Cheng Beng or Qing Ming which means pure and bright in Chinese falls on Sunday 5th April, 2009 and is the Chinese equivalent to “All Souls Day".
On this day, the Chinese pay respect to their deceased family members and ancestors by visiting and tidying up the graves with offerings of prayers, food and burning of joss sticks, joss paper and other qing ming paper gifts. It is acceptable to visit the ancestral graves in the 10 days before and after the actual day.
Families gathered and make a trip to their deceased family members and ancestors' graves at the Chinese cemetery at 9th mile, Jalan Changkat Jong, Teluk Intan.
The Chinese cemetery on a hill slope at the 9th mile Jalan Changkat Jong in Teluk Intan, Perak.
Family members clean up the family graveyard by repainting gravestones as well as pulling weeds.
Praying in the graves of their ancestors as a mark of respect and filial piety.
Burning offerings of joss paper with silver and gold imprints for departed loved ones.
Offerings of food at the tomb to be consumed by departed loved ones.
Clouds of smoke from fire crackers set off by families when the rite ends.
The cemetery in Kampar, Perak: Chinese cemeteries are usually located on hills. Graves on hills usually have good feng shui and it is believed that the locations of the graves will determine the well-being of the descendants.
A place for the respectful: Interior of the 3-storey pagoda-shaped columbarium in Kampar, Perak during Qing Ming festival.
Families visit the Kampar columbarium with offerings of lighted candles and joss sticks at the altars.
The food offerings at the altar outside the Kampar columbarium. Food packed in styrofoam box seems like a popular choice. But finding an empty spot at the altars can be a headache as food offerings are piled over one another because all spaces are taken up.
An act of filial piety: Family members of the departed conduct prayers at the Kampar columbarium during Qing Ming festival. See the compartmentalized storage of cinerary urns (urns holding a deceased’s cremated remains).
At the Kampar columbarium, the burning of joss papers and paper gifts as offerings to the departed loved ones are done at the specified area. It is believed that the descendants will have prosperous time in their businesses or careers and that if ancestors lived comfortably, so will the descendants.
The field outside the Kampar columbarium is also used for prayers and burning of joss papers due to lack of space at the specified area during Qing Ming festival.
The muddy pond in the compound of the Kampar columbarium. There are some carps there but wonder how long they can survive in that condition.
RELA personnel on duty at the Kampar columbarium.
According to Chinese belief when a person dies, his/her spirit goes to the after-world where it lives on. So life goes on in the afterworld but he/she could not bring along his/her material possessions in the afterlife.
Surviving family members would send these material possessions in the form of paper gifts to their deceased loved ones to make the afterlife as comfortable as possible. That means providing almost everything one would require for a comfortable life after death such as clothes, mobile phones, shoes, handbags, cigarettes, hats, etc. It is believed that by burning the paper gifts, these things will be sent to them.
When their deceased family members and ancestors receive the offerings, they will be happy, and how well surviving family members life turns out to be depends on how happy their deceased family members and ancestors are.
The Chinese take great effort to ensure a comfortable life for deceased family members and ancestors in the afterlife. Anything you can think that people in the afterlife will need can be bought in traditional incense shops.
Among the popular paper offerings for the Qing Ming festival are :
Surviving family members would send these material possessions in the form of paper gifts to their deceased loved ones to make the afterlife as comfortable as possible. That means providing almost everything one would require for a comfortable life after death such as clothes, mobile phones, shoes, handbags, cigarettes, hats, etc. It is believed that by burning the paper gifts, these things will be sent to them.
When their deceased family members and ancestors receive the offerings, they will be happy, and how well surviving family members life turns out to be depends on how happy their deceased family members and ancestors are.
The Chinese take great effort to ensure a comfortable life for deceased family members and ancestors in the afterlife. Anything you can think that people in the afterlife will need can be bought in traditional incense shops.
Among the popular paper offerings for the Qing Ming festival are :
Fashionable handbags.
High heel shoes.
Massage sandals with their anatomically designed footbeds.
A safe locker.
A paper treadmill costing RM29.00
Tiger and Carlsberg beer cans.
The popular Sun Lee Heng stall at SEA Park wet market in Jalan 21/17 sells paper gift items for Qing Ming festival.
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