The mark of a Teochew
grave
YEE XIANG YUN 2 April 2016
Nation
JOHOR BARU: Qing Ming or Chinese All Souls’ Day is usually
associated with the burning of paper items and hell notes but for
the Teochews, cockles take centre stage as the main offering for
the departed.
Johor Baru Teochew Eight Districts Association
secretary Lee Poo Sin said it was a common practice for them to
have blanched cockles as an offering to their ancestors, which the
kin consume after the prayer session.
The ritual started from their forefathers who had no
vehicles and had to walk about one or two hours to the cemetery to
clean the graves and pay their respects once a year during the
festival, he said.
Any cooked food or other perishables that they
brought along with them would turn bad after only a few hours, he
said.
“So the families carried live cockles and these were
blanched and seasoned at the graves, and used as offerings. They
would feast on them after the prayers were done,” he said
yesterday.
Lee said Teochews typically lived by the sea back
then so they had an abundant supply of seafood.
“After eating the cockles, the shells were scattered
around the grave to indicate that the deceased’s family had come to
pay their respects,” he said.
“If many shells are seen at the grave, it also
showed that the deceased has a long family line; the better his or
her legacy, so to speak.”
Lee, who also chairs the cemetery affairs committee
of Johor Baru Tiong Hua Association, said the shells could not be
eaten by strays, so would they remain there for a long
time.
“The practice continues today so it is easy to spot
a grave belonging to a Teochew,” he said.
This year, Qing Ming takes place on April 4 but the
rituals are observed for 10 days before and 10 days
after.