Interesting Items to Burn in Ancestor Worship

Photos of Interesting Things to Burn for Your Ancestors in Traditional Chinese Ceremonies


On a recent trip to Hong Kong, I have visited many local markets. There, you could buy a variety of items including fresh vegetables, fish, herbal medicines, clothes, toys, and even power tools!

One of the interesting stores you would find sells incenses and candles in ceremonies to honour the gods and your deceased relatives. In Chinese, this type of store would be called a “paper bundling” store because you would find that many of items were made out of paper. You would find joss paper and papier-mâché used in ancestral worship ceremonies. What would you do with joss paper?

On a funeral or on certain holidays, you would burn the ornate joss paper, often folded into a traditional gold bar shape. The burning would be an offering to the deceased relatives, so that they could use it as a currency in the afterlife. It is a form of honouring the deeds, memories, and the sacrifice of the deceased. The spirits, possessing supernatural power, would be your “guardians,” protecting your family and guiding your path of life.

In addition to joss paper, you could also burn money printed by “The Bank of Hell” in astronomical amount, like $100,000,000. The money would complement the “gold bars” you are sending to the deceased relatives.

In funerals and when you feel generous, you could burn few of the papier-mâché items to go along with the joss papers. Here are some of the creative items to outfit the deceased, so that they would live in a lavish, comfortable afterlife.

Photos of Interesting Things to Burn for Your Ancestors in Traditional Chinese Ceremonies


On a recent trip to Hong Kong, I have visited many local markets. There, you could buy a variety of items including fresh vegetables, fish, herbal medicines, clothes, toys, and even power tools!

One of the interesting stores you would find sells incenses and candles in ceremonies to honour the gods and your deceased relatives. In Chinese, this type of store would be called a “paper bundling” store because you would find that many of items were made out of paper. You would find joss paper and papier-mâché used in ancestral worship ceremonies. What would you do with joss paper?

On a funeral or on certain holidays, you would burn the ornate joss paper, often folded into a traditional gold bar shape. The burning would be an offering to the deceased relatives, so that they could use it as a currency in the afterlife. It is a form of honouring the deeds, memories, and the sacrifice of the deceased. The spirits, possessing supernatural power, would be your “guardians,” protecting your family and guiding your path of life.

In addition to joss paper, you could also burn money printed by “The Bank of Hell” in astronomical amount, like $100,000,000. The money would complement the “gold bars” you are sending to the deceased relatives.

In funerals and when you feel generous, you could burn few of the papier-mâché items to go along with the joss papers. Here are some of the creative items to outfit the deceased, so that they would live in a lavish, comfortable afterlife.