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There are a number of Chinese festivals throughout
the calendar year - some according to the lunar calendar, some to
the solar calendar. They are important moments when Chinese community
and family members get together.
Chinese residents in regional New South Wales regularly
celebrated Chinese festivals. Local newspaper reports provide descriptions
of celebrations especially at New Year and Ching Ming, and there
are occasional photographs. There are also memories shared about
how the festivals were celebrated early in the twentieth century.
 Observing Ching Ming, Inverell
cemetery, 1920s. (Private collection).
On Ching Ming (Festival of the Dead) Chinese visit
the graves of their ancestors.
Trevor Jack remembered the ceremonies at Inverell
cemetery:
They used to roast all the pigs and all the
hangers on would come up and have a big feed. We used to go up there
as kids. All the old hands would do the cooking and say all the
prayers over the graves - whatever they had to do. Of course, we
weren't too conversant with what it was about in those days. What
used to mainly worry us was that the people used to poke fun at
us, taking food up to feed the dead.... [although] we couldn't
see much difference ....[between that] and taking flowers
up because the dead can't smell the flowers!
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