When Eastern Joss Paper Meets Western Remembrance: Longing Knows No Borders
03 Dec 2025
During the seventh lunar month in Los Angeles' Chinatown, evening wind carries fine joss paper ashes past red lanterns. The owner of a street-corner grocery store is stuffing joss paper printed with "Heaven and Earth Bank" into cartons—these packages will be shipped to London, Berlin, Moscow via Amazon, covering 23 countries on the destination list. Meanwhile, YouTube creator Indra Ali's new video has surpassed 100,000 views within two hours of release. In the footage, she wears an embroidered blouse and lights joss paper in front of an altar adorned with crystals and herbs. Her fluent English voiceover explains: "This is not superstition; it's 'spiritual supply' for ancestors, as pious as when we place pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving."
No one could have imagined that Eastern joss paper, which originated as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties, would now become an "emotional messenger" for cross-cultural communication. The 32-year-old Indra, from an Indonesian-Chinese family, became obsessed with this "tangible expression of longing" after accidentally discovering joss paper in Chinatown two years ago. In her tutorial videos, traditional yellow joss paper is paired with Western memorial elements: the altar has five tiers corresponding to the Five Elements, with joss paper and sandalwood on the eastern side, and ancestors' photos and lavender on the western side. When burning, she chants blessings that blend Sanskrit and Chinese. "A British netizen left a comment saying that after worshipping with joss paper, he dreamed of his grandfather who had emigrated to the U.S. for the first time," Indra shows thank-you notes sent by netizens in the video. "He said his grandfather was holding the joss paper and smiling, saying 'Finally received money from hometown'."
In St. Petersburg, Russia, the memorial scene of folk custom enthusiast Anna is even more integrated. On her grandfather's death anniversary, she places a copper plate inherited from her grandmother by the window, with Russian rye bread and vodka on one side, and joss paper printed with the Jade Emperor's portrait on the other. "My grandfather was of Sino-Russian mixed blood. He always said 'My body is in Russia, but my roots are in China' during his lifetime," Anna shares photos on social media with the caption: "Rye bread for satiety, joss paper for spending—grandfather must be comfortable over there." Under the photo, Polish netizens asked for joss paper purchase links, and Chinese netizens sighed: "It turns out the nostalgia of grandparents' generation can still be passed on like this."
The cross-border journey of joss paper hides the most simple resonance of human longing. Archaeologists have found the earliest "imitation shell money" funerary objects in Shang and Zhou tombs. At that time, ancient people believed that "treating the deceased as the living", using imitation currency to pave the way for the afterlife. In the West, Victorian mourning cards and medieval "soul donations" are essentially using material carriers to place concerns. Today, this resonance has been infinitely amplified: Mexican netizens place joss paper with marigolds during Día de los Muertos; German netizens decorate Christmas trees with joss paper for worship; even church pastors recommend "writing longing with joss paper so that ancestors of different cultures can understand" at memorial services.
This cross-cultural demand has given birth to cross-border joss paper sets more suitable for global users. The R&D team retains traditional elements such as "Heaven and Earth Bank" totems and gold ingot patterns to make Chinese users feel the familiar ritual sense; at the same time, it uses fire-resistant materials compliant with international logistics, prints Chinese-English bilingual blessings, and attaches a simple manual marking "matching suggestions for different cultural worship scenarios". "A student studying abroad reported that when worshipping in the dormitory with the set, his foreign roommate not only did not reject it but also took the initiative to help arrange the altar," the brand manager shares user stories. "This is what we want to do—let longing know no borders and not need to accommodate cultural differences."
Last week, Indra Ali released a new video themed "Global Joss Paper Worship Collection": Chinese children in Los Angeles fold gold ingots under their parents' guidance; a designer in Paris burns joss paper with watercolor paintings; a family in Rio de Janeiro worships with joss paper and samba drums. At the end of the video, she lights a piece of joss paper printed with world map patterns. In the flame, she whispers: "We speak different languages and use different rituals, but when the flame rises, everyone is telling their deceased loved ones 'I miss you'."
Under the moonlight of the seventh lunar month, the joss paper ashes in Chinatown interweave with the packing sounds in Amazon warehouses. Those joss papers with Eastern totems are crossing mountains and seas to all parts of the world. They are no longer just simple worship supplies, but "longing messengers" carrying universal human emotions. After all, the concern for loved ones can never be blocked by cultural differences—just like fire, whether in the East or the West, can warm every longing waiting to be responded to.
Interactive Topic: What "East-meets-West" remembrance practices have you seen abroad? Burning paper with flowers, or using local ingredients as offerings? Share below
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