Our ancestral reflections often cross cultures and borders
我们对祖先的追思常常是跨越文化和国界的
Tomb Sweeping Day is normally marked in China in the first week of April, or 107 days after the start of winter, which usually begins on Dec 21, the winter solstice.
清明节在中国通常是四月的第一周，或是冬至（通常在12月21日）后的第107天。
People in China take the day off to travel to ancestral gravesites around the country, paying homage to their ancestors.
清明节假期，全国的中国人会去到祖先坟墓，缅怀祖先。
In Chinese, it is called Qingming Jie.
中文里，这被称为清明节。
It was said to have started during the Western Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-771 BC) more than 2,000 years ago, and the holiday celebrates the rebirth of nature.
该节日据说始于2000多年前的西周（大约在公元前十一世纪至771年），而且庆祝的是自然的新生。
In rural areas, it usually marks the beginning of the planting season.
在农村地区，清明节通常标志着播种季节的开始。
A Chinese friend said there are many traditions surrounding the holiday, with some clans sharing the honor and responsibility of taking care of the burial site of their ancestors, with people taking turns in different years.
一位中国朋友说清明节有许多传统，一些家族的子孙在不同的年份轮流为其祖先扫墓，共同承担这份荣誉和责任。
That basic kernel of honoring relatives who are no longer here is also celebrated by other cultures in Asia and across the Pacific.
缅怀已经不在人事的亲属，这一文化核心也被亚太地区的其他文化所庆祝。
When I was growing up in Manila, the Philippines, Nov 1 was the Day of the Dead.
当我在菲律宾马尼拉长大时，11月1日是亡灵节。
Given the Spanish heritage of that country, there is a more romantic rendering of the day in the term Dia de los Muertos, which is popular in Mexico.
鉴于菲律宾的西班牙文化遗产，其“Dia de los Muertos”（西班牙语“亡灵节”）译法更具浪漫意味，该节日在墨西哥受到欢迎。
Like Tomb Sweeping Day in China, we go to cemeteries to honor the dearly departed.
正如中国的清明节，我们去墓地缅怀已经离世的亲人。
I remember going to cemeteries and seeing family clans set up for the day.
我还记得去墓地，见证了我的一家人为这一天整装待发的样子。
They would bring mahjong sets, chairs and tables, copious amounts of food, and even a generator to spend the entire day in the mausoleums and crypts where all the members of the clan are interred.
他们会带几副麻将、椅子、桌子、丰盛的食物，甚至会带上发电机，在埋葬着全体家族成员的墓室里度过一整天。
The families would often stay overnight, with loud cries erupting when someone wins during a mahjong game.
各家经常会在在那里待上一整晚，时不时地爆发出赢得麻将游戏的呼喊声。
The whole mahjong session would run for hours until the following morning, when everyone finally went home out of exhaustion.
整个麻将局会持续数小时，直到第二天早上，所有人筋疲力尽，尽兴回家。
I remember seeing a family roast an entire pig at the cemetery.
我记得见过一家人在墓地烤了一整只猪。
There were about 20 other family members there.
当时大约有20个其他的家族成员也在。
It turned into a feast, loud and raucous.
然后就是盛宴，大家叫嚷不绝。
My father would take me along to a cemetery to remember my grandfather, who perished in World War II fighting the Japanese army as a guerrilla.
我父亲会带我去一个墓地缅怀我的祖父，他在二战期间作为游击队员抗击日军时牺牲。
Eventually, we managed to move his remains so that my grandfather could be near his wife, my grandmother, for eternity.
最后，我们设法搬移了他的骨灰，这样他就能永远和他的妻子，我的祖母在一起了。
In the time of COVID-19 though, I wonder if those reunions can take place with all the boisterous fun of years past.
然而，在新冠肺炎的时期，我不知道多年前这种喧嚣欢腾的家庭聚会还能否再现了。
Those social interchanges I grew up with have become another victim of COVID in 2021.
我儿时这种社交活动在2021年也成了新冠疫情的牺牲品。
"Nothing kills a party like a pandemic," a friend quipped, with seeming resignation.
一位朋友似乎有些无可奈何地打趣：“疫情真的就是头号聚会杀手了。”
