MALAYSIA — A video of a Malaysian man and two women dancing in front of a grave during the Qingming Festival drew criticism after it went viral online.
Qingming, also known as Grave Sweeping Day, is a festival where families in the Chinese community come together to honor their ancestors by cleaning the graves of those who have passed away and making offerings. While most people offer prayers, food, and tea, three people decided to offer a performance instead.
In a Facebook video titled “Young People Go Tomb Sweeping,” three people who appear to be in their 20s or 30s sing along to the song “Chou Xing Zhi” by Malaysian YouTuber Steady Gang. They are shown dancing between the gravestones.
Despite some lack of coordination, the group, comfortably dressed in T-shirts and shorts, appeared to be having fun, and the older woman in the back looked on with amusement.
It is unclear whether these people were related to the dead who moved and twirled in front of the graves. The location of the cemetery has also not been disclosed.
As of Friday afternoon (April 5), the video had more than 1.3 million views and 930 comments since it was shared by Facebook user Ryan Hsu last Sunday.
“Times have changed,” Schuh said in the video's caption.
“The times have changed, not tradition.”
Many online users seemed completely uninterested in the group's antics and expressed their disapproval of what they deemed as “rude” behavior.
One Facebook user commented: There is no respect for their ancestors. It's too much. ”
Another person pointed out: “Times have certainly changed, but traditions remain the same. Do they even know what it means to visit their ancestors' graves? Don't call me old school.”
“Qingming is for remembering the dead, not for putting on a show. Please respect the place.”
On the other hand, some netizens felt that the naysayers were overreacting and saw no harm in letting individuals enjoy it.
One netizen said, “Actually, if they were dancing in front of a relative's gravestone, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. After all, it's their own relative, and if they think it's okay… , others have no say.”
Another user was on a positive note. “At least these young people are still going to clean graves and dance for their ancestors to see. Many young people don't even attend Seimei-kai anymore. We should be grateful. is.”
Another said: “Internet users are making a fuss over nothing. If our ancestors in the underworld looked happy, they would be happy too.”
