{"id":8881,"date":"2014-04-07T12:08:05","date_gmt":"2014-04-07T04:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/?p=8881"},"modified":"2014-06-04T11:46:28","modified_gmt":"2014-06-04T03:46:28","slug":"qing-ming-observances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/2014\/qing-ming-observances\/","title":{"rendered":"Qing Ming Observances 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">By Sugen Ramiah<\/p>\n<p>The Qing Ming festival, or\u00a0 tomb sweeping day, is\u00a0 observed by the Chinese worldwide. It is a day for them\u00a0 to pay homage to their ancestors, either by visiting graveyards, columbariams\u00a0 or ancestral tablets in ancestral halls.<\/p>\n<p>The actual day falls either on the 4th ot 5th\u00a0 of April, but families have a window of\u00a0 ten days before or after the actual day to conduct Qing Ming.\u00a0 This year, I was fortunate to have been able to observe Qing Ming in Bukit Brown and other\u00a0 locations.<\/p>\n<p>Qing Ming, has many stories to its origin, but is mainly observed as an act of being filial and for geomancy <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Feng_shui\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">(feng-shui)<\/a> reasons. The Chinese believe that the bones of their ancestors and the lives of the descendents are inextricably\u00a0 connected. For abundance in wealth and happiness, firstly, one has to be filial. Secondly, there has to be a good flow of Chi (positive energy) on the forecourts of their ancestors. During the dry season, the\u00a0 foliage clogs the drainage causing an obstruction to the flow of water.\u00a0 During\u00a0 Qing Ming, the drainage is cleared, to allow the flow of water (Chi) onto the forecourt of the tomb.\u00a0 Qing Ming is also a perfect opportunity for extended family members to get together amidst busy work\/family commitments.<\/p>\n<p>Descendents set off as early as first light, to wash, sweep, and weed the tombstones. Inscriptions on the headstones are then re-inked using red or gold paint. A stack of coloured paper or a stone is placed on the headstone to signify that the dead is not forgotten. The paper is also \u00a0scattered on the mound of the grave. This recalls how an emperor from the Han Dynasty in China could not find his parents\u2019 tomb\u00a0 after he returned from war. He was then told to throw five coloured paper into the air and where they lodged, that was the location of his parents&#8217; tomb.<\/p>\n<p>Two sets of offerings are prepared by the families. First set is for the earth deity by the side &#8211; a pair of candles are \u00a0lit,\u00a0 food\u00a0\u00a0 and incense\u00a0 offered to the Tu Di Gong who is the guardian of the tombstone. Paper money is also burnt as a form of offering.<\/p>\n<p>Second set is for the deceased &#8211; a pair of candles are lit, offerings of tea, fruits, favourite food, and longevity cakes are placed on the tombstone altars.\u00a0 Incense sticks are firstly offered to\u00a0 long departed ancestors and subsequently to the deceased.\u00a0 Incense sticks are placed in an urn and sometimes\u00a0 around the mound, and then descendents wait for the deceased to \u2018finish\u2019 their meal\u00a0 Sometimes during \u00a0the wait, incense sticks are offered to neighbouring tombs \u2013 recalling the days of the\u00a0 kampong spirit.<\/p>\n<p>Once approval has been given through the moon blocks or coins,\u00a0 offerings of hell notes and silver paper, clothes, shoes and even latest technological gadgets such as the ipads are\u00a0 burnt for the deceased. Sometimes the required items are packed in a paper treasure box, sealed with the\u00a0 name of the ancestor and burnt for them exclusively. To conclude, tea or any form of liquid is poured around the offering to &#8220;secure&#8221;\u00a0 the area of the burnt offerings, so as to avoid invasion by other wandering spirits.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8882\" style=\"width: 522px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/A-QM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8882\" class=\" wp-image-8882\" title=\"Coloured Paper  placed on the headstone (photo Sugen Ramiah)\" alt=\"Coloured Paper  placed on the headstone (photo Sugen Ramiah)\" src=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/A-QM.jpg\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/A-QM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/A-QM-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/A-QM-280x186.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8882\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Coloured Paper placed on the headstone (photo Sugen Ramiah)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_8883\" style=\"width: 522px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/B-QM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8883\" class=\" wp-image-8883\" title=\"Coloured paper  scattered on the mound of the grave (photo Sugen Ramiah)\" alt=\"Coloured paper  scattered on the mound of the grave (photo Sugen Ramiah)\" src=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/B-QM.jpg\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/B-QM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/B-QM-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/B-QM-280x186.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8883\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Coloured paper scattered on the mound of the grave (photo Sugen Ramiah)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_8884\" style=\"width: 522px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/C-QM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8884\" class=\" wp-image-8884\" title=\"How  water accumulates  on the forecourts of a tomb (photo Sugen Ramiah)\" alt=\"How  water accumulates  on the forecourts of a tomb (photo Sugen Ramiah)\" src=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/C-QM.jpg\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/C-QM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/C-QM-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/C-QM-280x186.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8884\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">How water accumulates on the forecourts of a tomb (photo Sugen Ramiah)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_8885\" style=\"width: 522px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/D-QM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8885\" class=\" wp-image-8885\" title=\"Offerings to the earth deity (photo Sugen Ramiah)\" alt=\"Offerings to the earth deity (photo Sugen Ramiah)\" src=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/D-QM.jpg\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/D-QM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/D-QM-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/D-QM-280x186.