Yesterday (Oct. 29) was the Chung Yeung Festival, and many devoted descendants carried offerings, incense, and candles to cemeteries to pay respects to their ancestors. Although some citizens observed that the crowds for ancestor worship in recent years seem smaller than in the past, many still believe that the biannual spring and autumn rituals are worth upholding as a way to express reverence for the deceased.
A notable feature this year was the heightened attention to mosquito prevention while visiting graves. In particular, due to the first local case of Chikungunya fever reported earlier in the area, the Diamond Hill Urn Cemetery set up mosquito prevention stations, providing free insect repellent for visitors.
At around 10 a.m. yesterday, a Wen Wei Po reporter visited the Diamond Hill Station Public Transport Interchange and witnessed about 50 people queuing for minibuses heading to the Cemetery and Columbarium. Many were carrying abundant offerings and incense while waiting, and staff were on site to manage orders, with the queue snaking at one point.
Citizens lamented the lack of emphasis on traditional festivals. Ms. Yip, along with two relatives, chose to climb a steep staircase for about 20 minutes to reach the hillside. Their offerings mainly consisted of fresh flowers, meat, and fruits, costing around HK$400. Ms. Yip mentioned that after leaving the cemetery, they still needed to visit the Tsz Wan Kok to pay respects to other ancestors, so the total expense was slightly higher.
"But averaging just over a hundred dollars per ancestor is actually quite reasonable." For environmental reasons, they did not burn paper money, opting instead to light incense, emphasizing that the sentiment matters more than the form.
Another citizen came specifically to the cemetery to pay respects to her parents, "just to offer some incense," but did not purchase any other offerings. When asked about the crowd for this year's Chung Yeung Festival, she said it felt sparser than in previous years.
She attributed the decreased attendance to changing attitudes among modern people, with the older generation often adhering to the tradition while younger generations participate less. She expressed sadness that, with societal changes, some families are gradually placing less importance on traditional festivals, but she still hopes that this respect for ancestors can be carried on.
Near the entrance of the columbarium, some people used incinerators to burn joss paper. Ms. Lee explained that burning offerings stems from longing for the deceased, hoping they have ample clothing and food in the other world. She mentioned that this year's offering prices were similar to those of previous years, and she had personally selected and assembled her items instead of buying prepackaged sets.
"It cost about HK$160. Pre-packaged sets also cost over HK$100, so assembling them myself was only slightly more expensive—overall, it's about the same." Additionally, she bought offerings like chicken feet with spareribs, rice, siu mai, and drinks. Despite the economic downturn, Ms. Lee believes that the tradition of ancestor worship is still worth careful preparation. "Even if we need to worship multiple ancestors, it's only once or twice a year. We should still put effort into buying some offerings and food for them."
Due to the first local case of Chikungunya fever earlier in the Fung Tak Estate area, the cemetery set up "mosquito prevention stations." The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department displayed notices reminding grave visitors to remove stagnant water and prevent mosquito breeding, while some citizens applied the provided insect repellent on-site.
Ms. Chan said she paid special attention to mosquito prevention this year, "I am worried because, after all, it is an illness that can cause long-term joint pain."
Paper merchandise shops see 20% drop in business
During the Chung Yeung Festival, when climbing to worship ancestors, citizens typically purchase paper offerings, fruits, and flowers to express their sentiments. Wen Wei Po reporters visited several paper merchandise shops and found sparse crowds, with only a few citizens coming to buy offerings. Some shops had even temporarily closed, reflecting the subdued festive atmosphere.
Paper shop owner Ms. Chung pointed out that this year's Chung Yeung Festival business had declined noticeably compared to previous years. Besides the tradition of Chung Yeung focusing more on hill climbing, with Qingming being the main festival for worship, nowadays, many young people tend to prefer emerging ways of remembrance or have religious reasons.
Coupled with increased environmental awareness, the number of people burning paper offerings has decreased, directly impacting the traditional sacrificial goods market. The shop's customer base mainly consists of older regular customers who adhere to traditions, and their consumption has become more conservative, often only buying basic clothing bundles, with special paper products rarely sought after.
New-style paper products received a lukewarm response. Mr. Poon, who has been in the paper offering business for over 20 years, has specially crafted unique paper offerings modeled after the Jockey Club betting stations. However, he said that special paper offerings are no longer popular.
"Before the pandemic, many people bought these products, but after the pandemic, even regular customers have disappeared." He also mentioned that this year, citizens' willingness to buy offerings before the Chung Yeung Festival significantly decreased. "This is in contrast to the past, when people would patiently wait for shops to open." Even when customers come, most only purchase the most basic clothing bundles.
Another paper shop manager said that, despite costs rising by about 10%, as they mainly rely on regular customers, they have maintained the old prices. He mentioned that this year, they specifically introduced new offerings like airplanes and yachts, but the response was tepid. He believes the 20% decline in business compared to the same period last year is due to the trend of northbound consumption, which is attracting fewer customers.
Ms. Lee, who was purchasing paper offerings, also said that buying clothing bundles, incense, and other worship supplies was purely for "restocking" needs and not directly related to festive ancestor worship. She mentioned that her family only maintains the Qingming Festival tomb-sweeping custom and does not worship ancestors during Chung Yeung. This purchase was only for daily stockpiling.
(Source: Wen Wei Po; Journalist: Lee Tsz-shan)
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