Our last "TOMB" sweeping day..

If you don't know, last last Thursday *backdated post* was actually the Qingming festival, or you can call it tomb sweeping day! It is when we, Chinese, visit graves or burial grounds of our ancestors/ decreased relatives as an opportunity to remember and honour them at grave sites.

We will pray before our ancestors/ decreased relatives, sweep the tombs, offer food,tea or Kopi O (in my instance as my great grandma loves it), joss paper, paper relicas to them.

In Singapore, it is not a officiate public holiday but it has been observed as a statutory public holiday in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China. *so sad*

Due to Singapore limited space, graves visiting are getting lesser too. As it is now commonly cremated and placed in the temples. Also, the government will clear the older graves for the new ones. So like my family's case, my maternal side used to have a tomb on the hill facing the sunrise with the best scenery in Singapore *based on my childhood memories* it was then cleared and left with my paternal great grandma's grave which my family planned to clear this year.

Just like my title, its our last "tomb" sweeping day because next year onward there will be no tomb to sweep only "window" sweeping day liao. TT^TT

As our last memories, I've took picture for my keepsake! So next time I can tell stories to my grandchildren~ LOL...

2 excited kids can't wait to go tomb sweeping! It was Eason's first and last tomb sweeping~

My great grandma's address~

When everyone arrived, they would sweep the tomb and place their offerings.

See the number of offering with have for my great grandma~

After my great grandma "meal", we will burn the joss paper/ paper replicas. Not to mention, we will always book a bus for tomb sweeping. So its more convenient for my large family.


Lastly, for my family, we will eat popiah during Qingming. how about yours?

When I said popiah, its not those that can be bought off from coffee shops but those HOMEMADE ones!!

Yum yum.. They are my favorite!!

I mad love homemade or self-made popiah ! I will always pray for my mum to prepare popiah for dinner but she will always say: "wait till its Qingming festival." I do not know why, but yay that's the case. FYI, I don't fancy those that can be bought outside. Only those that I made myself, I love!

And I'm gonna show you what is in my popiah that I love!!!

The ingredients to choose from~ There are : Prawns, eggs, fish cake, bean curt, bean sprout, peanut, sweat sauce, stir fried carrot and radish, lettuce, Chinese parsley, cucumber.

Now, I'm gonna show you step by step to ....

AKEMI's POPIAH 

STEP 1: Put and spread the sweat sauce. 

STEP 2: Sprinkle the chopped peanuts.

STEP 3: Put the veggie first~ Normally I used the lettuce as the base first.

STEP 4: Put the other ingredients you like !
I've got prawns, fish cakes, bean curt, bean sprouts and egg WHITES!!

Normally everyone's popiah will have this : the stir fried carrot and radish.
But sorry not for me because I think they are yucky !!! LOL...

STEP 5: I'll sprinkle some sweet sauce and peanut over again before I wrapped it~

STEP 6: Fold the left side...

STEP 7: ... Then the right..

STEP 8: Lastly, ROLL IT UP!

EASY??? It's actually very easy to make and able to add any ingredients you like! But the difficult part is the preparation~ There are so much to prepare unless you want to eat it erhemmmm..... raw?? =X

Do you also eat popiah like what my family does during Qing ming?

How's my popiah?? Look not bad right.. LOL...


Lastly, I'm ending my post with this Qingming joke:

My apologies because it's in Mandarin. And sorry my Mandarin cannot make it one. LOL... So don't expect a translation from me...when I even struggled a bit reading this... HAHAHa...

TATA
Akemi