paper offerings

Ritual currency for spirits

Paper offerings are items made of paper or papier-mâché that are burned as sacrifices in Chinese religious practice.

The offerings represent money, houses, cars, clothing, and other goods believed to pass to deceased ancestors or deities in the spirit world.

Also called joss paper or ghost money when specifically representing currency.

The practice is central to Qingming Festival and other ancestral rites: They burned paper offerings at their grandmother's grave.

Categories

Taiwanese culturebubble tea, night markets, temple festivals, boba, stinky tofu
Chinese folk religionfolk religion, folk beliefs, ancestral worship, Chinese temples, joss sticks
Chinese Religionancestor veneration, Confucianism, Daoism, Taoism, Buddhism
Qingmingtomb sweeping, grave cleaning, cemetery visits, incense burning, spirit money
Shinto offeringssake, food offerings, rice wine, mochi, fruit offerings
funeral customsburial, funeral, cremation, funeral procession, casket

Opposites

material authenticity

paper offeringsreal money

recipient realm

Gifts to worthy causes

offering type

paper offeringsfood offerings

Edibles given in worship

Family