East China's Shandong Province will stage a grand ceremony to commemorate Confucius in the sage's birthplace on the traditional tomb-sweeping day next month, local officials said Wednesday.

Qufu, home to China's most famous philosopher, began in the 1980s to hold a ceremony annually on Sept. 28 to commemorate the sage's birth.

Last year, Qufu reverted to a tradition dating from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), which called for a second ceremony on tomb-sweeping day.

This year's spring ceremony will be held in Nishan, a mountain in the southeast of Qufu, where the ancient sage was born in a cave.

At least 1,600 participants, including descendants, pilgrims from around the world and students will wear traditional costumes and pay tribute to Confucius, said Liu Chubing, deputy chief tourism official in Qufu.

The ceremony will re-enact rituals described in ancient books, Liu added.

Confucius (551-479 BC), or Kong Fuzi in Chinese, has had a great impact on Chinese and world cultures for more than 2,000 years. His doctrine of love, fidelity, modesty and self-discipline is part of mainstream thinking around East Asia.

Tomb-sweeping day, or Qingming Festival, became a national holiday last year. It will fall on April 4 this year.