| Tomb Sweeping day | |
|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2008 11:32 |   |
 | Tomb Sweeping Day, 清明节 - qīngmíngjié, is April 4, 5 or 6 but I do not know the exact day this year. I think that is April 6. It is a special day to remember and honor your ancestors. It is a good custom. What will you do on Tomb Sweeping Day? |
| Mar 30, 2008 13:31 | #1 |
| My fiancé who is in Dalian reckons that this year the holiday will be on the 4th. I will not do anything this year as it is strictly illegal here in Saudi to celebrate any non Muslim festival. To honour my ancestors by tomb sweeping I would have to return to the UK but much as I respect my ancestors, it would take more than 清明节 - qīngmíngjié to get me back there, even for a day. My future 岳父 - yuè fù, father in law who is in his mid 70s will take the 18 hour train journey from Heilongjiang to Liaoning to honour his ancestors. If I were at home I would accompany him in Liaoning, together with my fiancé. |
| Mar 30, 2008 13:40 | #2 |
| Interesting, I will ask my Girl Friend about it. |
| Mar 30, 2008 20:23 | #3 |
| This year the tomb sweeping holiday is on April 4th. It has been a public holiday in HK for a long time, but not so on the mainland until this year. Changes made by the Government this year mean that people on the mainland will have more (but shorter) holidays, including tomb sweeping day. It's not something that my wife (from 四川) has ever heard of, so perhaps it is not a tradition that is practised throughout all of China. Every year I see this festival making the Hong Kong news (the festival is always preceded by warnings on TV to be careful about setting fires when visiting tombs, and always followed by reports on the news of how many hill fires the fire service had to extinguish this year). The one piece of advice that I've had is not to plan anything for the evening - I should stay indoors at night for fear of disgruntled spirits. As neither my wife nor I have any relatives resting in these parts, I suggested we might take the opportunity to do a bit of community service and tend to the overgrown tombs that seem to have been long forgotten. The look I got from my wife quickly made me abandon any charitable ideas. |
| Apr 3, 2008 17:43 | #4 |
| My fiancee in Zhanjiang and her family will honour this custom today.We spoke of this only yesterday. I remember that when in Russia,a similar tradition or custom is observed on a particular day of the year.I was honoured to participate in it with the family i was home staying with. Everyone who was able travelled to the cemetary where loved ones,ancestors are buried. Time is spent cleaning and then remembering those who have past away. People bring food and drink and actually have bbq's and picnics at the grave site.Chairs and tables are fixed in place at many sites. Much vodka is consumed by the family members and also by the deceased as vodka is poured on them. The belief is that they are not forgotten and are still part of the family,part of the celebration. A wonderful custom peter |
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