Process of Tomb Sweeping During Qing Ming Festival

The order of worshipping during the Ching Ming Festival is very important, as it is based on seniority. The elders take precedence, then the juniors, and finally the friends and relatives. The order of precedence is father, mother, eldest son, eldest daughter, second son, second daughter and so on.

When sweeping the tombs, the ancestors should be informed first that the descendants have to tidy up their rooms for them, otherwise it would be tantamount to trespassing in the house. First of all, offerings and flowers should be placed, and worship should be made to Hou Tu or Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva first. The offerings should not be retrieved immediately but should wait for more than thirty minutes. Next, the gold and silver paper of Hou Tu should be incinerated, and finally, farewell firecrackers should be blasted to send off Hou Tu and also the ancestors.

After returning home from the tomb sweeping, there is something you need to do before entering your house. Before you leave, prepare a bucket of fresh water at the entrance of your house, put in a few mug wort leaves, willow leaves, five-colored chrysanthemums and Thai lemons or lemon leaves, and then add a piece of red paper. Take out the fresh water prepared beforehand and wash your hands and face to remove bad luck from your body before entering your house.

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