Bring out yer dead!
Well, its that time of the year again, when the gates of the afterlife open up and families make their burnt offerings to their dearly departed. A charming custom, really, as devoted relatives send their dead everything they could conceivably need, be it stacks of currency for the dead, cars or cell phones, all done up in wire and paper, to be borne on smoke into the next world. Quite amazing, really, some of the things you see. Mansions, complete with Jacuzzis and garage. Very realistic mock-ups of cars (SUVs, luxury sedans, sports cars - Beemers and Benzs are very popular) to populate said garage. Packs of cards, mahjong tiles… you name it, they sell it.
On the other hand, the entire island has been enveloped in a haze of smoke. Now, mind you, I smoke. Heavily. Close to a pack-a-day heavy, and more if I’m bored, but this is just annoying - there’s nowhere you can go to avoid the smell of smoke. Not to mention all the ash that’s blowing around...
Of course, being a traditional custom (and possibly a marketable one, at that, what with all the amused tourists buying random offerings), no one is saying anything.
Ah well...
On the other hand, the entire island has been enveloped in a haze of smoke. Now, mind you, I smoke. Heavily. Close to a pack-a-day heavy, and more if I’m bored, but this is just annoying - there’s nowhere you can go to avoid the smell of smoke. Not to mention all the ash that’s blowing around...
Of course, being a traditional custom (and possibly a marketable one, at that, what with all the amused tourists buying random offerings), no one is saying anything.
Ah well...