Cheng Beng in Hokkien or as it is normally known in Mandarin , Qing Ming , is a day where the Chinese pay tribute / respect to their deceased family member . It is a yearly event in the Chinese Lunar Calendar where family members would come together and visit their deceased family members’ grave . My family and I did our ’s last week ; Saturday at Pangkor ( paternal side ) and Sunday morning at Ayer Tawar ( maternal side ) . As my dad is still working outstation in Abu Dhabi , I came with the rest of family members to pay respect to my ancestors from the paternal side ..

So on Saturday , we woke up as early as 6.30 a.m to catch an early ferry to Pangkor to avoid human traffic jam at the jetty ..

This Time I Really Got A Shot Of Sunrise At Lumut . 7 a.m .. =p

We got on the 7.30 a.m ferry to Pangkor . Reached there around 8 a.m and rented a taxi ( van ) to the cemetery where my grandmother ’s grave is at and met my aunts and their family there . We have already paid some grave cleaners to clean the graves a few days prior to the day we are coming . There wasn’t much tidying to do so we prepared whatever was necessary for the prayers ceremony . The main place for our prayers was at my grandmother’s grave . So before performing the ceremony there , I have to travel to 3 other graves to ” invite ” the ” spirits ” of my deceased ancestors to my grandmother’s grave to ” have a meal ” on the food we brought on the altar . There are 4 graves I visited in total that day and all of them are at different cemeteries . But luckily Pangkor isn’t such a big island and the cemeteries are only maximum 2 minutes motorcycle ride away from each other . Only me ,my cousin brother and 2 of my aunts went to the 3 graves..

Great-Grandpa ’s Grave ..

Great-Grandma ’s Grave ..

Grandfather ’s Grave ..

You can see that the graves’ designs are different as the time line when my great-grandparents passed away and when my grandfather passed away is different . But wanna know the similarity between them ? I have never met any of them before . Haha.. Ironic? My grandfather passed away even before my mum started dating with my dad . So imagine how long has he been buried there . So ,after finishing the prayers ,we headed back to my grandma ’s grave and started the prayers there .. After the ceremony , we sat down for a while to rest . Then my aunts told me that from now onwards , it is my responsibility to come every year and pay respect to my ancestors as I am the eldest son and grandson in the Lee family . Looks like I just got a new responsibility on my shoulders ..

Grandmother ’s Grave . Passed Away On 1998 When I Was Only 8 Years Old ..

During Cheng Beng , we present food on the altars of our ancestors’ grave as a ” feast ” for them on that special day and burn paper offerings for them so that they can live a more comfortable life in the after-world . Normally , people would burn silver papers , paper money and clothes for the deceased . But tradition seemed to changed together with the flow of time . Nowadays , other than those above , people would burn houses , branded clothing and even luxury cars . Haha..

Treasure Chest For My Grandfather ..

The Offerings Going Up In Flames ..

According To Chinese Beliefs ,This Is The God That Is Supposed To Keep The Spirit Of The Deceased Company At Their Graves While We Are Not Around . Each Grave Has One And We Present Offerings To Him As A Symbol Of Appreciation ..

Finished the whole ceremony around 9.30 a.m and headed back to my 4th aunt ’s house for brunch . Since I was starving as I haven’t had my breakfast yet , I ate like a horse . Haha .. Furthermore , my aunt cooked her special chicken rice . So….. Damn !! I had a total of 3 servings of rice plus all the dishes she cooked . Haven ‘t had a home cooked meal since Chinese New Year . Haha .. My family and I left Pangkor at around 3 p.m .. By the way , Pangkor Jetty has changed alot since the last time I came to Pangkor ( which is of course during Chinese New Year ) . Now it looked more modern and it has a ” 1 Malaysia ” statue / tower or whatever you call it right in the middle of the opening . The reason why I don’t know whether to call it a tower or a statue is that it is merely a high-rising landmark with NO empty space inside to accommodate people at all . Waste of money ? Decide for yourself..

The ” 1 Malaysia ” Landmark ..

You Can See The Landmark From Afar . Beside The Number 1 Are The Words ” Pangkor ” ..

Well , after that , we went back home and rested for the rest of the afternoon . In the evening , we went to Ayer Tawar to have dinner with my Uncle and Grandma ( Maternal Side ) and visited my mum ’s aunt ..

On Sunday , my family and I woke up early as well to pay respect to my maternal side’s Grandfather . He passed away in 2001 when I was 11 years old . I only went to his grave as my uncle and aunt have already went to my great-grandparents grave earlier . So we did what we have to do there and we left afterward . Sadly , I left my camera in my grandma ’s house . So I took photos with my phone . But then sadly , something happened to my phone when I came back to my uni that I don’t want to talk about before I get to load the photos into my laptop . So , I apologize as there are no photos from here ..

Back to the story , Cheng Beng really thought me a lot of things . Other than reminding us to respect and remember our deceased relatives and the memories we have with them , it also teaches us to cherish our loved ones whom we still have with us today . To me , Cheng Beng is more than merely a religious responsibility to carry out . It reminds us of who we are and where we come from . Our identity , our origins , our roots ..