Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-04-01

The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) is calling on the public to adopt practices friendlier to the environment this Tomb Sweeping Festival.

This year’s Tomb Sweeping Festival falls on Tuesday. It is a time when families clean the graves of their ancestors and present their spirits with offerings. These include a type of paper called spirit money, which is burned as part of the tomb sweeping ceremony. However, this practice is known to add to concentrations of particulate matter in the air, and can be harmful for people standing nearby.

On Saturday, the EPA called on those going tomb sweeping to help protect Taiwan’s air quality. It said that local governments across Taiwan are holding campaigns to cut back on the burning of spirit money as well as incense. It also said that those who still wish to follow the traditional practice can apply in advance to send their spirit money to a designated incinerator equipped with filters.    [SOURCE]