Ching Ming Festival 清明節 2006

Ching Ming Festival 清明節 2006

Ching Ming 清明節 a traditional chinese festival is also known as the grave-sweeping festival. It's observed ten day before and after 5th April 2006 this year. Chinese families show their respect to ancestors & loved ones by visiting their graves to clear away weeds, touch up gravestone inscriptions, burn incense and make food & wine offerings. The burning of imitation paper money & other paper goodies is for the deceased to use in the afterlife. In modern days, there are fancy paper goodies including clothes, radios, TVs, cars, etc.

Ancestor worship is the native religion of China and that may have been the origin of Ching Ming festival. Buddhism, Christianity and Islam were imported to China. Confucianism & Taoism started in China but are philosophies rather than religions. In Confucianism, ancestor worship is incorporated as the virtue of filial piety.