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Spirit Day

8/23/2013

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PictureBurning paper money for ancestors
When I see "Spirit Day," like most Americans, I think of the days in school when everyone would come dressed in school colors and we'd have a pep rally to celebrate our sports teams and school spirit.

When I saw "Spirit Day" listed for August 21 on my Google calendar of Chinese holidays, I figured it would not be along the lines of our American school "spirit days."

Matt and I went out for dinner that night and as we were coming home, we saw many small fires on the streets where people were burning paper money for the spirits.


Sometimes it's hard to believe that as Chinese society becomes so modern and materialistic that people still hold to traditional supernatural beliefs, but so far, Chinese culture has managed to incorporate a lot of Western materialism while maintaining belief in ghosts and supernatural activity, to the point where many people believe they must burn paper money for their ancestors so that they don't do anything bad to them.

One of the students I tutor told me a few stories that make me think a lot of this preservation of traditional beliefs is handed down in China because grandparents have such a strong influence on Chinese children. Most Chinese children are raised by their grandparents while their parents both work. Grandparents often tell impressionable children about ghost stories and how to keep spirits from bothering you, so many kids grow up with these beliefs even though they are also becoming more influenced by Western culture. The boy I tutor told me that his grandmother said whenever you walk near funeral processions, you should spit on the ground 3 times to avoid the ghost of the dead person bothering you or entering your body. She also told him that whenever you are by yourself in the dark, you should never look behind you and you should tap both of your shoulders, or a ghost will get you. My student is pretty modern and mature, but he still feels a little scared by these stories. Rationally, he believes they aren't true, but when you grow up believing them, it's hard to completely disregard them.

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Matt's Birthday

8/7/2013

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We've been back in Tianjin for almost 2 weeks now, and we're over jet lag, celebrated our 4-year anniversary with some delicious Korean BBQ, and are now in the midst of celebrating Matt's birthday. Last night we went out for Malaysian food with some friends. Tonight it's just an us date with Chinese massages and some shopping at Galaxy Mall.

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Yay, Malaysian food! Thanks Lindy!
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The Chinese custom is to eat long noodles on your birthday to represent long life. Matt has a very long life ahead of him according to this bowl of noodles!
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German apple cake made by Angel with birthday candles in the shape of 29 (roughly)
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Matt and Mimi talking after dinner & laughing as we noticed all the shirtless Chinese guys sitting outside watching tv
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Shirtless guys
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Big screen tv showing CCTV 1 animal shows. We did not stay to watch as it was 90 degrees out and our apartment does have a/c
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    Matt and Angel

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    This blog includes posts on our life in China. Want to know what the food is like or how we deal with pollution? Find the answers here. We also include periodic updates on what we're up to for those of you back home who want to stay in touch.

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