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Hell money (Chinese: 冥鈔; pinyin: míngchāo) is a modernized form of joss paper printed to resemble legal tender bank notes. The notes are not an official form of recognized currency or legal tender as their sole intended purpose is to be offered as burnt offerings to the deceased as a solution to resolve their assumed monetary problems in the afterlife. This ritual has been practiced by modern Chinese and across East Asia since the late 19th century, and some Wicca-based faiths in recent years have adopted this practice.[1] Early 20th century examples bore resemblance to minor commercial currency of the type issued by businesses across China until the mid-1940s.[2]
The identification of this type of joss paper as "hell bank notes" or "hell money" is largely a Western construct, since these items are simply regarded as yet another form of joss paper (冥幣, 陰司紙, 紙錢, or 金紙) in East Asian cultures and have no special name or status.
- ^ Yogerst, Joseph R. (2005). Singapore: State of the Art. R Ian Lioyd Productions Ltd. p. 38. ISBN 978-9810465896.
- ^ Smith, Ward & Matravers, Brian (1970). Chinese Banknotes, p.144. Shirjieh Publishers, Menlo Park, California