Qing Ming festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a tradition that has been observed for more than 2,500 years where family members gather to pay respect and homage to their departed loved ones.

Wealthy citizens in China were reportedly holding too many extravagant and expensive ceremonies to honor of their ancestors every year. So even will buy new granite monuments to rebuild the graves.

Granite Monuments:

In addition, many families will clean away and pray at their ancestors tombs up to several weeks before the actual day. This helps many avoid crowds and traffic on what can be a very busy day.