CHING MING
-Qing Ming (清明）is a holiday in China, comparable to Memorial Day in the United States. It usually falls around April 4th, or 5th and is practiced widely across the Chinese speaking world. Meaning "clear bright", in English, this Spring event is dedicated to the respect of deceased ancestors. Activities can include cleaning off and renovating gravestones, memorializing old relatives, cooking sacrificial meals, and sending money to the ancestors by burning such "Bank of Hell" money.
-In Chinese Culture, respect for the ancestors is a vital characteristic. Some participants of Qing Ming will even repaint graves or replace old ones so that they can be remembered for longer.
-Some of the foods offered to the ancestors and their live family are suckling pork, steamed fowl, and wine.
It is also considered good luck to carry a willow branch on you to keep evil wandering spirits from following you while you respect the dead.
-From an American perspective, not many people do the same thing on our equivalent Memorial Day, but my family does. While we may not cook food or burn cash, every year on Memorial Day my dad takes all the children in my family, excluding my mother generally, and we go to sweep graves under a willow tree in a cemetery my father worked at when he was younger. I can see a cultural comparison between when/how my family celebrates our equivalent to Qing Ming.
-All over China and Taiwan, Cemeteries are crowded with families on this day. Public transportation to get there is nill, and just as crowded. The importance of this holiday seems to be passed down to the youth from the older generations and continued over generations. I'm hoping one day, I will be able to see this in action, either here in the U.S., or in a Chinese-speaking nation.
REFERENCES:
http://www.hkfastfacts.com/Chinese%20Festivals/ching_ming_festival.htm
http://aglobalworld.com/holidays-around-the-world/china-taiwan-ching-ming/
http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/qingming-festival.htm
http://www.shanghaifinance.com/festival/chinesefestival.php
-Some of the foods offered to the ancestors and their live family are suckling pork, steamed fowl, and wine.
It is also considered good luck to carry a willow branch on you to keep evil wandering spirits from following you while you respect the dead.
-All over China and Taiwan, Cemeteries are crowded with families on this day. Public transportation to get there is nill, and just as crowded. The importance of this holiday seems to be passed down to the youth from the older generations and continued over generations. I'm hoping one day, I will be able to see this in action, either here in the U.S., or in a Chinese-speaking nation.
REFERENCES:
http://www.hkfastfacts.com/Chinese%20Festivals/ching_ming_festival.htm
http://aglobalworld.com/holidays-around-the-world/china-taiwan-ching-ming/
http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/qingming-festival.htm
http://www.shanghaifinance.com/festival/chinesefestival.php
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