Just Another Day In Hong Kong: Posh Paper Offerings

Yesterday, locals here in Hong Kong celebrated the Ching Ming Festival, a public holiday dedicated specifically to ancestor worshipping. Ancestor worshipping is a Chinese tradition that dates back thousands of years and is based on the belief that the spirits of the dead continue to live in the natural world and have the power to influence the fortune and fate of the living. The goal of worshipping ancestors is therefore to ensure the continued well-being of the ancestors and at times to ask for special favours or assistance.

On Ching Ming, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, Chinese families remember and honour their ancestors at their graves or burial grounds. They gather together to pray, sweep the tombs, burn incense, make offerings of tea, wine, food and burn joss paper offerings.

Joss paper, or ghost money, are sheets of paper that are burned to enable the deceased to have all they need in the afterlife. Traditionally the joss paper is made from rice or bamboo and resembles real money.

Traditional Joss paper

However, more contemporary varieties of joss paper include paper credit cards, cheques and a variety of paper accessories such as clothes, food, houses, cars and even servants! In the days leading up to the festival you’ll find many shops around Hong Kong displaying the most amazing paper items. Below you can see some of the more interesting paper assecories I came across.