Once a year "Qing Ming" we paid our respect and memorial to our late love ones at the ancestral grave sites. This is my 5th time following hubby to cemetery for his paternal grandma and his mum aka my MIL. Normally we make it a week earlier before the actual day.
I bought over bouquet of flowers to the tomb site as my offering. Since I'm Christian, I do not perform the Buddist's praying and offering. This grave visits took more than a half day to finish. Early morning as early at 6am after sent Terry over to my mum (we not brought him out to this place at this moment), we heading down to Seremban. It will be crazily jam for hours if we reached there after sunrise.
We heading to Sendayan cementary in Seremban first for his grandma. Managed to reach there at 7am+ and wait for the rest. Many families from near and far came to offering remembrance, that makes the place suddenly came so lively. There was a bit of 'celebration' feel too when some light up a few meters long of fire cracker.
All kinds of burning items I saw from other neighbors grave like "branded" bag, car, decoder and etc. Thats not the extreme yet, from the newspapers I read that there are petrol station too. Offering foods those I saw are like KFC, packed chicken rice and etc.
This Chinese cemetery park is the biggest one in Seremban, it is very well organised and neat which tombs are place in row by row. It allows cars to drive through zone by zone up the hill. We finish everything here at around 9am+ then we head for brunch at Rahang for some Yong Tao Fu.
After that, we proceed to Semenyih - Nirvana Memorial Park for my late MIL. Ya, hubs lost his lovely mum since 12 years ago when he was 19. The current mIL (I addressed her as ah-yi) was married by FIL during our courtship.
Every year the traffic entering NMP was not a pleasant one. Right at the junction exit to NMP it started to jam. It was slow moving and jam all way in for at least 1.15 hrs to reach the entrance. So tiring and wasting time every year got to stuck in the jam like that. I actually sleep to rest all the way and snap snap too.
There is always competitor in any business next to you. The above was Semenyih Memorial Hills (静安林) located 500 meter before reaching Nirvana. There was a big signboard from Nirvana mention that they are 500 meter away from there (so kiasu).
OK, finally reach, still jam going in from the entrance till the temple. It was mountain ppl, mountain sea and mountain cars too. Since it was burning hot, we kind of do it fast.
Nirvana did provide stand umbrella for visitors, we managed to asked 3 big umbrella to put in front of the grave. Everybody sweating hot while busy arranging the praying and offering things. After everything done, it was 2pm+. Luckily we took the way out heading to Hulu Langat exit to KL was a smooth moving one...the opposite way from coming in will be jam too (jam in and out), so better head for a smooth one. Managed to reach home at 3pm and hubs was extremely tired. He took a long nap and I went pick up my boy.
Thats what we did on All Soul's Day.
4 comments:
OH Judy! What a small world.. my paternal grandparents were buried at Sendayan too! I have not been back for prayers for last 2 years, and hopefully in another year or 2, I can go perform my duty as grand-daughter too! oh ya, that day was heavy jam as my family members were also trapped!
My grandma is buried in Nirvana Memorial Park. I haven't been visiting her for 3 years since Gwen was born.
Your hubby from seremban?
Ever since I had the kids, I did not go for ching ming. The elder believe not a good place to bring little kids to the graveyard.
What a coincident! My ancestors also buried in Nirvana memorial park and my husband's are buried in Seremban Chinese Cemetery leh~!! But I yet visit my husband's side ancestors due to my 2 little kids, hehe!
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