Under the arrangement of the city government’s Department of Transportation, Capital Bus Co. will assign vehicles to shuttle bus services on five routes leading to three major cemeteries in the capital city, from 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 29-30 and April 4-6.

Tomb Sweeping Day, also called Chingming Festival, coincides with the fifteenth day of the spring equinox, and is one of the few Chinese holidays that follows the pattern of the sun on the Chinese lunar calendar.

This year, it falls on April 4 on the Gregorian calendar, also known as the modern-day solar calendar.

On Tomb Sweeping Day and days of the festival, families across Taiwan will abide by the ancient Chinese tradition to make an annual pilgrimage to the tombs of their ancestors, paying their respects and carrying out maintenance work, such as sweeping clean the tombs and getting rid of weeds.

Capital Bus Co.’s coaches will run special routes between Linguang Station on the mass rapid transit system to Chongde Street, to take people to cemeteries.

Other buses will shuttle between Taipei City Zoo and Fude Building, which accommodates ceramic urns containing people’s ashes; from Fude Building to Nangang Military Cemetery; from Nangang Military Cemetery to Zhonglintang (Loyal Spirits Hall); and from Dunshu Vocational Senior High School to the First Cemetery on Yangmingshan.

Bus company staff and the Department of Transportation will prepare sweeping utensils including gloves, sickles, rakes and other items such as umbrellas or rainwear to reduce the tomb sweepers’ burden.

Temporary babysitting services and storage for luggage or bags will also be provided at the cemeteries.

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