Tuesday 16 July 2019

Joss paper 3: Clothes

Yet another form of joss paper. This particular example was collected in Singapore around 2014. It is a more elaborate version of the paper featured previously 
This particular piece of paper is intended to be burnt as an offering to the deceased. It would then re-materialize on the "Other side"  as a garment. 

It consists of a T-shaped piece of decorated paper, to which a pair of yellow triangles of crepe paper have been attached to either side. (The triangle on the left side was crumpled in the process of scanning). This is a particularly conservative form. Paper makers also make more modern-looking clothes. 

These clothes come in a pack of around 20 pieces. The garments in such a pack come in several different colours of paper-- yellow, red and green in addition to white.  



Paper makers also sell smaller versions of such clothes, intended as offerings for the wandering spirits of those who died in infancy.