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hand-gestures implying that he was going to replace the ghosts who were suffering in Hell." After that, he threw six Man Taus as if he was offering millions of bread to the hungry ghosts who had been released from Hell. All three representative worshippers of the committee, each holding a small incense stick, attended each night offering ritual. During the last ‘Offering', the Tao Ch'ang area was crowded with worshippers who were mainly family members and relatives of the 'Newly Dead'. Everyone attending the last ‘Offering' held a small incense stick. According to the informants, the ‘Last Offering', different from the other offerings, was especially for the ancestors of the worshippers." After the ritual, all the paper-made figures, Chos, and Ming-ches were burnt with paper-made gold and silver hills, bundles of paper money, and fire crackers. As each Ming-che was burning, the family members and the relatives of the 'Newly Dead' bowed down to send it off. For most of the worshippers, the festival had now ended, and only the committee members attended the rituals held on the last morning.
On the last day, there was a ritual to (i) thank the temple god, Kwan-ti, (ii) thank Heaven, and (iii) give offerings to those handicapped ghosts who were supposed to have come late. For the first time in the whole festival, meat was presented at this ritual.” The festival ended with the priests' departure after the rituals. The Association held a feast in the afternoon of the last day to celebrate the successful completion of the festival.
III. Composition of the Participants
Four categories of the participants should be specially mentioned. They are: (a) the priests, (b) the common worshippers, (c) the families of the "Newly Dead,” and (d) the committee members and workers.
A team of nine priests, including eight monks and one nun, were employed from the Huang Po (## Obakku in Japanese) Buddhist sect from the Wan Fu temple (万 Manfukuji in Japanese) in Uji (宇治), Kyoto.23 Although (as at least two informants told me) in the past the priests in this temple were mainly Chinese, they are now all Japanese. They used to have
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hand-gestures implying that he was going to replace the ghosts who were suffering in Hell." After that, he threw six Man Taus as if he was offering millions of bread to the hungry ghosts who had been released from Hell. All the three representative worshippers of the committee, each holding a small incense stick, attended each night offering ritual. During the last ‘Offering', the Tao Ch'ang area was crowded with worshippers who were mainly fam- ily members and relatives of the 'Newly Dead'. Everyone attend- ing the last ‘Offering' held a small incense stick. According to the informants the ‘Last Offering", different from the other offerings, was especially for the ancestors of the worshippers." After the ritual, all the paper-made figures, Chos, and Ming-ches were burnt with paper-made gold and silver hills, bundles of paper money and fire crackers. As each Ming-che was burning, the family mem- bers and the relatives of the 'Newly Dead' bowed down to send if off. For most of the worshippers, the festival had now ended and only the committee members attended the rituals held on the last morning.
On the last day, there was a ritual to (i) thank the temple god, Kwan-ti, (ii) thank Heaven, and (iii) give offerings to those handi- capped ghosts who were supposed to have come late. For the first time in the whole festival meat was presented at this ritual.” The festival ended with the priests' departure after the rituals. The Association held a feast in the afternoon of the last day to celebrate the successful completion of the festival.
III. Composition of the Participants
Four categories of the participants should be specially men- tioned. They are: (a) the priests, (b) the common worshippers, (c) the families of the "Newly Dead,” and (d) the committee mem- bers and workers.
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A team of nine priests, including eight monks and one nun, were employed from the Huang Po (## Obakku in Japa- nese) Buddhist sect from the Wan Fu temple ( 24 Manfukuji in Japanese) in Uji ( 4 ), Kyoto.23 Although (as at least two informants told me) in the past the priests in this temple were mainly Chinese they are now all Japanese. They used to have
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