Brushing up on history of Tomb Sweeping Day

April 4th 2021 marked the Chinese holiday known as Qing Ming Jie or Tomb Sweeping Day. Whilst not a day that I've traditionally celebrated much of, today was the first Qing Ming Jie since the passing of one of my parents' best friends. It's tradition to burn sacrificial offerings for the deceased (e.g. fruit, money, clothes) as a means of transferring goods for them to use in the afterlife. Dad spoke of his home town, where people would create cardboard fridges, houses and even Ferraris in an effort to pass on luxury to their loved ones.

The conversation shifted to my grandparents and the fact that they've already laid out very specific instructions for us to follow after their passing. My grandma has requested that we burn lots of blankets for her because she gets cold, and my grandpa, his favourite set of cookbooks so he can cook things for his new companions. My mum tries to be a strong person in almost every aspect of her life, but on this rare occasion, she spoke with glazed eyes and rarely looked in my direction.

I consider my own mortality often, but rarely that of my grandparents and my parents. For the first time in my nearly 25 years of living, death felt truly confronting and unavoidable. Despite being raised in a household of superstition, I myself am pretty averse to such practices, largely due to the wild logic and strange rules that go hand in hand with them. But someone's death is never an invitation for opinion, and if I have to train an elephant to do a rain dance in order for my loved ones to live large in the afterlife, then I'll happily oblige.

PSA: Visit your grandparents soon, I'm sure they'll appreciate it :)

- Jeff