Cheng Beng is the Chinese equivalent of All souls day. It falls on 5th of April, but if you follow the Chinese lunar calender it could be 2 weeks around that time. Cheng Beng is a day for the Chinese people to pay respect to their ancestors, clear the graves and bring offerings of food in an act to honour their memory.
My Great Great Grandfather passed away almost 100 years ago. He was the first in the family to leave China in search of greener pastures. He eventually made his way to the island of Penang 🙂
The photos are the graves of my Great Grand Parents and my Great Great Grandparents. You can see carvings of Sikh guards and animal guardians around the tomb because the Chinese believe that when they cross over to the after life, they will continue to need these earthly luxuries.
The food offering we present, is that of a feast, to honour and to show our appreciation.
5 generations later, the tradition of Cheng Beng is still respected and followed. I took photos of this day as a documentation for my family to remember. It is now up to my generation to continue this tradition dating back thousands of years.
BulanLifestyle.com 
April 12, 2014 at 03:56
wow I didn’t know that. Alcohol is part of the tradition too but not anything specific. It’s supposed to be things our ancestors enjoyed eating and drinking. Thanx for the info. I will have to look that up now 🙂
April 11, 2014 at 22:40
I had learned about this chinese tradition in a book or the other. Did you know that in Mexico (whose ancestors came all the way from Asia 20,000 years ago) November 1st is the day of the dead, where the whole family builds an altar to their dead, then go to the cemetery bringing the dead’s favourite foods and drinks. Tequila scores high! Tombs are decorated. The family spends the whole night having “dinner” in the cemetery with their long-gone parents. Too much of a coincidence isn’t it?
Be good
Brian
April 11, 2014 at 19:38
Haha. They sure do!
April 11, 2014 at 02:25
Thank you! the guards are good. Honouring my family is part of the celebration x
April 11, 2014 at 02:20
They have great moustaches though