Choa Chu Kang Cemetery for Qing Ming Festival 2013 (清明節)

My trip to Mandai Crematorium was only the first of two parts for this year's Qing Ming festival. 

After departing the crematorium at 6.30am, it took us less than thirty minutes to reach the incredibly straight and long Lim Chu Kang road. For my post on Lim Chu Kang road, click here.

The day was early yet the roads were filled with motor vehicles queuing to enter the narrow lanes leading deep into the immensely large cemetery. Thanks to the hardworking policemen on duty, traffic conditions were not as bad as previous years.

As i have consistently advised car drivers, perform your Qing Ming rites in the early morning. The sun would be merciless in trying its very best to burn you between 8am and 6pm; and that's provided you can easily get a spot to park your car. 

Many people have the thinking that tradition is rapidly dying in globalised Singapore. From what i see, the decline is not dire as one believes it to be; there were so many youngsters! 

Preparing for the prayer session for my maternal grandfather who passed away on Christmas Day twenty three years ago. 

Tidying up the tomb and putting on a new auspiciously coloured collar for the stone lion are part and parcel of what Qing Ming is all about.

Anyone knows the significance of having a white circle (flour was used i think) surrounding the generous stash of paper money? If i remember correctly, the circle is like a shield to deter other spirits from "stealing" the money from its rightful owner. 

True to Qing Ming custom, i am once again adding on to the worsening haze situation; a small minority though. 

However, unlike the family in the above picture, i am not a contributor to Singapore's littering problem! Furthermore, the resounding "huat ah" is a major source of noise pollution in the cemetery!

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For more information on Qing Ming, please click here.