20:50, 05-Apr-2018
Qingming Festival: Chinese sweep tombs, follow traditional customs
[]
Share
Copied
Today is the Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day - part of a 3-day national holiday. Chinese people usually visit the graves of their ancestors and relatives to pay their respects. Customs include burning incense and joss paper, bringing offerings, and praying.
While Qingming may seem like a sad holiday, it's also a celebration of rebirth and springtime. The name means "Pure Brightness". People around China are taking advantage of the three-day holiday to travel. Statistics show that the national traffic during this period is expected to grow four-percent this year. Thursday is the travel peak with the return peak falling on Saturday.
An estimated 60-percent of tourists spend an average of two days traveling. Around half spend less than 238-US dollars on travel. Most people choose to travel by train or car. Major tourism sites across the country are expected to see more than 100 million visitors - up 10 percent from last year.