Chinese Halloween, Zhongyuan Day (1)

Halloween is the day when I consider the westerners do different activities to celebrate and exorcise the ghost. In fact, in our country halloween has a counterpart, Zhongyuan Day.

Every year, on Jul.15th in Chinese lunar calender, people will do everything which was transmitted from our ancesters to worship our families in the "other" world and to drive the ghost away. Unlike the happy celebration, such as "trick or treat", costume party, in the west, we Chinese do in a comparatively modest way so as to show our respect to the dead.

In different part of China, people have different activities. But the most epidemic one across the country would be "firing paper-money".Usually, we go out of our house after dinner and choose a place to set the fire. By placing the paper-money, which is yellow in colour and supposed to be the currency in the other world, we send the death money they need to maintain a good life there, away from other ghosts' bullying. While the fire is on, we throw the paper-money and say "xxx, come and get the money. And bring the family good luck..."

to be continued...