They’re burning papers outside my front door again. I think the people next door to me must be very spiritual or at least very superstitious as they’re constantly making little fires and standing around in quiet contemplation looking at the smoke as it rises. Apparently they are paying their respect to dead ancestor but if this is a case, they must have an awful lot because every couple of weeks I come out of my house and find the yellowish remains of the paper.
It has usually been cleared up so the chalk circle with an opening drawn on the concrete is often the only evidence it has happened again. This time I caught them in the act and was careful to go around the other way rather than jump over the bones of their ancestors, or whatever it signifies.
I’m not sure why the chalk circle has an outlet and it always seems to be pointing out of the community. Is it for spirit of the deceased person to escape? There is a lot of superstition in China, not just around numbers (4 = death, 8 = wealth) but there are many of what we would call ‘old wives’ tales’, surrounding the birth of first month of a child’s life.
Apparently drinking anything cold is terrible bad for your health and you should not swallow your saliva (hence the spitting) and the absolutely ludicrous one – a girl should never get her feet wet during her period. What would happen I wonder – would she explode?
I haven’t seen the 95 year old who lives next door, since the end of the summer – I wonder whether he’s still alive. Perhaps the appearance of a pile of ash outside his door will give me the answer.