[Explanation] During the Qingming Festival, be careful to chase the distance and cherish the memory of the ancestors.
No matter where in the world, as long as there are Chinese people, there is the custom of worshipping ancestors during the Qingming Festival.
For Hong Kong people, Qingming Festival is the first public holiday in April, and it is also a traditional festival of the Chinese nation.
On this day every year, Hong Kong people will worship their ancestors, place their thoughts on them, and pay their respects to the gods and pray for blessings.
[Concurrent] Liang Zhongjie, Assistant Senior Public Service Manager of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals
The two spring and autumn festivals, namely Qingming Festival and Double Ninth Festival, are actually a very common and long-standing custom among Hong Kong people.
In Hong Kong now, if the Qingming Festival and the Double Ninth Festival are not related to the epidemic, we are actually crowded in temples or some religious places, or some cemeteries or columbaria, because everyone will express their feelings towards their ancestors at this time. Filial Piety and Missing.
[Explanation] Affected by the fifth wave of the epidemic in Hong Kong, the Man Mo Temple in Sheung Wan, as a religious place, must also be closed during the Qingming Festival.
Since many ancestral tablets are enshrined in the temple, Wenwu Temple also launched a valet ancestor worship service during the Qingming Festival.
[Concurrent] Liang Zhongjie, Assistant Senior Public Service Manager of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals
All citizens or good believers just need to choose a service of worshiping ancestors on behalf of customers on the (network) platform, and then enter some information they need in this service, including the names of descendants, the names of ancestors, and what they want to do to their ancestors. What to leave, after completing the payment procedure, our colleague will see his order in our system.
After that, these colleagues will help the citizen to complete the valet ancestor worship service within three working days.
[Explanation] After receiving the order from the public, the staff will help the guests to complete the ancestor worship ceremony in the temple.
[Concurrent] Liang Zhongjie, Assistant Senior Public Service Manager of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals
First, we will offer incense to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and then we will offer incense to his ancestors on behalf of the citizen, and then we will do some simple cleaning, and then we will have some tea and toast ceremonies In the end, some thin foil clothes and bags will be presented, and in the end, they will help the citizens to say what they want to tell their ancestors.
Then there is a three-bow ceremony at the end, so that we can complete the entire valet ancestor worship ceremony.
[Explanation] Surrounded by greenery, Donghua Yizhuang, located in the western ring of Hong Kong, has a history of more than 100 years.
In the last century, it was not only a temporary place for the coffins of the poor in Hong Kong, but also provided burial services for overseas Chinese living abroad.
Today, it has become a place for Hong Kong people to deposit the remains of their ancestors' coffins, and people come here to worship during the Qingming Festival.
Under the epidemic, Yizhuang has also introduced a series of epidemic prevention measures.
[Concurrent] Liang Zhongjie, Assistant Senior Public Service Manager of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals
There is now a two-person gathering restriction order in Hong Kong, so in fact, if you want to worship in Yizhuang, you must abide by the social distancing restrictions of the two-person gathering limit order.
You must wear a mask in our Yizhuang area, and you need to make a safe travel registration when you enter the venue.
In addition, we will call on all good believers or citizens to make an appointment registration with us when they come to worship.
[Concurrent] Tang Zhide, administrative clerk of Donghua Yizhuang
On the days of Qingming and Chongyang, the first three and the last three, if you want to worship, you need to log in to our website, and then you will see that we have a link. After entering, you can make an appointment for worship.
After you enter, you mainly fill in the date, time, name of the ancestor and the location of the niche, and then you can make an appointment.
It takes about one to two days to apply for an appointment, and we will have a reply to the guest, proving that you can come to Yizhuang to worship at this time.
[Explanation] Under the epidemic, "cloud sacrificial sweeping" has also become popular everywhere.
In order to reduce the risk of infection and encourage green burials, it is reported that the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has set up a website and a mobile application of "Endless Missing" for citizens to mourn and mourn their deceased relatives and friends online anytime, anywhere, and to spend a safe and healthy Ching Ming Festival.
Reporter Fan Siyi Liang Yuan reports from Hong Kong
Responsible editor: [Li Yuxin]