Society
'Firecracker for flower' fails to lure tomb sweepers
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-04-08 11:31
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URUMQI - A Chinese city's "firecrackers for flowers" plan has failed to ignite enthusiasm among the public who preferred their traditional ways to honor the dead on Tomb Sweeping Festival.
Three days after the traditional Qingming festival, cemetery workers in Urumqi, capital of the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, were still cleaning the debris of firecrackers left by the crowds.
Of the 10,000 fresh chrysanthemums, which all cemeteries in Urumqi offered in exchange for the tomb sweepers' firecrackers from March 27 to April 5, only 2,000 were swapped, a spokesman from the city's funeral service center said.
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The deal, however, was rejected by the absolute majority of people at the Dongshan Ecological Park, Urumqi's largest cemetery.
"They left behind mountains of firecracker debris, unburned fake money and other offerings," said Liu Shijun, deputy chief of the park.
He said the 70 park workers would need at least two weeks to clean up all the debris, which was estimated at more than 100 tons.
The fireworks and burning of other items destroyed the lawns in the park. Some tomb sweepers also broke twigs and branches of trees to add fuel to the flames, said Liu.
The traditional Tomb Sweeping Festival typically features the burning of fake money, offerings of food and liquor, and other rituals to show respect for the dead.
In many parts of China, the rituals begin with exploding fireworks, aimed at "waking up the sleeping souls" so that they could enjoy the offerings.
In big cities like Beijing, however, fireworks are banned, except for the Chinese New Year holiday week. People are encouraged to mourn the dead in a "greener" way, such as virtual tributes via the Internet.
"It's always a long and slow process to change a custom," said Liu Shijun. "We plan to ban firecrackers next year and encourage tomb sweepers to be more environment-friendly."
