AUBURN, Calif. — It's been nearly 100 years since a traditional Chinese festival has taken place at the Chinese Cemetery in Auburn. Now, family members of those buried there say they're going to change that and hope these new traditions can continue.
"Ching Ming Festival is essentially where the family has come to their ancestor's grave sites, they clean them, they make offerings," said Dustin Yue, a descendant of people buried in the cemetery.
Located off Highway 49 in Auburn, the Chinese Cemetery is where many Chinese immigrants were buried in the early 19th century. They came to the area in hopes of a better life and to look for gold.
"The reason we're here is because this is also where my ancestors were buried," Yue said. "There are five generations here."
While this cemetery is located in a very busy area now, Yue says back then, that wasn't the case and it was placed there for a specific reason. Many immigrants faced discrimination.
"The Chinese originally were not allowed to be buried in what you would call the regular cemetery. They had to be buried elsewhere," Yue said.
GET MORE RACE & CULTURE FROM ABC10:
►Explore the Race & Culture home page
►Watch Race & Culture videos on YouTube
►Subscribe to the Race and Culture newsletter
Now, the cemetery is maintained by the Auburn Joss House. This year's Ching Ming Festival at the cemetery is a first in a very long time. Also known as Grave Sweeping Day, the festival is devoted to remembering and honoring those who have passed.
"We really wanted to preserve the observation of Ching Ming, because it has not been celebrated here for a good 100 years or so," said Elizabeth Xiu Wong with the Auburn Joss House Museum. "We also have a whole chicken. It has the head, tail, and feet because it symbolizes wholeness. We're presenting those two, along with the oranges, and sweets, and rice. And most important of all, wine and tea offerings for the ancestors."
This is the first festival there in nearly a century and, hopefully, not the last.
"It's a real honor to me to be able to do this for my ancestors especially since nobody's done it almost 100 years and I was able to have the space to do this," said Yue.
The Auburn Joss House Museum and the cemetery are open on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for tours and for people to visit.
ANOTHER AAPI HERITAGE MONTH STORY YOU MIGHT ENJOY: How a UC Davis law professor discovered the oldest Chinese restaurant in America.