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8885\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Offerings to the earth deity (photo Sugen Ramiah)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_8886\" style=\"width: 522px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/E-QM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8886\" class=\" wp-image-8886 \" title=\"Simple offerings of tea and candy by a woman who comes here yearly to pray for her infant aunt who died during the war. The infant\u2019s burial was not registered so the  exact location of plot is unknown.(photo Sugen Ramiah)\" alt=\"E - QM\" src=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/E-QM.jpg\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/E-QM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/E-QM-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/E-QM-280x186.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8886\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Simple offerings of tea and candy by a woman who comes here yearly to pray for her infant aunt who died during the war. The infant\u2019s burial was not registered so the exact location of plot is unknown.(photo Sugen Ramiah)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_8887\" style=\"width: 522px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/F-QM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8887\" class=\" wp-image-8887\" title=\"The Ng Family has to  charter  to get the entire family involved in the observance of Qing Ming (photo Sugen Ramiah) \" alt=\"F - QM\" src=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/F-QM.jpg\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/F-QM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/F-QM-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/F-QM-280x186.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8887\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Ng Family has to charter a bus\u00a0 to transport\u00a0 the entire family for\u00a0 Qing Ming (photo Sugen Ramiah)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_8888\" style=\"width: 522px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/G-QM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8888\" class=\" wp-image-8888\" title=\"The Ng Family has to  charter  to get the entire family involved in the observance of Qing Ming (photo Sugen Ramiah) \" alt=\"G - QM\" src=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/G-QM.jpg\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/G-QM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/G-QM-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/G-QM-280x186.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8888\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Ng Family has to charter a bus to transport the entire family for\u00a0 Qing Ming (photo Sugen Ramiah)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_8889\" style=\"width: 522px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/H-QM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8889\" class=\" wp-image-8889 \" title=\"A young boy from the Pek Family, who looks forward to Qingming annually, as he gets to visit the tomb of his Lau Yeh (Great grandfather) and meet his cousins. Photo taken at the tomb of his Great Grand Father at Hill 3 (photo Sugen Ramiah)\" alt=\"H - QM\" src=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/H-QM.jpg\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/H-QM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/H-QM-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/H-QM-280x186.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8889\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A young boy from the Pek Family, who looks forward to Qingming annually, as he gets to visit the tomb of his Lau Yeh (Great grandfather) and meet his cousins. Photo taken at the tomb of his Great Grand Father at Hill 3 (photo Sugen Ramiah)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_8890\" style=\"width: 522px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/I-QM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8890\" class=\" wp-image-8890\" title=\"The  Pek Family at the tomb of their ancestor  (photo Sugen Ramiah)\" alt=\"I - QM\" src=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/I-QM.jpg\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/I-QM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/I-QM-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/I-QM-280x186.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8890\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Pek Family at the tomb of their ancestor (photo Sugen Ramiah)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_8891\" style=\"width: 522px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/J-QM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8891\" class=\" wp-image-8891\" title=\"The older generation still make  their way to visit their ancestor\u2019s grave (photo Sugen Ramiah)\" alt=\"J - QM\" src=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/J-QM.jpg\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/J-QM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/J-QM-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/J-QM-280x186.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8891\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The older generation still make their way to visit their ancestor\u2019s grave (photo Sugen Ramiah)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_8892\" style=\"width: 522px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/K-QM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8892\" class=\" wp-image-8892\" title=\"The older generation still make  their way to visit their ancestor\u2019s grave (photo Sugen Ramiah)\" alt=\"K - QM\" src=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/K-QM.jpg\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/K-QM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/K-QM-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/K-QM-280x186.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8892\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The older generation still make their way to visit their ancestor\u2019s grave (photo Sugen Ramiah)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_8893\" style=\"width: 522px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/L-QM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8893\" class=\" wp-image-8893\" title=\"Descendents observing Qing Ming in a less taxing environment at the Cantonese Ancestral Hall of the Singapore Hok San Clan Association (photo Sugen Ramiah)\" alt=\"L - QM\" src=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/L-QM.jpg\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/L-QM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/L-QM-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/L-QM-280x186.