The Massachusetts Spy, And Worcester County Advertiser

Chinese Customs. In the month of April, generally about the 5th, the Tsing-ming term occurs. Tsingming denotes pure and splendid. This is the season when all persons, throughout the empire, whether rich or poor, repair to the Hills, or Tumuli of their ancestors, to worship. The rich collect all their kindred to accompany them, on these occasions. They kill victims, prepare fruits, cakes, and wine, in the greatest variety and abundance; erect a booth on the hills, provide candles, incense, gold and silver paper, suits of clothes, red and white slips of paper, &c. &c.; and assemble by hundreds to sweep the tombs, and returf them. They then kneel down, worship, pray, and sacrifice to their ancestors. The prayer offered runs thus:
"We, a multitude of children, grand-children, and other descendants, now, on such a day, have come hither to worship at our ancestors' Tumuli. We pray that by the protection of our ancestors, we may become prosperous; and that their descendants may have constant support."
These ceremonies being ended, they rise up from their knees, to eat, to drink, and to play. The poor enter into the same ceremonies as far as their means will allow. The observances may take place on any day within one month from the commencement of the Tsingming term. The benevolent perform these rites at graves which cease to have posterity on the spot. On Java, and at other colonies, in the archipelago, societies are formed to do these honors to the destitute dead. And a Chinaman's greatest fear is, that he shall not have posterity to worship at his tomb. The raiment, gold and silver paper, and the sacrifices, are all supposed to feed, clothe, and enrich the deceased, in an invisible state.
Why the people pray to their deceased kindred as gods, we are at a loss to conjecture; especially as the Chinese Confucians deny the existence of separate spirits.
At the Tsingming term, those who think their ancestors interred in unlucky places, remove the remains into some other region. The bones are collected, wrapped in paper, deposited in an urn, and carried to another grave. The old coffin is thrown away. We hear, that at Macao, nearly a hundred bodies have been disinterred, to make way for a new road. The kindred accepted a pecuniary compensation of about six dollars, from the road committee, to remove the bones of their sires. They are at liberty to do so; but Government would not on any account compel them.