Families go extra mile to honour ancestors
You might think a visit to a relative’s grave would be a solemn occasion, but that is not the case for residents in some parts of rural China.
Ancestor-worshipping rituals in some of the country’s southern provinces during the Ching Ming Festival have been dubbed “survival training in the wild” because of the difficulty of reaching the gravesites.
People visit and clean their ancestors’ graves to show respect and pray for blessings during the annual event, also known as the Tomb Sweeping Festival.
Residents in Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan were determined to overcome obstacles on the challenging terrain, such as rugged mountains, riverbeds, and caves, the Guangxi Daily reported.
Many tombs are in remote areas and are difficult to access, but the locations were carefully chosen based on feng shui. These include hillsides, and those beside streams and sunny spots.
It is widely believed a tomb with good feng shui will bring fortune to the family.
Since the beginning of March, internet users from the three provinces had been sharing their gravesite experiences, describing them as physically challenging, the report said.
Some even brought scythes to cut down trees or grass and some even needed to climb mountains. They might wade, swim, or place a stick on the banks to get across a river.
In extreme cases, people crawled into caves where their ancestors were buried because they thought acts of worship performed outside would not be showing enough devotion.
A Guangxi-based Douyin blogger identified as Huang Ci Wei, released a video clip showing how he and his relatives spent three hours on mountain roads before reaching its peak to sweep the tomb of the “great-grandfather of my great-grandfather”.
Huang and his family brought roast chicken, liquor, firecrackers, and paper money for the ceremony.
“Perhaps blazing a way through all manner of obstacles to visit the ancestors’ tombs will ensure we never forget them, and they will live in our hearts forever,” he said in the video.
These expeditions have created a buzz on social media. “It’s a normal traditional practice in my hometown. I always thought it was the same in other provinces. Kids as young as three will climb mountains with their parents to worship ancestors,” one internet user from Guangdong said.
“Every year, after I visit my ancestors’ tombs, I will need to rest for a whole week,” said another.