Hell Money Pyre Objects!

Hell Money pyre objects, courtesy of YiMay Yang
Originally uploaded by gruntzooki

I just returned from the ritual burning of "Hell Money", joss paper and other objects with one of my friends. She explained that it was not appropriate to take any photographs of this ceremony, so I left my camera at home. After igniting the joss paper, my friend added the notes to the flames and started talking to her deceased father and other relatives. It is believed they are able to hear what is being said to them during this ceremony.

My friend told her father what she was doing with her life and how happy she was. It would not be wise to tell otherwise because the spirit of her father may become upset. She also told him she was offering this money so he would not want for anything in the world below. He could buy sweet things... cookies etc as much as he liked (he died from the effects of diabetes). It was a very moving ceremony.

For more information, read here about the Chinese Ghost festival!

Chinese Ghost Festival!

Skullet
Originally uploaded by I'm Fantastic

Chinese Ghost Festival, or Zhong Yuan Jie, is held to celebrate the tradition of placating the spirits of dead ancestors. The whole of the seventh lunar month is said to be a ghostly one, culminating in the festival held on the fifteenth day of the month. Many Chinese people prefer to stay indoors on this evening, as the restless souls of the departed are said to wander about, looking for food and comfort from their descendants. There's no swimming this month, either, as it makes people vulnerable to ghostly intrusion!

To read more about it, go to this page on Chinese Ghost Festival!

Chinese Valentines Day!

Bonny Getting Made Up For Wedding!
Originally uploaded by drs2biz

Another festival is almost upon us! It is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar. This year that is the 26th of August. Chinese Valentines Day is also known as "Qixi Festival" (the Night of Sevens), "Double Seventh Festival" or "Magpie Festival". It is not a gazetted public holiday in China, but is still popular amongst young people.

There are many traditions associated with this day, and a romantic legend attached to it. To read more about this colourful festival, have a look on this page about Chinese Valentines Day!

Map of Haikou, Hainan Province, China

Map of Haikou, Hainan Province, China
Originally uploaded by drs2biz

I thought it may be useful to friends and family to check out this map. Click on the link and explore the different sizes until you find one that suits your purpose. It is difficult to find a map of Haikou in English and, unfortunately, this one has no grid reference system. Anyway, it's the best I can do at the moment so I hope you find it useful!

Michael Jackson: 1958 - 2009

Michael Jackson: 1958 - 2009
Originally uploaded by Tobyotter

Vale Michael Jackson... a belated tribute!

Leshan Giant Buddha!

Leshan Grand Buddha Head
Originally uploaded by drs2biz

It's nearly three years since I attended a Summer English Camp in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, and went sight-seeing afterwards. Finally, however, I have managed to put some of the photographs from this trip to good use. Squidoo is a great medium to have social interaction about all types of ordinary (and some things extraordinary) that happen in our lives. Accordingly, I have just prepared a Squidoo "Lens" on this one part of a great trip to Sichuan Province.

If you want to read about some of the facts and figures of this amazing edifice, take a look at this page I have prepared on the Leshan Giant Buddha!

Labour Day Holiday at Buddhism Cultural Park!

Nanshan Park 113.
Originally uploaded by drs2biz

So last Friday was our May 1st Labour Day Holiday, and I wangled two consecutive days off work. Wednesday evening I took a bus trip to Sanya and met my Russian friend, Igor, when I arrived. After spending a lazy day sleeping and reading at Igor's apartment on Thursday. I had a pleasant evening at dinner with an ex-student of mine who now works at a 5 Star hotel.

On Friday I took a bus trip to Nanshan (about 16 km further on from Tianya Haijiao) and visited the Nanshan Buddhism Cultural Park. It was a great place to wander around and there are so many things to see that a return visit is on the cards! For highlights of this great park, visit this page on the Nanshan Buddhism Cultural Park!