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China Elevator Stories
“What do you do to worship your ancestors?”
I visit the grave of my Chinese husband’s grandfather in the countryside of Jilin province.
05/04/2015
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
It’s November, 2014. My husband, our baby son, and I are staying at gugu’s place in the countryside of Jilin province. One early morning, my husband, my father-in-law, my husband’s aunt, and I visit the grave of my husband’s grandfather. Due to the Chinese belief that visiting a grave will bring bad luck to a baby, our son stays home with his grandmother. The grave is located on a small hill, and we have to cross several fields to reach it.
After burning joss paper, we head back. On the way, my husband’s aunt asks: “Do you also burn paper money for your ancestors in Austria?”
“No, we don’t have this tradition,” I reply.
“What do you do to worship your ancestors?”
“We don’t worship our ancestors in the Chinese sense. We usually put flowers on the graves of our loved ones.”
Do you celebrate Tomb Sweeping Festival?
This is part of the series ‘Conversations with Locals in China,’ where I share conversations with Chinese people on my blog.