Over 26.3 mln Chinese mourn deceased online during Tomb-sweeping Day holiday

BEIJING -- More than 26.3 million people in China opted to mourn the deceased through online platforms during the recent three-day holiday for Tomb-sweeping Day, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Tuesday.

To prevent large crowds and reduce cross-infection, China limited mass tomb-sweeping activities this year as it is fighting the COVID-19 epidemic. People set up commemorative spaces and wrote messages online instead of visiting cemeteries to pay respects to their deceased relatives.

During the holiday ending Monday, over 15,000 mourning ceremonies were held by cemetery staff on behalf of groups who were not present, and 419,000 ceremonies were held for individuals in the same situation, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, funeral facilities across the country received nearly 10.2 million onsite mourning visits in the past three days, the ministry added.

Tomb-sweeping Day, also known as Qingming Festival, is one of the most important traditional festivals for Chinese. During the period leading up to and after the day, people pay tribute to the deceased and worship their ancestors by visiting tombs and making offerings.

The ministry reminded the public to abide by local regulations on tomb sweeping, strengthen personal protection and be cautious about fire safety while burning paper money during the mourning ritual.