Hell notes are well known and used by many as an offering to their ancestors. Most hell notes have the ruler of Heaven and the worlds below (the world of Man and of Hell), the Jade Emperor, depicted on it. Some notes display the Eight Immortals, Buddha or dragons.
The popular story of hell notes and how they became called as they are today is all thanks to misinterpretation. The story in question tells that zealous Christian missionaries went to China to convert the Chinese telling these people that all non-Christian Chinese will go to a place called Hell when they die. The Chinese thought that this English word ‘hell’ meant ‘afterlife’, thus the mix-up came to be.
Interestingly, there is a place called Feng-Du which is also called the ‘Chinese Hell’ due to the place being where one re-pays their wrong-doings, or ‘sins’, in life before being reborn.
What you can expect to see on a hell note is Chinese symbolism such as a carp (due to the Chinese word for ‘fish’ sounds similar to ‘have something left over’. as in extra cash for spending), often carps will be shown in pairs or held by children as symbols of good luck. Bowls filled with coins, red coral and gold ingots can also be seen on some notes, while others may have a lotus on it.
The traditional times to burn hell notes are The Festival of Pure Brightness and Hungry Ghost Festival. One may toss these notes in the air during funeral procession or leave it on a persons grave. Interestingly, people use hell notes as symbolic money when doing money spells and some even use it to try to attract or even pay spirits when engaging in such things as necromancy.
You can get hell notes in Chinese based stores, particularly in major cities, but remember if that there are none in the store it is always good to ask where one can get hell notes. However, to the Chinese it is highly offensive to give a hell note to a living person as a gift as it can be seen as wishing death upon the person.
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