Ching Ming festival rituals include weeding the area around the grave-site; cleaning the head stone; replacing wilted flowers with fresh ones; lighting incense and burning imitation paper money. The burning of money and paper offerings is for the deceased to use in the afterlife.
Food is laid out in front of the head stone. It may include a chicken, barbecued pork, crispy roast pork and pastries.
Three sets of chopsticks and three cups of wine are arranged above the food.
The head of the household begins by bowing three times with a wine cup in hand, then pours the wine on the ground in front of the head stone. This procedure is repeated three times. Each member of the family then comes and bows three times as well.
Some families will then eat together at the grave-site, as if having a picnic with deceased relatives. Eating food offered to the deceased is said to bring good luck.
Some families may begin by setting off firecrackers to scare off evil spirits and to alert deceased relatives they have come to pay respects.