Feeding the Hungry Ghosts - art activity at Celebrate Shoreline on Saturday

Cultural Arts event in Shoreline celebrates Chinese tradition of burning joss paper crafts - "Hell Money"

The ancient Chinese tradition of “Feeding the Hungry Ghosts” comes to Shoreline as a participatory art-activity available for visitors to the free Celebrate Shoreline Festival on Saturday, August 20 at Cromwell Park, 18030 Meridian Ave N, Shoreline 98133.

While the Festival goes till 9pm, the art activity runs from 12:00pm-5:00pm.

It features several tables with preassembled joss paper crafts as well as build-your-own joss paper objects. These include a wide variety of “extreme” joss (called “zhizha” in Hong Kong), such as paper luxury goods ranging from iPhones to wads of 100 dollar bills to Rolex watches, prepared food items, and Gucci handbags, all originally intended to be burned as an offering to ancestors both recent and remote so that they enjoy themselves in the afterlife.

Artists Shin Yu Pai and Eddie Tang will share joss-related arts projects, including literary art and original joss paper art.

The public is invited to make joss objects and either burn them, keep them, or contribute them for a planned Contemporary Joss Art exhibition at Shoreline City Hall.