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Lesson Transcript

Hi guys! Welcome to Cantonese Holiday Words! Today we're going to talk about a Chinese fesival, it's called 清明節 (cing1 ming4 zit3) Ching Ming Festival. Let’s see what are the terms!
1. 清明節 (cing1 ming4 zit3) "Ching Ming Festival"
今年清明節喺四月四號。 (gam1 nin4 cing1 ming4 zit3 hai2 sei3 jyut6 sei3 hou6.) "This year the Ching Ming Festival is on 4th of April."
By the way, this is 2016.
2. 拜山 (baai3 saan1) "pay respect to the deceased ancestor at the grave"
Usually we have to hike up on to the mountain to their graves, that’s why it’s literally “to pay respect to the mountains”, because we go up to the mountains.
我哋要返鄉下拜山。 (ngo5 dei6 jiu3 faan1 hoeng1 haa5 baai3 saan1.) "We have to go back to hometown and pay respect to our ancestor."
3. 鄉下 (hoeng1 haa5) "hometown"
Generally for most people in Hong Kong, 鄉下 (hoeng1 haa5) means somewhere in mainland China, because we all came from there. So maybe my grandfather’s 鄉下 (hoeng1 haa5) is somewhere in Canton area.
In a sentence, 我鄉下係廣東省中山。 (ngo5 hoeng1 haa5 hai6 gwong2 dung1 saang2 zung1 saan1.) "My hometown is ZhongShan in Canton region."
4. 墳場 (fan4 coeng4) "cemetery"
Since not all of us are buried in the mountains we go to the cemeteries nowadays to pay respect to our ancestors.
唔好夜晚去墳場呀。 (m4 hou2 je6 maan5 heoi3 fan4 coeng4 aa3.) "Don't go to the cemetery at night."
It’s freaky, it’s scary.
5. 雨紛紛 (jyu5 fan1 fan1) "drizzle; drizzling"
Usually around the time of Ching Ming Festival, the weather is kinda humid and it drizzles a lot. Even now it’s drizzling a little.
There is a very famous poem about Ching Ming Festival:
清明時節雨紛紛，路上行人欲斷魂。 (cing1 ming4 si4 zit3 jyu5 fan1 fan1, lou6 soeng6 hang4 jan4 juk6 dyun3 wan4.)
That’s a very famous poem about Ching Ming Festival. At least we know that it usually rain or drizzle during Ching Ming Festival.
So that's it for today! Today we talked about Ching Ming Festival, 清明節 (cing1 ming4 zit3). And I’ll see you in other Cantonese videos! Please subscribe, ask us a question in the comment section, and check out CantoneseClass101.com. I’m Olivia, see you next time! Bye!

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