Qing Ming Festival 清明节

I think for my generation right now, hardly anyone will follow their parents to pay their respect to the ancestors. Ever since I got married 2 years ago, i think that this occasion is as important as chinese new year. This is another occasion where all family members gather together and pay respect to the ancestors.

This is the 2nd year i follow my hubby to Malaysia (Chaah) to prepare for this festival. We left Sg at 3pm on 29.03.14 (sat) and we are stuck in the customs for 2 hours plus. Normally the journey from sg to his kampong is just a 2 and half hours journey. But this time is 5 hours. So tiring and super hungry!

On sunday morning we woke up at 7am then prepare everything and go to the graves of his ancestors. Malayisa's Qing Ming Festival is really different from Singapore. We had to go to a "park" where lots of graves are gather there. And im quite surprise that they remember where and which is their ancestors graves.  After cleaning up the graves, and poking the joss sticks surrounding the graves, everyone starts to chit chat and wait for the ancestors to finish eating. Some families also light up the fireworks or the firecracker. Its so loud and noisy like chinese new year. Yup! They says its the dead people chinese new year. O.o

After cleaning up the tombs at Chaah, around 1pm we drove to Batu Pahat and did the same thing as in the morning. But this time its at a temple. As the ancestors, they did not buried, they cremate and put the ashes inside the urn and store it at the temple.

After everything, we drove to Kluang as my hubby sister needs to go back to her school hostel for school the next day.

The school is abit old

Anyway, I would like to encourage all youngsters to follow their parents to pay respect to their ancestors as its just a yearly affair and it only takes a few hours. Do it every year so that this tradition wont be lost.