A 25-year-old man from Guangxi province in southern China won 10,000 yuan ($1,800) after scratching lottery tickets at his ancestors’ tomb during Qing Ming Festival.
The young man bought 60 lottery scratch cards for 600 yuan ($108) and brought them to his ancestors’ grave during the traditional tomb-sweeping ceremony, hoping for good luck.
While paying respects at the gravesite, he scratched all 60 tickets and found a 4,000-yuan ($722) prize on one card. After performing four more kowtows to thank his ancestors, he continued scratching the same ticket and increased his winnings to 10,000 yuan.
The winner shared that this was his biggest lottery win ever, as he had rarely won lotteries or prizes before.
Lottery Scratch Cards at Graves Becoming Popular Among Young Chinese
Bringing lottery scratch cards to ancestral tombs has become common among young Chinese during Qing Ming Festival.
In southern provinces like Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hainan, visiting ancestors’ tombs is an important annual event. Families typically prepare traditional offerings, including roast pigs and joss paper.
Many follow the tradition believing their dedication will bring good fortune and career success through their ancestors’ blessings.
Some practices related to ancestor worship include bringing specific foods such as apples, tofu, and lettuce, which represent peace, happiness, and wealth, and avoiding bright-colored clothing.
Some young people now bring modern treats like milk tea to their ancestors’ tombs as a sign of honesty and connection.
The lottery winner posted photos of his winning tickets on social media saying: “Thank you ancestors.” According to South China Morning Post, his post received 90,000 likes and 20,000 comments.
“Your ancestors seem quite different from mine. I did not win anything this year,” one person commented.
Another wrote, “Young people today are putting too much pressure on their ancestors.”
A third commenter noted: “Burn joss paper worth dozens of yuan and make wishes worth millions.”
Lottery Scratch Cards Popular Despite Recent Sales Drop
Lottery scratch cards have become popular among young people in China due to their low cost and entertainment value.
According to China’s finance ministry, instant scratch cards generated revenue of 119 billion yuan ($21.5 billion) in 2023, double the amount from the previous year.
However, sales fell by 2.5 percent last year, partly due to a supply shortage that affected the market from May to November, according to The Economic Observer.
Not everyone approaches these traditions with the same expectations. Another person from Guangxi who also scratched lottery cards at a family tomb said she only did it for fun and mainly believed in creating her fortune through hard work.
