The man working in front of many Joss papers threw a deuce

Man making a peace sign with joss papers in his hand
Man making a peace sign with joss papers in his hand
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As I walked along, I arrived at a temple. In one corner of the temple, there was a pile of yellow joss paper, and several people were sorting through them. In front of the altar, a table was laid out for offerings. It appeared that some sort of festival was about to be held.

Joss paper, as it literally means, is money to be used in the afterlife. Of course, if you take it to a store in this life, you will probably just get a suspicious look on your face. There is a similar custom in Japan, but I don't think it is as common as it is here. To begin with, in Japan, joss paper has a strong connotation of boat fare for crossing the Sanzu River. However, the amount of joss paper here is clearly too much for a boat fare. The reason such a large amount is necessary is that money is so important to the people of Chinese civilization.

As I approached the pile of yellow paper, one of the men working on it noticed me. He smiled and gave me a peace sign. His gesture was somewhat innocent, in contrast to the enormous weight of the pledged money piled up in front of him.

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May 2017 PEOPLE TAIWAN

PHOTO DATA

No

10158

Shooting Date

Sep 2016

Posted On

May 28, 2017

Modified On

December 2, 2024

Place

Taipei, Taiwan

Genre

Street Photography

Camera

SONY ALPHA 7R II

Lens

SONNAR T* FE 55MM F1.8 ZA

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