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Odd Festivals/Odd Customs/Traditions

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  • 15-11-2003 8:08pm
    #1
    ezpzie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 64 ✭✭


    Hi All;

    I just wanted to know if anyone knows of any odd traditions and customs or festivals... eg. the equivalent of Halloween - Ching Ming in April where we go to visit the graves of our dead loved ones but somehow it always rains :) - a bit odd but true.

    Also, the odd tradition where if you've been to jail or it's new year you've to cross over a bowl of burning white paper - I think it also applies to new houses, meaning dai bo lam gwoa - kind of like best foot forward, or the worst is past... something to that effect.

    Anyone know why we burn paper resembling money to the dead? or if they've seen odd things at funerals such as paper ships and paper cars being sent to the dead?


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    #2
    DEmeant0r
    Registered Users Posts: 3,165 ✭✭✭DEmeant0r


    How odd, I don't know many odd festivals, simply because i haven't lived in Hong kong long enough and i've never visited any other asian country.


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    #3
    ezpzie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 64 ✭✭ezpzie


    there's also the odd tradition of red things and upside down writing at doors for luck I believe around new years (chinese new year that is).

    Also, I've seen this quite often - yin yang mirrors outside houses with forks to symbolise keeping away evil spirits.. I've heard tell of a few people putting one over their toilets! (I'm not sure why there would be evil spirits inside toilets exactly.. but there you go!).

    Anyone know of the book which chinese people consult to know what a good day for the something is? I believe we have this at home, but I've no idea how to use it! it's just columns and columns of writing but allegedly you've to work it against your own numbers (which I've never understood either). Can anyone clarify this?


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    #4
    ezpzie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 64 ✭✭ezpzie


    Oh.. forgot to mention the red envelopes :) - I like 'em.. to explain they're given to children/young adults before marriage by married people (usually related to you) and contain usually a substantial amount of money and your parents give those people's kids a red envelope too with money too. It's meant as a well wishing thing for them to save up for their futures for when they've kids.. but I don't think the person who made this up forsaw inflation!


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    #5
    DEmeant0r
    Registered Users Posts: 3,165 ✭✭✭DEmeant0r


    I like red envelopes though. My parents still give me those red envelopes at the Chinese new year.

    there's also the odd tradition of red things and upside down writing at doors for luck I believe around new years (chinese new year that is).

    I've seen that actually, must have been a while since i saw it though.

    Also, I've seen this quite often - yin yang mirrors outside houses with forks to symbolise keeping away evil spirits.. I've heard tell of a few people putting one over their toilets! (I'm not sure why there would be evil spirits inside toilets exactly.. but there you go!).

    Probably because some spirits can feel people up? :D:confused:


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    #6
    ezpzie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 64 ✭✭ezpzie


    And here's an odd one:

    no black clothes on new years day - and white clothes at funerals? - I think chinese goths would have problems with this :)
    Can't remember when last I saw a chinese goth though.. it'd be cool :)

    Oddest thing I've come across this life time is feet binding.. thank goodness it's no longer a custom. I saw an old lady once who had to be carried around because she couldn't walk due to her feet.. weird.


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    #7
    tribble
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,478 ✭✭✭tribble


    Whats that (canto ?) tradition involving boats/dumpling and feeding the fish?

    tribble


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    #8
    davros
    Closed Accounts Posts: 857 ✭✭✭davros


    Originally posted by tribble
    Whats that (canto ?) tradition involving boats/dumpling and feeding the fish?
    That's the dragon boat festival, isn't it? A revered poet committed suicide by jumping into a river. People rushed to retrieve his body, throwing food into the river to distract the fish.

    Today, they race dragon boats and eat the dumplings instead of tossing them in the water.


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    #9
    tribble
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,478 ✭✭✭tribble


    That's the dragon boat festival, isn't it?

    Ah yes - quite right.


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    #10
    ezpzie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 64 ✭✭ezpzie


    Anyone ever been to a chinese wedding? now strange customs there.. big heavy red veil for the female (I don't think you can see through it and yes you are GUIDED down the aisle) and also males wear silly hats with horns on them (well my uncle's had horns.. I'm not sure it's the norm, and he wore a black gowny thing with black trousers with gold thread and a big red cloth rose thingy).

    Also, the games at chinese weddings, bribing your way in to collect the bride? Hello Kitty/forever friends mascotts on the front of the limo (this has only been recently done), games involving being dunked into water, passing under very very smelly trousers, generally torturing the groom (well, I guess it's one way to make sure that they're positive about getting married!) and at the wedding lots of games ending up in the groom & bride ending up kissing - traditionally the wedding feast lasts for ages too! not just 1 mere night, my Granny claimed that they could last for a week sometimes in the past! One good tradition I found was the money instead of gift for wedding guests - some of my friends have made a mint from getting married!


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    #11
    albertw
    Closed Accounts Posts: 395 ✭✭albertw


    And people still want to get married in China?

    God knows what they would do to us poor westerners if we decided to marry one of ye? :-)

    Cheers,
    ~Al


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    #12
    crowbar
    Registered Users Posts: 153 ✭✭crowbar


    yeah, i was just at a chinese wedding. not too traditional - no lucky red veil, and what's this hat with horns? - but red moneybags galore, the groom had to sing to get into the bride's house where loads of intrusive questions were asked. and if he got any of them wrong, the groom and his nominated mates had to consume stuff you might see in fear factor, like chunks of wasabi, pig intestines and porridge, etc. no hello kitty crap on the front of the limo though thank god, that's so tacky.

    the other peculiar traditional part of the ceremony was the tea ceremony, where the bridge and groom present cups of tea to each of the bride's and groom's parents, at their house. i think it's sort of like getting consent from both sets of parents (and the older brothers in this case) though you'd think they would have gotten that before they get married ...

    also the limo wasn't allowed to reverse with the bridal party in the car - it's bad luck, as it symbolises the relationship going backwards in the future.


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