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Economic Woes Even Reach the Dead in Hong Kong
It has become a tradition amongst Hong Kongers to visit the hillside graves of their ancestors on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month (which fell on October 7th this year). The graves are cleaned and offerings, usually consisting of meat, placed nearby. The 2008 version of the festivities were a bit quieter than usual. People still flocked to graveyards throughout the territory, but there were fewer whole roast chickens and suckling pigs being totted up the hill for the ancestors. Everyone seems to be blaming the sour economy for the lack of meat this year.Many people opted for paper likenesses of meat. Local meat vendors reported poor sales numbers, but retailers hawking the paper offerings had a banner day. Though many people still ventured out for a visit with their dearly departed, the celebration, usually filled with over-the-top displays of edibles, was noticeably muted. Hopefully, economic woes will dissappear by the time Lunar New Year, unarguably the biggest part in Honkers.
