temple offerings

Temple Offerings, Hanoi, Vietnam

In the courtyard of a small Buddhist temple in Hanoi, Vietnam, vendors sell fruit, tea, flowers, incense, and fake money to be used as offerings to ancestors and gods. The offerings help insure a the welfare of spirits in the afterlife.  Paper replicas of dollar notes (‘ghost money’), motorbikes, cars, houses and other earthly items can be found. The paper gifts are burnt so the smoke can carry the spirit of the gifts to heaven for use by the ancestors. Ancestor worship is an integral part of Vietnamese culture.

A Photo A Week: Red