China's Tomb-Sweeping Day Joins Internet Age

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese burned virtual candles and incense, sent digital flowers and set fire to paper cell phones on Tuesday as modern technology changes the way the ancient Qing Ming Tomb-Sweeping Day is celebrated.

Tomb-Sweeping Day is a traditional holiday when people honor their ancestors and flock to cemeteries, but many young Chinese consider conventional ceremonies like setting off firecrackers, burning real incense and paper and making offerings of food and drink as passe, Xinhua news agency said.

"Internet mourning, such as on the 'online cemetery', where virtual candles or joss-sticks are lit and virtual flowers are sent, is in fashion, saving millions of people of Chinese origin the trouble of traveling long distances in order to sweep tombs for their ancestors," it said.

New technology had also changed what people like to burn for ancestors to enjoy in the afterlife as well as traditional items such as cars and houses, Xinhua said.

Some mourners had added mobile phones "or other big ticket items that might be of particular interest for the deceased."

Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited.

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