ET Speaks From Home

Cuisine & Culture the Chinese Family Way

Fruits for Offerings: What to Use and Avoid in Buddhist and Ancestral Prayers

Do you know which fruits are appropriate to offer to the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and your ancestors – and which ones should be avoided?

When I was young, praying to the gods and ancestors on important days was a significant event in my household. I vividly remember two whole sugar canes with roots, each tied with red threads and adorned with a yellow paper lantern. Alongside them stood a table filled with plates of fresh fruits and flowers for the Buddhas, and another with meats, biscuits, and cakes for our ancestors. A tall stack of joss paper was always prepared for burning, symbolically sent to our ancestors for use in the afterlife.

Fruits for Offerings What to Use and Avoid in Buddhist and Ancestral Prayers

Feng Shui Wallet Tips: What to Keep (and Avoid) for Wealth and Prosperity

Many people turn to feng shui not only to invite wealth but also to improve relationships, enhance wellbeing, and ward off bad luck. While some dismiss it as mere superstition, others see it as a way of aligning themselves with positive energy. My view? If a practice uplifts you, causes no harm, and may even bring prosperity – why not give it a try? At the very least, you will gain an interesting experience.

Feng Shui Wallet Tips What to Keep (and Avoid) for Wealth and Prosperity

What to prepare for the Return of the Soul Night Day 7

Two years ago, I wrote an article on Day 7 The Return of The Dead Night, and only briefly wrote about the dos and don’ts of the night. After watching the collaboration between the Hellbank YouTube channel with Affinity Funeral Service’s video, it prompted me to do some research through my relatives and friends in Singapore on what to prepare for the Return of the Soul night.

Just a word of warning, this does not apply to all Chinese people or religions, it is mostly what Chinese people believe in Singapore. It is mainly Chinese superstitions or customs that have been passed down the generations, you can choose to believe it or not.

What to prepare for the Return of the Soul Night Day 7 food

Exhuming Your Loved Ones: Family Views

This year Qing Ming Festival/Tomb Sweeping fell on the 4th April 2024. It saddens me that yet again, I have not been able to pay my respects to my dad and my grandparents on this festival. There are a couple of reasons for this: my family are in Singapore so it takes some preparation to plan a long haul trip from Britain. Also, it is not easy to fly over due to school term and travel costs.

Exhuming Your Loved Ones Family Views

Feng Shui: Keep Fake Flowers and Plants at a Minimum

I mentioned in an earlier post that my mum came to the UK to visit us. During her stay, she passed down a lot of feng shui tips and suggested I change several things. One of the suggestions was regarding fake flowers and plants. She said that if a house is filled with too many fake flowers and artificial plants, it will attract a lot of fake relationships, like friendships, and also gossip into our lives. I’m not sure where she heard it from. But she is quite an avid listener of feng shui podcasts and Buddhism YouTube channels. Each day, the channels will share tips and predictions for the zodiac animals.

Feng Shui Keep Fake Flowers and Plants at a Minimum

Are Creepers and Climbing Plants Bad For Feng Shui?

Are creepers and climbing plants bad for feng shui? Recently, my mum came to the UK to visit us, and she noticed that I had a climbing plant outside my son’s room. He lives in an annexe away from the main house, and she wasn’t very pleased about it. She told me that, according to feng shui masters, climbing plants are a big no-no for a house. Not only can they damage the structure of the walls, but they are also believed to create a strong negative force for everyone living in the home.

Creepers and Climbing Plants Bad Feng Shui

Chinese Superstition: The Umbrella Taboo

Several years ago, I wrote an article about gifts to avoid buying for Chinese people, and one of the items was an umbrella. Today, I would like to expand on the Chinese superstitions surrounding the umbrella taboo in Chinese culture. In feng shui, it is believed that, when used correctly, an umbrella can bring luck and wealth. However, if used incorrectly, it may bring misfortune. Do you believe it?

Chinese Superstition: Umbrella Taboo

Why you should never hang clothing out overnight?

I hadn’t heard of this taboo of never hanging clothing out overnight until I heard from Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories podcast. Some people believe that hanging clothing at night will attract wandering spirits to get attached to the clothing. It will cause us to have bad luck. I will list a few examples later in the post.

Why you should never hang clothing out overnight?

Mahjong Taboo

Many Chinese people are very superstitious, particularly the elderly—and I would include myself among them. If you read the blog post I wrote earlier this year on the meaning of the 15 days of Lunar New Year, you may recall that some Chinese (in Taoism and Buddhism) pray to the God of Wealth for blessings. This “blessing money” is referred to in Chinese as 偏财 (Piān cái), meaning unexpected income or windfalls such as bonuses, lottery winnings, or stock gains.

mahjong taboo

Super Lottie Launched

Yesterday saw the launch of the Super Lottie outfit which is the inspiration of six year old Lily, from Ohio, USA, who created the winning design as part of a global competition, independently judged by the Brave Girls Alliance, earlier in the year. This is the first time that a crowd-sourced design by a child has gone into commercial production. As part of her entry, Lily was asked to define Super Lottie’s abilities. Lily’s response was one designed to inspire girls who play with Lottie dolls, to acknowledge and embrace their potential, and accept who they are: ‘Super Lottie has the power to be anything, to do anything, and to make the world a better place. She is unique and special in her own way’.

Super Lottie Launched

Chinese Superstitions When Entering a Hotel Room

Last February, my mum and sister flew to the UK to visit us. While they were here, we went on a road trip to Scotland. You can read more about our Scotland trip with Barny here.

We stayed at Premier Inn throughout our holiday in various locations. Our final stop was Edinburgh, where we happened to have rooms opposite my sister’s. I noticed that she followed her usual hotel routine: she knocked on the door and said, “We’ll be sharing the room with you for two nights, thank you.”

This brought back memories from my younger days, when I was told that I must follow this routine. I had completely forgotten about it! Well… not entirely. I don’t knock on the door, but each time I enter a hotel room, I quietly inform ‘them’ that we will be sharing ‘their’ space.

Mr C doesn’t believe in these Chinese superstitions. He thinks I’m completely crazy for doing this!

I’ve had two unpleasant ghost experiences while staying in hotels with him in Italy and Japan, so he’s used to my “crazy” habits by now. That said, I don’t practise these superstitions as much as I used to, especially since my children have started questioning my rather bizarre behaviour.

Chinese Superstitions to enter a Hotel Room tips

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