Qing Ming Festival

As everyone knows, Qing Ming is approaching and some of us have already pay our respect and done the tomb sweeping.  Some find it troublesome that they have to wake up really early for this tomb sweeping while others don't even participate.  With many of the youngsters not knowing the exact meaning of Qing Ming, you cannot really blame them.

Due to our hectic lifestyle, most of us can only pay respect to the deceased once a year - and does this means that we only remember the deceased once a year whom we loved so deeply before?


Physically, we can clear the weeds growing around the tomb, clear the dust lying around and make food offerings.  How about spiritually?  Most of us tends to emphasis more on the physical stuffs instead of the spiritual things.  It actually doesn't matter too much to the deceased whether or not the tomb is full of weeds or dust since they are no longer living in this plane (Earth).


For this year, perhaps you might like to send some merits to your deceased family and friends.  A short prayer dedicated to them, or chanting of Buddhism mantra (Om Mani Padme Hum) dedicated to them can relieve them of the anguish and pain, hoping that they can let go of all attachments and move on into the Divine light.


And also, I would very much discourage the action on the burning of incense paper.  Not only it pollutes the environment, it means destroying more trees too!  This might just bring on bad karma for you and the deceased!  However, I understand that most elders were used to burn the incense paper, so if you may, perhaps can encourage them to burn the 往生纸 instead of the incense paper (hell notes).


It's time we bring spiritual awareness to all our actions and daily life.
Hope you have a meaningful Qing Ming this year round!


Blessed be! 


Love 
Lady Shaura 
lady_shaura@live.com

Origins of Qing Ming Festival 
Qing Ming Festival is when Chinese people visit the graves or burial grounds of their ancestors. Traditionally, people brought a whole rooster with them to the graves visited but the occasion has become less formal over time. The festival originated from Hanshi Day (寒食节, literally, Day with cold food only), a memorial day for Jie Zitui (介子推). 


Jie Zitui died in 636 BC in the Spring and Autumn Period. He was one of many followers of Duke Wen of Jin before he became a duke. Once, during Wen's 19 years of exile, they had no food and Jie prepared some meat soup for Wen. Wen enjoyed it a lot and wondered where Jie had obtained the soup. 


It turned out Jie had cut a piece of meat from his own thigh to make the soup. Wen was so moved he promised to reward him one day. However, Jie was not the type of person who sought rewards. Instead, he just wanted to help Wen to return to Jin to become king. 


Once Wen became duke, Jie resigned and stayed away from him. Duke Wen rewarded the people who helped him in the decades, but for some reason he forgot to reward Jie, who by then had moved into the forest with his mother. Duke Wen went to the forest, but could not find Jie. Heeding suggestions from his officials, Duke Wen ordered men to set the forest on fire to force out Jie. However, Jie died in the fire. 


Feeling remorseful, Duke Wen ordered three days without fire to honour Jie's memory. The county where Jie died is still called Jiexiu (介休, literally "the place Jie rests forever"). Qingming has a tradition stretching back more than 2,500 years. Its origin is credited to the Tang Emperor Xuanzong in 732. Wealthy citizens in China were reportedly holding too many extravagant and ostentatiously expensive ceremonies in honour of their ancestors. 


Emperor Xuanzong, seeking to curb this practice, declared that respects could be formally paid at ancestors' graves only on Qing Ming. The observance of Qingming found a firm place in Chinese culture and continued since ancient China.