The Tomb Sweeping Day as Celebrated Today
慶祝春天的清明
With the passing of time, this celebration of life became a day to the honor past ancestors. Following folk religion(folk religion，民間習俗、信仰)， the Chinese believed that the spirits of deceased ancestors looked after the family. Sacrifices of food and spirit money could keep them happy, and the family would prosper through good harvests and more children。
Today, Chinese visit their family graves to tend to any underbrush that has grown. Weeds are pulled, and dirt swept away, and the family will set out offerings of food and spirit money(注意紙錢的官方說法啊：spirit money). Unlike the sacrifices at a family's home altar, the offerings at the tomb usually consist of dry, bland food. One theory is that since any number of ghosts rome around a grave area, the less appealing food will be consumed by the ancestors, and not be plundered by strangers。
