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Published: April 7th 2012
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Typically, during any holiday break Elyse and I jet off to some new destination to get out of the city. Hangzhou is one of the most popular tourist destinations in China for the nationals, so it gets packed full of people. During the normal weekends we don’t even try to venture to the lake as its wall to wall people. This year we found ourselves at home and wanted to make the most of the situation. This Holiday most closely resembles Memorial Day in the States, yet with customs and traditions that are unique to it self.
The Qingming Festival (pronounced- ching ming) is a time to remember and honor ancestors at grave sites. The holiday is also called Tomb Sweeping Day. Chinese families go and pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer items such as food, tea, wine, chopsticks, and flowers. The holiday has a long tradition inAsia, especially among farmers. Some people carry willow branches with them on Qingming, or put willow branches on their gates and/or front doors. They believe that willow branches help ward off the evil spirits that wander on Qingming.
Presently it is required by law that
you must be cremated after you pass away if you reside in a city. Rural villages still allow for ground burials so most of these tombs date back a few generations. Most of the tombs inHangzhouare situated within the Tea Terraces. The land space is valuable so every square inch is farmed. On the side of each tomb are two stone carved lions or dragons to scare away any evil spirits.
Like any good Chinese holiday fireworks are involved, yet I’m not sure if this is based on tradition or more likely that Chinese just love fireworks. Another popular thing to do is to fly kites in the shapes of animals or characters. Elyse and I chose to hike as the weather was perfect. We started off for a trail head that was close to our house. We rode our bikes and locked them up outside a brand new Monastery. The building is not like a lot of the others being built in the city. This was built in the true fashion of Tibetan Monasteries. Giant wood beams and columns, hand carved trusses and corbels. It looked much more authentic than the “monks” that were stationed at
the place. I used quotations because I’m 99% sure that these are not real monks. China can imitate anything, even monks.
This year was extra special as Qingming landed on April 4th (4.4.2012) The number 4 in China is like the number 13 in the USA. Most buildings dont have a 4th floor and no one wants a number 4 in their phone number, literally cell numbers with 4 are cheaper to buy than other numbers. The pronunciation of four is similar to death, so the day was extra cursed in the Chinese beliefs.
Elyse brought her camera and took some good photos. It was pretty cool to witness and actually participate in some authentic Chinese traditions on Tomb Sweeping Day. We really enjoyed the hike and the experiences. Hope you enjoy the photos.
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Mom
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tomb sweeping
very interesting about their tradition. The plants/crops? grow so close to their tombs....