Chinese Festivals - Memorial Day

We had two memorial days. One was on March 3*, called Ching Ming Festival. One was on September 9**, called Chung Yiang Festival. New Years Day was to worship our ancestors at our own home. Memorial Day was to worship our ancestors at their grave sites. That means a family outing to a picnic banquet in the mountain. Burial in South China has two stages. Initial stage was to bury the body in a well-decorated coffin, at a nearby hillside, accompanied by a fabulous funeral procession. Final stage was done about 3 years later. By then it was estimated that the body was almost or completely decomposed. The family then searched and selected a permanent grave site in the mountain. Then the initial grave was quietly dug up, the coffin opened, the skeleton stripped and cleansed. The skeleton was then neatly and properly rearranged in a small bundle and placed into a porcelain or terra cotta jar, and sealed with cement. Without further fanfare or ceremony, that jar was quietly buried at the selected permanent grave site in the mountain.

The permanent grave site was very important. It was selected in accordance with the concept of Fung Sui. If proper and good, it would determine how good, how prosperous, and how populous the offspring would be. Some grave sites were supposed to produce smart offspring, wealthy offspring, bad guys, thieves, adulterers, etc. Therefore, the permanent grave site was often constructed with fabulous stones, marble, etc. On Memorial Day, the whole clan went up the mountain to clean up the weeds, tidy up the grave, offer food, etc. Every male offspring walked forward to the grave, to insert an incense or certain plant twig at the grave, and make a bow, standing or kneeling.

 The trip was a joyous one. We ate roasted pig, chicken, vegetables and a whole lot more. It was a banquet in picnic style. Grown-ups worked and talked. Kids played, jumped and tumbled. There were numerous poems for the occasion:

It means: "During the Spring Memorial Festival, it was small and lingering rain and rain. Many people walking on the road. Their souls were saddened. But, please tell me where can I get a drink of wine. A shepherd boy pointed afar at an apricot flower village."

Another one:

It means: "I am far away in a strange village, as a strange guest. Every time when comes a good festival, I doubly think of my parents and my relatives. I know, from far away, my brothers and relatives are inserting their twig branch at the grave site right now, taking their turn. But, it was one person short, me."

*Ching Ming occurs at the 15th day after the Spring Equinox, or 1st day of spring. Usually around April 4 or 5. 

**Chung Yiang occurs at the 9th day of the 9th month of the lunar calendar, making it fall sometime in October in the Western calendar.