One of the stories most fascinated me was about the paper doll legend.
The picture on the left was taken in Cheung Chau this year when Mr. MonkeyMan and I stayed there for 3 days on vacation. :DIn the old days, paper dolls are in full human size, but I guess nowadays, everything is expensive, so. smaller would be more affordable. By burning, these dolls are sent to the underworld to serve your ancestors.
The story was about 3 young high school girls' eerie encounter with these dolls. An elderly neighbor of the girls had passed on about 1 week ago. Legends has it that the dead's soul would come back one last time in between 1st week - 7th week after he had passed.
The 3 girls were best friends and high school classmates. Against their parents' instructions (because not to disturb the dead), they decided they should go out to wait and see what would happen when the soul returned.
At around midnight, they all sneaked out to the lobby area and waited. 1 hour had passed, nothing happened. 2 hours had passed, other than a few occasional cockroaches, they didn't see anything out of the ordinary in that warm humid night.
Just when they decided to head back home, a sudden chilly breeze brew in from the window and a dog nearby started to bark uncontrollably.
Just as the girls all looked at each other nervously about this change of atmosphere, one of the girls, Lily, saw in the corner of her eye that a pair of brightly colored dressed couple were standing at the end of the long corridor, motionless, seems to be waiting for something or... someone.
She alerted the other 2 girls and they all looked towards the direction of the couple. The couple got closer and closer and the view got clearer and clearer....
The couple were not walking! Their legs were not moving! They were floating towards the girls!
The girls were freaking! Their legs were also not moving! They are freezing on the spot!
The couple were dressed in the paper dolls style. Their faces had no expression. Their faces were cold and deadly white! They glided towards the flat where the elderly had lived.
The paper dolls knocked twice on the door and said eerily, "It's time now, we have to go"
A dark figure then emerged from the flat and followed the paper dolls towards the girls. He seemed to recognize Lily. He smiled, waved and said "bye, Lily, see you soon."
Eternity had passed, the girls finally manage to move again. However, Lily, collapsed on the floor and was not in the rank of the living anymore......
~The End (Of Lily at least)~
Talking about paper dolls, there are many things that the living would burn for the dead. The Chinese has much respect for the deads much similiar to the Egyptians' rituals.
A mansion for the dead.
Jewelery for the dead
Incense store where the living can buy all these luxurious items for the ancestors. You can barely see the miniature sized paper doll hanging on the rack there.
:D I hope you enjoy this post as much as I enjoy writing it. :D
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