Chinanews, Beijing, April 6 - April 5 is the Pure Brightness Day or Qingming, (the 5th solar item in the Chinese lunar calendar), when traditionally Chinese pay respects to the dead by visiting their tombs. It is also the day for people to go to the countryside to enjoy the refreshing spring. However, the fast pace of modern life prevents many people from doing so.

 

"Traditional festivals can be considered as the root of our culture, and they are necessary for the general public to express themselves, as these days are where our spirit lies," said Huang Tao, a researcher on folk customs in the Renmin University of China. "Take the Pure Brightness Day as an example, we go to the tombs to commemorate the dead, while it also provides us a chance to appreciate the vigor of spring."

 

According to Huang, the China Folklore Society is responsible for a research on the relationship between holidays and traditional festivals. It is said that the beginning of the 7-day holiday of the Spring Festival might come 1 or 2 days earlier, to make Lunar New Year's Eve part of it, thus the general public will be able to take their time to prepare for the celebration of the New Year. Other traditional holidays might become new legal holidays, too. However, the two 7-day holidays of the May Day and the National Day might be cut short.