this page.)King Fong did not have his facial surgery then. The person bowing (at 3')is King's younger sister Jan. She passed away last month. I knew them both well. DL
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Post by douglaslam on Apr 13, 2015 8:38:09 GMT -5
Yesterday was the day of our yearly visit to the cemetery . I have posted reports in previous years. Yet, I still find new things to report. Google Rookwood Cemetery to read more.  There was a mix-up. At the mustering point in Chinatown, there were two tourist coaches taking other people to the cemetery. A few of them mistakenly got on our bus before we took off. The Dongguan 東莞 people were also there as we'll see in my other photos. Here, the mostly older citizens from my home county of Chungshan getting off the bus at the cemetery. Just like schoolchildren on excursion, they are noisy and boisterous at times on the bus. It is a healthy sign.  This is our Chungshan Society's public memorial. Offerings to the spirits are on display. There is a whole roast pig. other meat dishes not shown, fresh flowers, fruit basket, pastries, as well as paper offerings to be burnt.  I posted this banner last year, I couldn't resist doing it again. It is so original, creative and representative of the people who are here today. They are Australians of Chinese descent, from the Pearl River Delta. Goon Yee Tong people are from Toon Koon or Dongguan In the last thirty years or so, Dongguan has transformed from a rural township to a mega-city. I visited the city many times in the last few years to spend time with my aunt. I know the President of Goon Yee Tong for well over thirty years when I was working in Chinatown in the 1980s. He is now retired. He was a very well known chef among the cooking fraternity. Goon Yee Tong 公義堂 ( Hall of Fairness and Righteousness) is well endowed because it has property holdings in Chinatown. The President wasted no time to give me two takeaway food containers of roast pig and BBQ pork. They have plenty of money to spend on their members.  Unlike us the Chungshan people, the Gong Yee Tong people can only honour their dear departed compatriots collectively like so. Full mark to our office bearers who had the foresight to acquire plots of land to erect a public memorial before it was stopped. Goon Yee Tong certainly has the money to do so but could not go ahead.  This old grave holds special interest for me.I am including it in all my future visits to the cemetery . It is member lolly's grandfather's grave. I had a hand in finding lolly's family link in China in 2013. I feel I am becoming a part of the big picture. I was privy to the family history. There is a saying in Chinese 借花敬佛, borrowing flowers to worship Buddha. It means you are treating others with something you did not plan for or owned by yourself. I presented the meat given to me to lolly's grandfather before I savour it. I was going to offer just the incense, wine, and paper offerings. Meat is a late inclusion.  We brought only simple offerings to the spirit of the old timer interred here. I was caught flat-footed, no chopsticks at all for my wife has already packed things away, sat in the bus waiting for my return. I must do better next year. .  After partying, it is time to go. The pavilion was full earlier on. Our ''advance party'' got here before 7 am to secure the tables for our feasting. The cemetery is a very busy place with a steady stream of motor traffic and large crowds of people. Many Chinese people I saw ,speaking no Chinese at all. I think they were taught from a young age to carry on the tradition of honouring and remembering their ancestors. |
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Post by helen on Apr 14, 2015 3:03:22 GMT -5
Thanks Douglaslam. Another great day - wish the Aucklanders did something like this. We all go our own way - nothing orchestrated. Was told that one place cooked 17 piglets for the day. So many people are still going to the cemetery. We just purchase a piece of belly - a whole pig would be too much.
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