Dead pets get earthly feast

Dearly departed: Nguyen Thi Xuan touching the plague of her dog while praying at the Te Dong Vat Nga pagoda. — AFP

Hanoi: Sausages, grapes, milk and mooncakes are laid at the gravestones of beloved cats and dogs at Hanoi’s pet cemetery – an earthly feast for the souls of dead animals believed to return from the afterlife for a meal to mark ghost month.

Dozens of pet owners turned out for a solemn ceremony at the Te Dong Vat Nga pagoda – whose name means “all lives are equal” – where thousands of dogs and cats have been laid to rest in the burial grounds on site.