Money has been an integral part of human existence for over two and a half thousand years. Therefore, it is not surprising that a lot of mysterious and mystical is connected with finance. They seem to accumulate time in themselves. They accumulate information and energy.
The case is quite common
Since ancient times, people have believed in a mysterious connection between money and the events happening around it. Means of payment have always been considered a necessary attribute in relations with the other world. The ancient Greeks, for example, believed that one could not get to the other world for free. They put small silver coins in their mouths to the dead. And they firmly believed that this fee would be enough for the gloomy ferryman Charon to transport the souls of the unfortunate across the Styx - the river of the dead. Something similar is observed in some rituals of our time.
Saying goodbye to their dead, the Chinese even today burn special ritual notes in special ovens: the so-called money of the dead, or hellish money. They should contribute to the comfortable existence of the soul in the other world. Since the middle of the 20th century, the quality of this money has been slightly inferior to the present. And in terms of decoration, it often surpasses official banknotes. Often the face of such paper money is decorated with the image of the lord of the kingdom of darkness. While on the back you can see his rich palace.
Belief in the afterlife is widespread among the vast majority of the peoples of the Earth. But such a variety of ideas about life after death, which is found in Asia, does not seem to be found anywhere else in the world. Among Asians, communication with the spirits of ancestors and worshiping them is quite common, and the very existence of ethereal entities in the real world has never been questioned. It is known that the Chinese emperors once a year publicly asked for forgiveness from the souls of executed criminals and all those who fell victims of palace and political intrigues, so that their souls would not take revenge.
Today, the ritual of burning ritual money during a funeral is widespread throughout Southeast Asia. However, we can safely say that this ceremony occurs wherever people from the PRC live. Moreover, the money of the dead is not always burned. They are also scattered along the path of the funeral procession, and sometimes they are simply left lying on top of the grave. In China, these banknotes, along with other gifts for the souls of the departed, can be bought at regular stores. Every year, more and more series come into circulation. And the artists, who are responsible for the bright design of such original means of payment, closely follow the changes in the type of official paper money on the world market.
Peach, tiger, dragon …
It is difficult to name the exact date of the appearance of the first such banknotes. And all because there is no dating on them. 1968 is called the official release date of the first bill. However, there is documentary evidence that in previous centuries, hellish money was scattered as a sacrifice to spirits during the passage of the body of the deceased to the cemetery. There were also certain rules about where exactly the bills should be burned. For example, in front of temples, gates and bridges, as well as wells. And if we consider that the first banknotes in the history of mankind began to be printed in the Celestial Empire in 119 BC, during the era of Emperor Wudi of the Han dynasty, then we can assume that the money of the dead appeared there a very long time ago.
They got their name from the designation on the bills themselves - hell bank note. Literally translated, it sounds like "hell's bank money." However, in the minds of the Chinese, the afterlife is not an analogue of hell, as Christians paint it to themselves, so the attitude of Buddhists towards it is far from being as negative as that of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, and it would still be more correct to call bills the money of the dead. Indeed, it is for the latter that these bright pieces of paper are intended.
The Chinese legend claims that the ruler of hell (Lord of Hell) once really ruled over people, but for the grave sins committed on Earth he was exiled to the underworld. He is often depicted as a good-natured smiling bearded man in rich clothes. On the head is an original dress, a symbol of the imperial power. These were worn by the historical rulers of China. Other images can be found next to the portrait. These are laughing children, embarrassedly hiding behind fans of a beauty in a kimono or a group of elders. Often on the obverse of banknotes there are painted either real-life or mythical birds and animals. And besides, flowering branches, fruits of pomegranate and peach trees. These plots have a mystical meaning, which only true connoisseurs of Chinese mythology can understand. For instance,the peach in Taoism (a traditional philosophical and religious movement in China) symbolizes immortality.
On the flip side of the money of the dead is the palace of the ruler of the underworld. Only occasionally do the divine animals guarding him appear nearby - dragons, tigers or lions.
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Bull Head, Horse Face and Witch Men
According to the Chinese Buddhists, the underworld consists of ten courts, each of which is run by one Yama - a hellish deity who is simultaneously the judge and ruler of the corresponding part of hell. They also carry out trials on the souls of the dead. At the same time, each of the judges asks the sinners and punishes them only for certain transgressions, which are listed in the book of hell. Souls serve their punishment in a specially adapted cave for this purpose.
Judges of the underworld can be seen on some ritual banknotes. They have stern, if not just fierce, faces. After all, sinners should tremble at the sight of the rulers of their destinies.
Chinese Buddhists believe that when a person dies, his soul is delivered to the underworld by two demons - the Bull's Head and the Horse's Face. And if the soul goes through all ten circles of hell and returns to Earth again to take part in the lottery of life again, she must visit the house of the witch Men (Meng), who gives the "returnee" a potion to drink, allowing him to forget who the person was in his previous life. … It is interesting that incorrigible sinners come back to our world not as some living creature or plant, but in the form of a demon. At the same time, the ruler of hell rewards them with physical disabilities, due to which the unfortunate constantly experience torment. It can be an overly large stomach, a narrow esophagus, needle teeth and, in addition to everything, a tiny mouth, so that the demon constantly feels hungry and never gets full.
Helpers to the Lord of Hell
Among the ritual banknotes there are those that stand out from the general row. These include a series of banknotes that appeared in the 60s and 70s of the last century and became a collector's item. They immortalized … world celebrities. True, only those whose life or death was associated with some secret. All these bills have a single denomination - a million dollars. With one such banknote, the face of the iconic figure of 1960s show business, Marilyn Monroe, smiles at us. John F. Kennedy, one of the most popular presidents in US history, looks with another somewhat sad look. And the third shows Generalissimo Joseph Stalin.
The appearance of these historical characters on Chinese ritual money is a completely natural circumstance. The creators of the money of the dead could not ignore such persons. Names are too loud. Too confused fates. There is too much mystical and even demonic (as in the case of Stalin) in the aura of each of them. And Asians are known to be very sensitive to such things. It remains only to guess who of the mighty of this world will be the next on the ritual money of China. Who else will the Chinese confident of his existence undertake to prophesy as assistants to the infernal lord?
Magazine: Secrets of the 20th century №8. Author: Rolf Meisinger