Whilst walking around Thaliand markets, we stumbled across an interesting shop. Everything inside was made of cardboard. They had wads of fake money, scaled down cardboard Mercedes Benz, cardboard suits, mobile phones and pretty much most physical possessions that you can think of. I thought it was some sort of novelty toy shop. Cardboard and paper toys that you could give to kids. As it turns out, I was extremely wrong.
As I was informed, it is all part of a Chinese funeral tradition. After a funeral, the Chinese find comfort from burning paper. Chinese believe that by burning paper they are providing material goods for the dead. Family members purchase paper replicas of money, a house, cattle, cars or anything that they want their loved ones to have in the after-life. By writing the name of the deceased on these items before burning them, Chinese believe the correct person then receives these items.
I started to wonder what my friends would burn for me to have in the after life??? What do my friends think I would want in the after life? Sadly, I couldn't find a paper bicycle.
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