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8893\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Descendents observing Qing Ming in a less taxing environment at the Cantonese Ancestral Hall of the Singapore Hok San Clan Association (photo Sugen Ramiah)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_8894\" style=\"width: 522px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/M-QM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8894\" class=\" wp-image-8894\" title=\"Offerings  placed at a niche at Mandai columbarium (photo Sugen Ramiah)\" alt=\"M - QM\" src=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/M-QM.jpg\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/M-QM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/M-QM-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/M-QM-280x186.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8894\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Offerings placed at a niche at Mandai columbarium (photo Sugen Ramiah)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_8895\" style=\"width: 522px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/N-QM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8895\" class=\" wp-image-8895\" title=\"Offerings of  silver  for the deceased and gold  for deities (photo Sugen Ramiah) \" alt=\"N - QM\" src=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/N-QM.jpg\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/N-QM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/N-QM-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/N-QM-280x186.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8895\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Offerings of silver for the deceased and gold for deities (photo Sugen Ramiah)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>It has been a rewarding experience, to learn from family members on how they up hold traditions that has been handed down to them.\u00a0 All they hope is that these traditions will be carried on by the generations to come and that their ancestors will not be forgotten. I will close with a quote that is close to my heart.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #999999;\"><em>\u201cTo acknowledge our ancestors means we are aware that we did not make ourselves that the line stretches all the way back, perhaps to God; or to Gods. We remember them because it is an easy thing to forget: that we are not the first to suffer, rebel, fight, love and die. The grace with which we embrace life, in spite of the pain, the sorrow, is always a measure of what has gone before. \u201d \u2013 Alice Walker<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***<\/p>\n<p><em>Sugen Ramiah is a teacher by training and his interest includes\u00a0\u00a0 observing and documenting Chinese festivals and rituals conducted by temples. <\/em><strong><em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Read his blog posts on Salvation for Lost Souls <a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/?p=7625\" target=\"_blank\">here <\/a>and\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/?p=7601\" target=\"_blank\">here <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Read about the tombkeepers&#8217; Qing Ming<a href=\"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/?p=3146\" target=\"_blank\"> here<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; By Sugen Ramiah The Qing Ming festival, or\u00a0 tomb sweeping day, is\u00a0 observed by the Chinese worldwide. It is a day for them\u00a0 to pay homage to their ancestors, either by visiting graveyards, columbariams\u00a0 or ancestral tablets in ancestral halls. The actual day falls either on the 4th ot 5th\u00a0 of April, but families have a window of\u00a0 ten days before or after the actual day to conduct Qing Ming.\u00a0 This year, I was fortunate to have been able [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":8882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92,504,83,115,161,81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-society","category-date","category-featured","category-gallery-photo-exhibitions","category-heritage-2","category-slider"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Qing Ming Observances 2014 - Bukit Brown: A World Monuments Watch Site in 2014<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/2014\/qing-ming-observances\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Qing Ming Observances 2014 - Bukit Brown: A World Monuments Watch Site in 2014\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp; By Sugen Ramiah The Qing Ming festival, or\u00a0 tomb sweeping day, is\u00a0 observed by the Chinese worldwide. It is a day for them\u00a0 to pay homage to their ancestors, either by visiting graveyards, columbariams\u00a0 or ancestral tablets in ancestral halls. The actual day falls either on the 4th ot 5th\u00a0 of April, but families have a window of\u00a0 ten days before or after the actual day to conduct Qing Ming.\u00a0 This year, I was fortunate to have been able [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/2014\/qing-ming-observances\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bukit Brown: A World Monuments Watch Site in 2014\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-04-07T04:08:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-06-04T03:46:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/A-QM.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"426\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Adminstrator 1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Adminstrator 1\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/2014\/qing-ming-observances\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/2014\/qing-ming-observances\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Adminstrator 1\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/#\/schema\/person\/7245b22ce498c1ba0e9efbc90cbc58fd\"},\"headline\":\"Qing Ming Observances 2014\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-04-07T04:08:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-06-04T03:46:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/2014\/qing-ming-observances\/\"},\"wordCount\":1086,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/2014\/qing-ming-observances\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/A-QM.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Culture\",\"Date\",\"Featured\",\"Gallery\",\"Heritage\",\"Slider\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/2014\/qing-ming-observances\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/2014\/qing-ming-observances\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/2014\/qing-ming-observances\/\",\"name\":\"Qing Ming Observances 2014 - 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