Disrespectful or not? Video of teens dancing in front of grave sparks online debate

With the Qing Ming Festival around the corner, those from the Chinese community have been visiting their ancestors' graves to pay their respects. 

Instead of burning joss paper and placing food offerings, three teenagers in Malaysia decided to dance in front of a tombstone.

A clip of the trio's antics started circulating on Facebook last Sunday (March 31) and soon went viral, garnering over a million views and more than 1,000 comments.

"Times have changed. This is how the youths do tomb sweeping now," the video's caption read.

Dressed in T-shirts and shorts, the teens can be seen busting some moves to Chou Xing Zhi, a Chinese New Year song released by Malaysian influencers Steady Gang.

It is unclear whether the teens are related to the deceased.

While the teens appeared to be having fun in the video, many netizens were enraged by the trio's behaviour, reported Malaysian publication The Sun.

"Young people today don't even respect their ancestors. This is too much," a Facebook user commented.

Another netizen chimed in, saying: "Yes, times have changed but not traditions. Do they even know what it means to visit the ancestors' graves? Don't call me old-school."

While some saw it as a grave mistake, others said that the teens' behaviour was not disrespectful.

"If they were dancing before their ancestors' grave, I don't see a problem with it. If their family is okay with it, then other people have no say in this," a netizen commented.

Another urged for some civic-mindedness, saying: "Come on. Others' graves are there too. Just show some respect even if you feel comfortable within your family. A cemetery's still a public place."

A few people, however, saw the lighter side to the incident. One Facebook user tickled others when he asked: "Who are they dancing for?"

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ashwini.balan@asiaone.com