The festival was one of the few Chinese traditions not banned by Soeharto’s New Order regime, which lasted from 1966 to 1998.

Holding an anti-communist stance during the Cold War, the New Order greatly affected Chinese culture, particularly big festivities such as the Chinese Lunar New Year.

An expert on Chinese-Indonesian issues, Aji “Chen” Bromokusumo said the Ceng Beng festival was not banned because Soeharto did not consider the visiting of ancestral graves to be a great festivity.

Accounts on how the festival originated differ worldwide.

One of the most well-known versions claims that a Chinese emperor started the tradition when he ordered residents of a village to clean up their ancestors’ tombs so that he could determine who his own ancestors were.

Regardless of its origins, for thousands of years, ethnic Chinese the world over continue to honor the tradition.

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In Jakarta, Fery Setiawan, 40, traveled from his house in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, to Tanah Cepe Cemetery in Karawaci, Tangerang, in April to celebrate the festival with his brother’s family.

The family brought fruits and traditional cakes as offerings, which is uncommon as, traditionally, people usually offer grilled chicken or pork.

“We believe it is better to present fruits and cakes to our ancestors because it would not be proper for them to receive lavish meat delicacies in the afterlife,” Fery told The Jakarta Post.

The change in tradition, Fery said, was not disrespectful as the offerings were not the point of the festival.

“Other than the Chinese Lunar New Year, it is a time in the year when family members gather,” 

Fery said.

In addition to the offerings, the family also presented a box filled with slippers constructed from paper, bundles of fake money and bars of fake gold.

All non-edible offerings were burned at the end of procession, as it is commonly believed that this is the only way ancestors can receive them.

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“The burning of the offerings is my favorite part of the tradition because it means that I can give something that our ancestors can use in the afterlife,” Jesslyn Setiawan, Fery’s 12-year-old niece, said.

The Ceng Beng festival offers enjoyment not only to the ethnic Chinese but also to locals who work as tomb caretakers or food vendors.

The caretaker of Setiawan’s family tomb, Mursin, 45, told the Post that the festival was the only time of the year he received payment for renovation work.

According to tradition, tombs can only be renovated during the festival.

“During the festival, I could get around Rp 7 million [US$ 525] for renovating a tomb,” Mursin said.

Separately, Amma, a 70-year-old local food vendor who operates outside the cemetery, also benefits from the festival.

“I could get two to three times more money than what I usually earn when I sell gado-gado during the festival in my stall outside the cemetery,” Amma said.