 |
Online Tomb-sweeping Debuts in China
In this sorrowful tomb-sweeping season around April 5, some Chinese are logging on to the Internet to pay their respects to the deceased instead of traveling to the graveyard.
A memorial website launched by a local graveyard has attracted quite a few visitors by setting up an on-line memorial hall for the deceased.
Zhou Kan is currently busy building an online memorial hall for her mother, whose death two years ago made Zhou so upset that she used to travel an hour to the suburbs to sweep her mother's tomb.
Zhou's sister, currently living in Australia, also finds the website convenient because she can deliver flowers, burn candles and spray wine for her mother online, just like traditional Chinese do in front of concrete graves.
Actually, online tomb-sweeping has relieved many citizens of the burden of fighting through long queues of buses and people traveling to graveyards.
According to a senior official with the website, currently some 600,000 people visit the website per day to pay their respects to the deceased.
Tomb Sweeping Day
Celebrated two weeks after the vernal equinox, Tomb Sweeping Day is one of the few traditional Chinese holidays that follows the solar calendar-- typically falling on April 4, 5, or 6. Its Chinese name "Qing Ming" literally means "Clear Brightness," hinting at its importance as a celebration of Spring. Similar to the spring festivals of other cultures, Tomb Sweeping Day celebrates the rebirth of nature, while marking the beginning of the planting season and other outdoor activities.
With the passing of time, this celebration of life became a day to the honor past ancestors. Following folk religion, the Chinese believed that the spirits of deceased ancestors looked after the family. Sacrifices of food and spirit money could keep them happy, and the family would prosper through good harvests and more children.
Today, Chinese visit their family graves to tend to any underbrush that has grown. Weeds are pulled, and dirt swept away, and the family will set out offerings of food and spirit money. Unlike the sacrifices at a family's home altar, the offerings at the tomb usually consist of dry, bland food. One theory is that since any number of ghosts rome around a grave area, the less appealing food will be consumed by the ancestors, and not be plundered by strangers. |
In This Section
|