Halloween refernce

[Dorothy Day]

On Mon, 3 Nov 1997, Steve Hooley wrote:

>         My boss was stationed on Taiwan during his military days - he stated
> that there was a Day of the Dead, probably New Year but I'm not sure, in
> which food was brought to the cemetery for the ancestors and left outside
> the tombs. Firecrackers were also involved, which is why I think it might
> have been New Years.

Interesting thread, increasingly irrelevant to web4lib, but I'll add one
more bit. The Chinese Feast of Souls is observed on the 15th of the 7th
lunar month, which usually occurs in August. Offerings are made to
"hungry ghosts" (probably a Hindu imported notion), who have no
descendents to worship them, to give them peace. The food probably often
ended up in the hands of the homeless. Very different from New Years
(late January or early Febr.), when the household's own ancestors and
gods are worshipped. There's also Tomb-sweeping on the 5th of April,
when offerings are left on the family graves. And firecrackers go with
all celebrations!


*****
Dorothy Day			
School of Library and Information Science
Indiana University
day at indiana.edu	
*****
	"He also surfs who only sits and waits."