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The Traditional Chinese Grave
A few months ago, I blogged about my Singapore trip to Haw Par Villa Hell’s museum and the 10 courts of Hell. One of the highlights of this trip was also learning about our dying cultural heritage: The...
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The Vanishing Trade – Yeo Swee Huat Paper Agency Exhibition
During my visit to Haw Par Villa in August this year, one of the free exhibitions was the Yeo Swee Huat Paper Agency, which runs until the end of December 2022. It is located at the Cloud Pavilion that...
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Day 7 The Return of the Dead Night
Do you believe that the soul of a dead person will return to visit his/her family home on the seventh day after their death? Some Chinese believe this is what we call 回魂夜 (Huí Hún Yè) – the return of...
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Chinese Four Colour Cards
Four colour cards or 四色牌 was my grandmother’s favourite game to play when she was still around. Every Saturday afternoon, her sisters and her children, like my mum and aunties, will gather around her...
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The Meaning of 15 Days of Lunar New Year
In my many Chinese New Year blog and craft posts, I’ve regularly mentioned that the Lunar New Year celebration lasts for 15 days, but have yet to explain the special significance, meanings and...
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The Great Duke Jupiter Tài Suì
In my earlier post on the meaning of the 15 days of the Lunar New Year, I mentioned that on the fourth day, it is the day to pray 太岁/Tài Suì for a year of protection and to avert adversities. Now I am...
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Mahjong Taboo
Many Chinese people are very superstitious, particularly among the elderly and I would include myself in that. If you read the blog post that I wrote earlier this year on the meaning of 15 days of...
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Chinese Customs To Observe When Moving House
Buying your new home is a very proud moment for you and your family. It is likely one of the most expensive purchases you will make and therefore it’s a big deal for everyone involved. Many Chinese...
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Why you should never hang clothing out overnight?
I hadn’t heard of this taboo of never hanging clothing out overnight until I heard from Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories podcast. Some people believe that hanging clothing at night will attract wandering...
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Chinese Superstition: Umbrella Taboo
Several years ago, I wrote an article on Gifts to avoid buying for Chinese People and one of the items is an umbrella. Now I would like to expand on the Chinese superstitions regarding the umbrella...
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Chinese Superstition: Ji Shi Teng Ward Off Evil Spirits
Is Ji Shi Teng 鸡屎藤 (a Chinese fever vine herb) able to ward off evil spirits? According to the older generation (like my mum and some of my older relatives), they all truly believe so! I first came...
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Chinese Table Manners To Observe
Once a month, I go out with a group of Chinese friends who come from different countries. We are Chinese people from the PRC, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore of course. One of their habits that annoys...
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Chinese Culture: Pregnancy Taboos
On Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories live radio last Friday, guest speaker Genesis (Top 3 Finalists for Be A Podcaster) talked about her relatives’ pregnancy. This story triggered me to ask my mum about...
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Exhuming Your Loved Ones: Family Views
This year Qing Ming Festival/Tomb Sweeping fell on the 4th April 2024. It saddens me that yet again, I have not been able to pay my respects to my dad and my grandparents on this festival. There are a...
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Cremation: The Last Journey of Bone Picking
In my previous post, I mentioned about exhuming my grandfather and the contractors would then take his cleaned remains to the crematorium to get cremated. Do you know what usually happens next? This is...
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