June 22, 2008

260807 中元节 Hungry Ghosts Festival - 4 Hell

Behind the black curtains, shielded from daylight - hell...presided over by 城隍爷 Cheng Huang Ye or 'City God':

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With offerings of Otard cognac & Guinness Stout:

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城隍爷 has 黑无常 Hei Wu Chang on his right:

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& 白无常 Bai Wu Chang on his left:

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More on 城隍爷, 黑无常 & 白无常 here. The three of them are flanked by 牛头 Cow Head & 马面 Horse Face:

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These two are in charge of seizing & bringing ghosts down to hell. Cow Head supposedly hunts down escaped ghosts, while Horse Face deals with wayward ghosts who have caused trouble.

All five are surrounded by paintings depicting the 十殿冥王 ten Kings of Hell...

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