Spring cleaning in China and other parts of the world might look a little different than your usual sprucing.
The three-day ritual of Tomb Sweeping, also known as the Qingming Festival, kicks off on April 4. The most important day of sacrifice for many Chinese people, family members gather to pay respect to deceased loved ones by participating in a number of rituals — including cleaning the outside of tombs, burning incense and fake money, and bringing an assortment of gifts to lay outside their grave sites.
The festival is a 2,500-year-old tradition, but some traditions will fall by the wayside this year. Due to pollution, fire hazard and traffic problems Qingming will have a modern alternative such as online Tomb Sweeping.
However modernizing Tomb Sweeping didn't stop the influx of tourism. Xinhua News Agency reported 13.4 million Chinese people visited 150 major cemeteries this year.