Tomb Sweeping Day, also known as the Qingming Festival, is a national holiday in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Mainland China. It is a day to honor and remember one's ancestors at their grave sites. Most ethnic Chinese will go to the tombs of their ancestors to sweep them, and offer some food, tea, wine, and chopsticks, of course. People also burn ghost money and effigies of houses, cars, and luxury items to give their loved ones a more comfortable afterlife.
In Taiwan however, the government has been encouraging more environmental ways to pay your respects. Collective furnaces have been set up so that the process does not create as much smoke. A smoke-free option includes online money burned on a virtual tomb sweeping website. The idea behind the website is keeping traditions alive in a sustainable way.
Ethnic Chinese people throughout the world often use this holiday as a time to reflect on and express gratitude to their parents, ancestors and departed loved ones.
The origins of Tomb Sweeping Day are attributed to the Emperor Xuanzong in 732. It is said that wealthy families at the time held overly elaborate ancestor-worshipping ceremonies. To lower the expenses, Emperor Xuanzong declared that respects could be formally paid at ancestor's graves only on Tomb Sweeping Day.
The holiday falls on the 105th day after the winter solstice, which is April 5 on most years except leap year, when it falls on April 4.