It's my late grandma's 1 yr death anniversary today. Traditionally, we have to hold this ceremonial ritual thingy with priests dawned in their elaborate costumes, wielding their swords, chanting prayers as relatives followed behind them, armed with joss sticks, kneeling and bowing when instructed.
So we did. And these 2 full days will be dedicated to that. I sneaked back to do household chores so that my mum will stop nagging about it. Partly an excuse to get out from the killer heat that was exploding in the tentage.
My dad asked me to check out the huge paper mansion with uncountable number of paper maids and a really huge paper car with a chauffer. He said ahma and ahgong can finally have a good life in the other world.
"orh" was all I uttered, an acknowledgement that I heard you, not in agreement.
I stood infront of the offerings including bags and bags of gold ingots folded by my relatives since a month ago to prepare for this event. Cynically, I doubt that my grandma would receive the ashes. I quickly chided myself for having that thought.
I watched my tired relatives baking in the heat, the band nodding off in between the rituals, the amount of paper which will contribute to pollution of the environment, the incense smoke engulfing the tentage....
The framed up pictures of my grandma and grandpa were the only things that looked real which really meant something to me.
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