Qing Ming Festival Secrets Unveil

Qing Ming or Ching Ming Festival is one of the unique traditional culture festivals celebrated by the Chinese.

The Chinese community in Malaysia takes this festival seriously and observes its traditions faithfully.

In Malaysia, the cemetery or graveyards normally look deserted and eerie, however, during Qing Ming Festival, the environment is totally transformed. You could see people thronging the area with umbrella, food and paper money for offering. The sight or scene looks like a graveyard picnic.

Is it an act of being filial or there’s more to it?

After the Qing Ming Festival"

Are there any hidden secrets associated with the steps or act taken by the Chinese when they celebrate this traditional festival?

Before I share with you the secrets.....

Introduction of Qing Ming Festival

Qing Ming Day falls on the 3rd day of the 3th month in Chinese Lunar calendar or to be exact on the 104th day after the winter solstice.  This festival usually occurs during the first week of the month of April of the Gregorian Calender.

Ching Ming Festival is the time when the Chinese visit the graves of their dearly departed to make offerings, which is another manifestation of filial piety.

However, the festival or the worshiping could be carried out tendays prior to the exact date and ten days after it. This is based on the Chinese ancient custom on gravesites worshipping. If the visit is not on the actual date, normally the worshipping before the Ching Ming date is encouraged.

The secrets are finally uncoded.....

Take a closer look at the food offered during graveyard worshipping. You will notice there are a few essentials items being offered to the ancestors during the graveyard worshipping ritual. One of them is the “Fatt Kueh”. This cake is literally translated as “Prosperity Cake”. After the prayers, it is customary for everyone to have a bite of “Fatt Kueh” at the graveyards.

I believe you will remember the elderly in your family will insist the younger ones to take a bite. Why?

This is the secret; the act of eating “Fatt Kueh” symbolizes the accumulating of wealth.

After cleaning the grave, another act or ritual that you can observe is to put silver paper, gold paper or coloured paper on the ancestral grave. As a child I remember it as the act of decorating the grave.

In some families (normally in big families), only the men or breadwinner of each extended family are allowed to perform this ritual. The ladies and children are not allowed to participate in this ritual. Have you ever wonder why?

The reason is simple, the action of putting each piece of the Joss Paper (Silver paper, gold paper and coloured paper) and stone on top of the paper simulating the act of collecting “Family Wealth” by that person.

These are the TWO BIGGEST  SECRECTS associated with this traditional Chinese festival.

After the cleaning and food worshipping at the ancestral gravesites, you will notice the family will burn afterlife money and paper replicas of material goods such as shoes, daily utensils, cars, homes and phones and paper servants.

In Chinese customs, we believe that the deceased one still in need of those things in the afterlife. Therefore, if the ancestors are “wealthy” in afterlife, they will be able to help their descendants in term of gaining unexpected wealth and prosperity and taking care of the family.  

I guess now you finally understand why the ritual of cleaning the ancestral graveyards is done only once whereby all the family members will perform the ritual together during the selected date which they have agreed earlier during the Qing Ming Festival.

Yup, it’s all related to the “collecting of one’s family fortune”.

In a way, this festival serve as a time of reflection and to honour the forefathers. Aside from that, it also strengthens the relationship among the extended families members due to the unwritten code or belief associated with it.

Now that you are aware of the Qing Ming Festival’s secrets, do make a point to practise this yearly traditional event next year. You won’t know the surprises that are waiting for you!

Lastly, I personally believe that there are always rewards for being filial to your ancestors in terms of Chinese Feng Shui.

More Traditional Chinese belief on graveyard Feng Shui.

Graveyards design will determine the family wealth goes to the daughters or the sons.

Why the ancient Chinese prefer to be buried than exhumes?

This is due to the ancient Chinese practice of the Yin Feng Shui. The Chinese believes that the location and position of the burial site (graveyards) have a big impact on their descendant’s fortune and luck. This practice could be traced back to China where the Emperors will choose a good Feng Shui burial place as their final resting place.

Memorial Park: The modern graveyard.

At present we could see a modern, well kept and beautiful graveyard emerging in our society. This modern graveyard is the Memorial Park.

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