Coronavirus: Malaysia marks Ching Ming, minus the tomb sweeping

Ethnic Chinese families across the nation are seeking alternative ways to show their reverence for ancestors amid a nationwide movement restriction order

While there are live-streamed proceedings on offer and Malaysians are urged to pray from home, some say filial piety should be a year-round affair

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Ching Ming – or Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as “Cheng Beng” in Malaysia – is a traditional ceremony that centres on reverence for ancestors. Photo: SCMP / Dickson Lee

Published: 6:18pm, 3 Apr 2020Updated: 11:15pm, 3 Apr 2020

As Malaysia heads into its third week of a national movement restriction order in a bid to stem the spread of Covid-19, ethnic Chinese families across the country are seeking alternative methods to mark Ching Ming, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, a traditional ceremony that centres on reverence for ancestors.

Also called “Cheng Beng” in Malaysia, the festival – held on April 4 this year – calls for families to meet to clean grave sites, pray to deceased family members and make ritual offerings – all ceremonies requiring close contact, forbidden under Malaysia’s partial lockdown which prohibits social and religious gatherings.

But enterprising funeral homes and restaurants have figured out several workarounds in the time of Covid-19, allowing Malaysians to observe the occasion in a more muted way.

Some restaurants are offering special “memories of ancestor” meals, while funeral parlours have implemented differently priced packages that include either photos of prayers (the lowest-tier package) or, if you are willing to fork out more cash, a live stream of proceedings – what research analyst Gabriel Chen called “an absolute win”.

“It leverages on technology to remain filial, plus revenue for monks and funeral parlours that otherwise wouldn’t be able to make money during the lockdown,” he noted.

These measures, said government officer Quek Yew Aun, were a “creative way to fulfil duties as descendants”.