Noteworthy bouquets: Tan making bouquets from joss paper and “hell bank” notes for the Qing Ming Festival in Kluang, Johor.
KLUANG: They are bouquets for the dearly departed for Qing Ming, but with a difference.
A florist here has made bouquets from “hell bank” notes for those who want to pay homage to their loved ones who have passed on.
Tan Rui En, 25, said she arranges joss paper and banknotes and then bunches them together like how she would craft a bouquet of flowers.
She has so far sold more than 80 such bouquets, priced at RM20 each.
Tan, who has been running an online florist business from her home here for about four years, said she had been selling fresh flower bouquets and this was her first time making “hell bank” note bouquets.
“I came up with the idea of making them from joss paper and ‘hell bank’ notes as Qing Ming offerings for my own deceased ancestors.
“After I posted photos of the bouquets on social media, orders started coming in, including from customers in Johor and Melaka,” she said in an interview.
She said she delivers most of the items via courier.
“I would attach a small card with the bouquets for customers to write the names of their deceased loved ones.
“The bouquets are meant to be burnt along with other Qing Ming paraphernalia such as costumes, cars and houses made from joss paper,” she said.
Qing Ming, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a Chinese tradition that has been observed for more than 2,500 years.
Family members gather to pay respect to their ancestors and loved ones who have departed.
Part of the rituals include burning “hell bank” notes and other paraphernalia in hopes that the departed ones can “receive” them in the afterlife.
This year’s Qing Ming is today though the occasion can be observed 10 days before or after the actual date.
