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Published: April 1st 2006
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The altar table
Candles, joss-sticks, food and drinks are offered. Chinese practice a range of religious and cultural festivals that go back a long way. Over the years, traditions associated with such festivals are handed down from generation to generation within practicising communities, with very little changes introduced. One of such major events that marks the Chinese Calendar is Cheng Beng-the day to honour the departed ancestors and immediate family members.
Today, I had to make a special effort to visit my mother, who passed away 5 years ago, in Nilai Memorial Park. Her ashes were put in an urn in an air-conditioned columbrium.
I don't exactly enjoy practising this tradition as it is not entirely spritual and certainly a very environmentally hazardous tradition indeed. I missed mum a lot but I believe if I want to visit her, I should be able to do so anytime of the year and not just on certain days. Besides, it doesn't make sense to light the candles, burn some papers or offer meat to a departed. Even though it's merely a symbolic practice it's still a huge turn off to me. Ideally, I'd love to just bring flowers to her grave and then maybe have a short chit-chat about updates.
Driving into Nilai Memorial Park
The place was jam packed with people and cars! Anyway,there are also many people who blindly follow a tradition without seeking to understand the meaning of it. Having said that, there are also many people, like my dad, practise it out of respect for the culture. Those who don't carry on the tradition are seen as deviants of the Asian culture. Yes-it is a cultural practice instead of religious practice. Many people think that it's a Buddhist ritual while Buddhism has never mentioned any of such activities in context of honouring the dead.
It was an exciting day today because I try to put myself in the shoes of a foreigner and viewed the whole scene. I guess if I wasn't living in the country, I'd have thought while these people show utmost respect and fillial piety for departed members of the family, the things they do to express their respect is weird.
People gave me funny looks when I started taking photographs. I wish then, I'd look like a tourist, so that it would excuse me from being rude. Anyway, I tried to step away from taking images of people on purpose.
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