Ching Ming Festival

Ah, another Chinese holiday today.



The term "Ching Ming" is a misnomer. "Ching Ming", literally translated, means "clear and bright". Trust me, Hong Kong's weather in early April is NOT clear and bright. The purpose of this holiday is to commemorate one's ancestors. Therefore, this is the day where whole families head to the cemeteries and sweep their ancestors' tombstones. Some people bring incense sticks, paper money, and other paper items. These items are burned so the dead can use these items in the underworld. Other people bring roasted suckling pigs, steamed chicken, and rice wine to offer their ancestors. When their ancestors don't eat these items ("Are you sure you're not drinking this bottle of wine, Uncle Chan? You don't mind if we drink this bottle instead?"), the family will then have a picnic by the gravesite.

Despite the picnics, Ching Ming is (unlike a typical Chinese holiday) a somber day. There are no celebratory foods, fancy decorations, or special songs. There is a famous poem about Ching Ming, written during the Tang dynasty by Du Mu, which says 'All the people on the road feel very sad.' I would say that line rings true -- except that, in my neighborhood, there weren't people on the road. (The cemeteries in the New Territories are a different story.)

Our family didn't head to the cemetery today, though. My grandparents were the first generation of their family who immigrated from Mainland China, and they are still alive. Thus there are no graves in Hong Kong for our family to visit. So I decided to spend this holiday by visiting my grandmother. My grandmother took advantage of my holiday visit to give me a tin of Danish butter cookies -- which she got from the previous holiday!