Ching Ming, Qingming, the Remembrance of Ancestors Day or Grave-Sweeping Day takes place on the 15th day after the Spring Equinox. This means it usually takes place on April 4th or April 5th in the western calendar. The date of the festival is indicated on the Chinese calendar by the two characters: ching, meaning pure or clean, and ming, meaning brightness. Combined together, Ching Ming means clean and just.
Ching Ming rituals not only include weeding of the area, cleaning of the headstone, and replacing the wilted flowers with fresh ones, but also the lighting of incense and burning of imitation paper money. The burning of the imitation money is for the deceased to use in the afterlife.
The imitations burnt are no longer limited to just money. In recent years, the burning of paper imitations of a wide variety of consumer goods has become popular. This includes all manner of objects, such as iPhones, designer handbags, houses and sports cars. In addition, food is laid out in front of the headstone as an offering to the spirits of the deceased.
Today, the responsibility to hang san or ’walk the mountain’ as visiting the cemetery is commonly known, still falls to the eldest son. Today families may be more likely to prefer simplified offerings of only the incense, paper money and flowers.
Irony…
From a Dutch newspaper…
On the left – “Man inserts large eggplant into anus to cure his constipation”
On the right – Recipe of the day: Eggplant Soup
Amazon review…
SIGNZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
for that special person…
Enjoy the weekend – here’s Laura Branigan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNEb2k_EmMg
