Paper goggles and sanitisers among tomb sweeping day offerings to help ancestors fight coronavirus in the afterlife
- Ching Ming Festival is when Chinese offer prayers, sweep their loved ones’ graves and burn paper models of items that could be useful in the afterlife
- These range from money and shoes to yachts and planes, but this year paper goggles, hand sanitisers and thermometers will be burned as well in Malaysia
Paper masks and goggles are among offerings that ethnic Chinese in Malaysia will burn to mark tomb sweeping day, hoping their ancestors can use them to fight the coronavirus in the afterlife.
Ching Ming Festival is one of the most important dates for Chinese communities, and is observed across East and Southeast Asia. During the festival, which this year falls on Sunday, it is customary for Chinese to offer prayers, sweep their loved ones’ graves and burn paper models of items that could be useful in the afterlife.
These can range from money and shoes to yachts and planes – but the pandemic has led to the addition of virus-themed offerings.
A shop in the town of Rawang, just outside the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, is selling a set of paper face masks with small boxes carrying pictures of goggles, a bottle of hand sanitiser and a thermometer.
“We want our ancestors to realise the importance of wearing a mask during the pandemic, so we introduced this,” store owner Jacky Hoi said, holding a packet containing the items.
