Taiwan is observing the start of the Tomb-Sweeping or Qingming Festival, a national holiday dedicated to honoring ancestors. Families are traveling across the island to visit ancestral graves, offering food, incense and symbolic paper money to ensure prosperity in the afterlife.
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00:00Today is the start of the tomb-sweeping holiday, also known as the Qingming Festival.
00:05It's a special time when Taiwanese families visit and tidy up their ancestral graves.
00:11Many offer food and incense to honor their loved ones who've passed on, often burning
00:16paper money and other items symbolizing prosperity in the afterlife.
00:21Behind me here you can see some traditional ancestral graves, often built on high hillsides
00:26with scenic views.
00:28The tall buildings there are columbaria, an increasingly popular alternative.
00:33These vertical memorial towers include many individual urns, offering a practical way
00:39to honor the deceased on this small island where space is scarce.
00:45As the holiday goes on, trains and roads are packed with people returning to their hometowns
00:50to reconnect with family and pay respects to those who've moved on.
00:54Ryan Wu and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.
00:58For more information, visit www.fema.gov