Grandpa needs a new pair of shoes...

Beth made a post mentioning Ching Ming day--I thought I'd go a little more in depth, explaining this intriguing (perhaps more accurately, baffling) Chinese holiday to you.

On Ching Ming day the Chinese visit the graves of their anscestors. In addition to making sure the grave is swept clean they burn paper money, houses, luxury cars, pets, even mobile phones!

Think I'm making this up? Check it out. (They also perform similar acts on "Hungry Ghost Festival.") I've learned the majority of Hong Kong residents practice ancestor worship due to the strong Confucian influence in the country. Burning paper items for the dead is an element of this practice.

OK, so here's what I'm wondering...I can accept that their view of the afterlife is not like a traditional Christian view where the deceased would not really need any earthly posessions. And let's take another leap and accept that they believe they can beqeath money and things by burning objects at their graves...but...mobile phones?? Do the dead really need them? Money, maybe... or sure, the latest iPod to pass the time? But do the deceased really make use of the microwaves and cars?

And, I'm curious: do they plan ahead by first burning paper mobile phone towers to set up the proper infrastructure? I mean, if you're going to go there--you've got to think about these details here! And if we're really serious about making sure our dearly departed have the latest afterlife bling, let's burn the real thing, not paper imitations! Grandpa may be dead, but he's not stupid!

So, there you have it! Near our new apartment, there are a couple of little shops selling incense and paper objects as I mentioned....here are some pictures I took: