QingMing Festival (清明节)

The QingMing Festival (清明节) or Ching Ming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day in English (sometimes also called Chinese Memorial Day, Ancestors' Day, the Clear Brightness Festival, or the Pure Brightness Festival), is a traditional Chinese Festival observed by ethnic Chinese in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.

During Qingming, Chinese families visit the tombs of their ancestors to clean the gravesites and make ritual offerings to their ancestors. Offerings would typically include traditional food dishes and the burning of joss sticks and joss paper. The festival recognizes the traditional reverence of one’s ancestors in Chinese culture.

This year’s QingMing festival falls on the 4th of April (today). However, to avoid overcrowding, some people will go a bit earlier or a bit later, to avoid the crowds. The custom is now greatly simplified, especially here in Singapore where land is scarce. Most cemeteries were exhumed and the remains of the deceased are now placed in columbriums. Space in the columbruums is limited. Some have done away with all the rites and rituals, and simply place flowers to remember their ancestors.

In keeping up with the times, now there are online tomb-sweeping ceremonies for those who cannot make it back home to perform the Tomb-sweeping. And there are businesses who would go to the gravesites to sweep the tombs for you for a price.

Waiting and picking up area.

A designated area for burning joss sticks and joss paper.

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