Qingming Festival

Incense Coils in Hong Kong's Man Mo Temple

We were fortunate enough to visit friends in Hong Kong at this time last year, completely unaware that our trip coincided with the Qingming Festival. Though translated in several different ways, one of the most common renderings of Qingming into English is "Tomb Sweeping Day." It is a day to think about your ancestors and those who have passed away, to pay respect to them, to maintain their tomb, and to offer what gifts you can to them. These gifts most often come in the form of joss paper (also referred to as "ghost money"), which is burnt as an offering so that the deceased have good possessions and money in the afterlife.

Illustration of Burning Gifts and Joss Paper

Traffic was pretty heavy as a lot of people were going out to the local cemeteries. We visited the Man Mo Temple in downtown Victoria during the Qingming Festival and there were many people there burning joss paper and incense. It was quite a beautiful (not to mention aromatic) ceremony. Though we ourselves are not Buddhist, this is still a good day to reflect on those who have come before us and are now gone, and also to look forward to day when we can hopefully be reunited (if your religious beliefs allow for such a thing). At the very least, today was a great day to try making Hong Kong-style wonton noodle soup.

Wonton Noodle Soup in the Pot

We more or less followed this recipe. We can't buy pork here so I substituted beef for the filling and used one mutton and one chicken bullion cube for the stock. Otherwise, this is a pretty easy recipe to follow, and it tastes like the real deal. It's also always fun when you get to construct part of your food (in this case wontons, but the same goes for any dumplings, empanadas, or ravioli). Though I must admit, I think I overloaded a few of the wontons and they bust open in the stew. Ultimately though, I have to say that it was incredibly rewarding to make something that I'd only been able to have in restaurants before.

The next best thing to being in Hong Kong

Here's hoping for a joyful day, for both the quick and the dead.