Ancestral Qingming Offerings Cleared While Man Was Away, He Demands Explanation
A man making offerings to his deceased mother for the Qingming Festival found that the offerings had been cleared after less than 20 minutes.
Peng Hongmao (transliterated from Chinese) told Shin Min Daily News that the ceremony was not finished when the offerings were cleared.
This sparked an argument between Mr Peng’s family, the columbarium staff, and the cleaners.
Mr Peng remained unhappy as he could not complete the ceremony for his mother.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said it is aware of the incident.
Qingming offerings allegedly cleared after “less than 20 minutes”
Mr Peng says he and his two elder brothers went to the Choa Chu Kang Columbarium to make offerings to their mother on Saturday (15 Apr).
This year was the 13th year his family was “sweeping” their mother’s tomb.
Offerings included cakes, fruits, tea, wine, three animals, and others.
When the table was set up, Mr Peng and his brothers went to the incinerator to burn joss paper.
But when they returned less than 20 minutes later, Mr Peng found that the sacrifices and table had been cleared up.
“I asked staff from the cleaning company what happened, but they could not answer.”
Later, two columbarium staff also came over and apologised. But similarly, they could not explain why the offerings were cleared.
“A staff member contacted me later by phone, noting that there were worries the food would attract birds. However, there aren’t many mosquitoes or flies there, and birds are rarely seen there either,” Mr Peng said.
Family unable to complete ceremony & demands apology
Mr Peng’s family could not complete the ceremony by offering tea and wine in front of the ancestral tomb.
According to traditions, the custom is to bring home some offerings for younger family members to eat, but since the offerings were cleared, they could not do this.
“It’s disrespectful to our ancestors,” he said.
At one point, Mr Peng said he was so agitated that he grabbed a cleaner’s hand and demanded he apologises to his late mother.
Police were called to the scene.
“We were badly affected by the incident and could not sleep well at night after we got home.”
Man says situation may be salvageable if management arranges ceremony by Taoist priests
Mr Peng hopes for the authorities to give a reasonable explanation or make up for what happened. Because the period for sweeping ancestors’ tombs has passed, the family can’t redo the ceremony.
“If the columbarium management can arrange for Taoist priests to hold a ceremony for my late mother, the situation may still be salvageable,” he suggested.
He added that cleaning staff should also be made aware of Qingming Festival traditions so that they don’t inadvertently commit any taboos.
NEA stresses they won’t tolerate physical or verbal attacks on staff
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said it is aware of the incident, noting that leaving food unattended would attract birds.
Authorities also called in the police during the dispute, and police are investigating the matter.
NEA works with cleaning contractors to create a safe and clean environment for visitors to cope with Qingming Festival crowds.
NEA reminds the public not to leave food unattended after making offerings to their ancestors, and to ensure that joss sticks are fully extinguished before leaving.
“We don’t tolerate any physical or verbal attacks on our staff and will report such incidents to the police if necessary.”
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