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CHAN Loi Teck’s family was busy preparing food on the Friday morning. But the steamed chicken rice and cake they made was not for them, they are for his deceased grandparents.
Once the food is done, Chan packed them into containers and the family left the house to buy Char Sew Pao (BBQ pork bun) and fruits, before going to the temple to offer them to their ancestors.
The Buddhist community in Sandakan does this on Qing Ming day, a day that is similar to All Soul’s Day for the Catholics, where people would visit and clean the cemetery of their loved ones.
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But this year, instead of going to the cemetery, Chan’s family decided to perform their prayers and offerings at the Che Siang Khor Moral Uplifting Society temple instead.
Chan said he wanted to avoid the crowd at the cemetery because his elderly parents are considered high-risk for the Covid-19 virus.
“Because we are doing this at the temple, we would light the incense and pray to the name plaques of our deceased loved ones. In my case, to my grandparents’ name plaques.
“We would pray for them to protect our family, and wish that they will receive and enjoy our offerings,” the 38-year-old father of two said.
Three sticks of incense that appeared to be thicker than the regular ones are lit up while the food is served on the table placed in front of the plaques. It is believed that their loved ones will be enjoying the food while the incense is burning for about half an hour.
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Chan also bought shirts, shoes, purses, and fake money made from paper for the offering, where they will be burnt in a pyre outside the temple.
Due to the pandemic, many cemeteries have implemented their own set of standard operating procedures (SOP) to avoid crowd at the premise.
During Qing Ming Day on April 4 last year, the families were not allowed to visit the cemeteries or temples due to the movement control order (MCO).
This year, the Ministry of National Unity announced that prayers at cemeteries and columbarium are allowed in all states but with strict SOP.
For Sabah, which is currently under a recovery movement control order (RMCO), the number of visitors is subject to the capacity of the cemeteries and columbarium.
They are allowed to perform the Qing Ming Day rituals from March 20 to April 17, which is two weeks before and after the actual Qing Ming Day on April 4.
“We felt bad that we missed the offering ritual last year. So this year we are making up to it by presenting more food and burning more items than previous years.
“However, we were unable to bring our children to this ceremony this year because of the pandemic. Previously we would take them along so that they will learn the offering process, and get to know our culture, customs, and appreciate our heritage, and be thankful to their ancestors,” Chan added. – The Vibes, April 3, 2021.
