This family is preparing to bury a family member. The man holding the shrine is most likely the oldest son of the deceased, who would now become the head of the family. A younger son would be holding a black umbrella overhead. The shrine is not supposed to be exposed to the sky until it is burned. The boy holding the photograph is probably the oldest grandson (like me). He will be the head of the family when his father dies. Sons and daughters wear gowns woven from coarse fiber, similar to burlap, while the grandchildren's gowns are made from finer material. However, the oldest grandson, as the future head of the family, has a special place of higher responsibility. Therefore, he wears a coarse gown over the finer grandchildren's gown. Today, patches worn on people's sleeves are often substituted for the full gowns.

Photograph from National Geographic Vol.161, No.1, Pg.108. January 1982

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Among the many things burned during the various rituals is another offering to the deceased. Cash. The idea is that one's ancestors may very well live in the afterlife much as they did during their lives on earth. To better enjoy their time in the afterlife, they need some spending money.

Traditional "Spirit Money" is made on rough, unbleached paper, much like paper was made in ancient times. It has very thin gold leaf (or maybe its other metal that looks gold) attached to the paper and is often stamped with patterns of writing or pictures. Today, some spirit money has been created to look like modern paper currency, often mimicking American greenbacks. Sometimes, "afterlife" is mistranslated into "Hell," which leads to "Hell Bank Notes." The portrait on these notes is usually the ruler of the afterlife.

These two sites talk about "Hell Bank Notes" in more detail.

Other papers are also burned at various ceremonies, and a description of many of these can be found here.




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