Here are some interesting items we found in the Chinatown area of Chiang Mai yesterday. They are Hell notes and travel necessities.
Hell notes are of Chinese origin but are used throughout Asia. They are burned with the body of the deceased in order for their spirit to have spending money in the afterlife. They are usually in very large denominations in order that their spirit will be able to afford the posh life which they desire in the afterlife. The term hell does not mean the same as the western definition of hell. It means paradise or heaven to Asians. When missionaries from the west entered China, the Chinese were told that they were going to "hell" if they did not become Christians. The Chinese saw hell as the Christian term for the Chinese heaven or afterlife and thus still use the term today.
The notes are also called Heaven notes or Paradise notes. They can be in any denomination although they are usually very large. They also have different people on them such as JFK, Chairman Mao, Stalin and etc.
For more useless but interesting information on hell notes, background, designs and how to use it, you may go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell_bank_note.
This picture shows the front of several stacks of hell notes.
This picture shows the front of several stacks of hell notes with one stack of very large notes and a package of travel necessities.
Here is a look at the reverse of the hell notes and package of travel necessities.
Here is a picture of the contents of the travel necessities package.
This is another picture of the contents of the travel necessities package with a view of the inside of the Check Book and Travel Ticket.
Hell notes are of Chinese origin but are used throughout Asia. They are burned with the body of the deceased in order for their spirit to have spending money in the afterlife. They are usually in very large denominations in order that their spirit will be able to afford the posh life which they desire in the afterlife. The term hell does not mean the same as the western definition of hell. It means paradise or heaven to Asians. When missionaries from the west entered China, the Chinese were told that they were going to "hell" if they did not become Christians. The Chinese saw hell as the Christian term for the Chinese heaven or afterlife and thus still use the term today.
The notes are also called Heaven notes or Paradise notes. They can be in any denomination although they are usually very large. They also have different people on them such as JFK, Chairman Mao, Stalin and etc.
For more useless but interesting information on hell notes, background, designs and how to use it, you may go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell_bank_note.
This picture shows the front of several stacks of hell notes.
This picture shows the front of several stacks of hell notes with one stack of very large notes and a package of travel necessities.
Here is a look at the reverse of the hell notes and package of travel necessities.
Here is a picture of the contents of the travel necessities package.
This is another picture of the contents of the travel necessities package with a view of the inside of the Check Book and Travel Ticket.
2 comments :
Wow, that's really interesting - I didn't know any of that stuff... thanks for the cultural lesson :) cool!
Wow! That is so wild! Great cultural find. That is so funny....and a little sad. GREAT POST!
Post a Comment