Ching Ming Festival, after the pandemic

It is our family clan’s tradition to pay our respects to my paternal grandparents at the Chinese Cemetery at Aberdeen. During the pandemic years it was difficult to gather.  This year we had 10 people.  All from my generation - cousins.  Some of my father’s generation have passed away, others have emigrated, while the 4 that remain in HK can no longer climb the steep stairs or the slope to get to the columbarium.  I am quite glad I can catch up with my cousins what is happening with our children.  

Today there are lots of people at the cemetery, although not as many as at het height before the pandemic.  Many still climb the 100 dangerously steep and narrow steps.  I took the slope.  

Many burn the traditional incenses and candles.  

Many also burn paper money, clothes, shoes, mobile phones and gadgets, …, and dim sum. 

In the past, we would eat much of the real food: roasted pork, real dim sum, oranges,  bananas, etc., right there at the end of the ceremony.  Nowadays we split the food to take home.  

Afterwards, as is my own custom, I pay respects at the grave of Tsai Yuan Pei, respected president of Peking University during the days of the May 4th Movement of 1919. 

It seems only rich or famous people have graves in Hong Kong.  The rest of us can only get cremated, with ashes stored at the columbarium.  In my opinion, the best thing to do is what my father asked for, and received: to get his ashes dropped into the open sea south of Aberdeen, where he used to work (on boats), when he was young.