Gah San ceremony package
Gah San is a powerful way to honor your ancestors and express gratitude for their blessings.
Honouring your ancestors is one of the main cultural markers and traditions of the Hakka Chinese. The primary obligation to maintain the ancestors' graves falls to the eldest son, but the whole family should participate. It is an intimate, emotional and personal family affair, but also steeped in tradition.
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Gah San Ceremony
If you are abroad and cannot attend Gah San to sweep the graves and conduct your own family ceremony in person, the CBA can arrange for it to be done on your behalf, at the Chinese Cemetery on Waltham Park Road.
Before Gah San we will identify the burial plot, remove weeds, and sweep and paint the grave and tombstone. If any concrete repairs are required, or a house over the tomb needs painting as well, we will let you know the additional costs involved before we proceed.
GALLERY
Gah San Ceremony
On the day of Gah San itself, we will conduct the main ceremony at the Pavilion: with incense, candles, prayers and hymns, offerings of the symbolic 3 types of meat, rice, tea, liquor, and fruits, imitation money, and firecrackers.
Also, we will conduct individual ceremonies at each requested graveside: burn incense and paper money, light candles, leave offerings of fruit and flowers, and volunteers will recite the ritual prayers and bow 3 times. Depending on volume, the ceremonies may be conducted before the 10th.
Afterwards, we will email you pictures of each grave with the volunteers, and charts and aerial photos so that in the future you can identify your relative's grave within the Cemetery. We will also send you pictures of the main ceremony held at the Pavillion at the front of the Cemetery.
Also, we will conduct individual ceremonies at each requested graveside: burn incense and paper money, light candles, leave offerings of fruit and flowers, and volunteers will recite the ritual prayers and bow 3 times. Depending on volume, the ceremonies may be conducted before the 10th.
Afterwards, we will email you pictures of each grave with the volunteers, and charts and aerial photos so that in the future you can identify your relative's grave within the Cemetery. We will also send you pictures of the main ceremony held at the Pavillion at the front of the Cemetery.
Gah San Dates
Gah San Package fees
If you do not already know the location of the grave we will gladly locate it for you for free.
We hope that you will feel inclined to make a donation in addition to those basic charges.
We hope that you will feel inclined to make a donation in addition to those basic charges.
The cost of the package is US$100 if paid on our website.
The cost of the package is CAD$135 if paid to a CBA representative in Toronto.
The cost of the package is J$15,000 if paid to the CBA in Jamaica.
The cost of charts and aerial photographs showing the exact location of your relatives is US$20/CAD$27/J$3,000.
Once we have located the grave(s), we will notify you to make payment and send us the payment reference number. All requests and payments must be made by February 28th to ensure that preparations can be completed in time.
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