According to Feng Shui Chinh Phai, the following are 4 types of flowers that are “difficult to attract fortune”, some even attract negative energy, which should not be worshiped at the altar of the God of Fortune. The incense flower offering is one of the essential items to offer to the altar to show respect and sincerity of the owner. However, for each type of altar, homeowners also need to pay attention to choosing the right flowers, both to increase the fulfillment when praying and to avoid breaking the rules and breaking the spiritual place. According to feng shui feng shui, here are 4 types of flowers that are “difficult to attract fortune”, some even lead to negative energy that should not be worshiped at the altar of God of Fortune: Chrysanthemum flower Chrysanthemum is a very popular flower, meaning auspicious longevity, very popular with Vietnamese people for spiritual worship. However, chrysanthemums also have the meaning of nostalgia for the past, so they are more suitable for worshiping ancestors. Besides, chrysanthemum is also used in many different events, so it is not suitable to place it in the altar of the God of Wealth, which is a place for the owner to ask for fortune and peace. Jasmine Jasmine flowers are also used for sound and burial purposes, so they are absolutely not used to burn incense to the God of Fortune. It means unlucky, fortune fortune goes down markedly. Moreover, jasmine has an attractive scent to snakes, when these species come to the altar, it also makes the family insecure. Fake plastic flowers Flowers in worship also mean offering good and good things and expressing gratitude and respect of the owner to the god. Using fake plastic flowers makes no sense and even disturbs the air field at the place of worship. Feng shui expert Phung Phuong has emphasized many times that the use of plastic items on the altar not only does not bring positive energy or any effect on feng shui, but also causes the accumulation of negative energy, attracting evil spirits to the family. more insecure, encounter many bad things. Withered flowers for a long time do not change If you leave the flowers for too long, the flowers will wither, wither, become ugly and have an unpleasant odor. This will lose the solemnity, offend the spiritual level. In feng shui, things that are not good are no longer alive and do not bring good energy, which directly affects the fortune of the altar. Besides, homeowners also need to avoid worshiping flowers such as hibiscus, buttons, etc., because they inherently have unsightly names and inappropriate meanings for worshiping in dignified places. At the altar of the God of Fortune, you can refer to offering flowers with cheerful and lucky colors and meanings such as gerbera, roses, lilies, tulips, heather… * Information for reference and contemplation.

Two weeks ago, just as dawn broke over the Ganges, a riverside resident discovered several bodies drifting into the shallows of the river most sacred to Indians. Darsan Nishad – a 35-year-old man working for a local environmental program – pulled the eight bodies out of the water. He then tied these bodies with sacks to take them away to check the cause of death. Finally, the unfortunate victims will be cremated – according to Hindu rites. “We don’t know where these bodies come from. We didn’t even know if they had any diseases,” said Nishad, pointing to the area where he and his colleagues had to carry out this difficult task. Hindus make offerings to the sacred Ganges River after scattering the ashes of their loved ones. Hundreds of bodies were found floating or buried in the river in May. Photo: Washington Post. Saddened by the experience, Nishad shared his belief in the Ganges, which Hindus revere as a sacred river. According to Hindu beliefs, anyone who has bathed in the river will be cleansed of all sins. “The river has great spiritual significance to us. Indians believe that if you dip yourself in this water even once, you will be protected for life,” said Nishad, standing a few feet from the crematorium in the river. “For us, the river is the goddess,” said Nishad. This is just a small number of hundreds of other bodies floating or buried in sand along the length of the river in the context that India suffered the second worst consequences in the world because of the Covid-19 pandemic. after America. Worried fisherman The mystery surrounding the bodies remains unanswered. Authorities have not been able to find out how many people have Covid-19 among those bodies. Many believe that some families have opted for extreme measures – dropping the bodies of loved ones in the Ganges – because they cannot afford to cremate them. Before the second wave of Covid-19 “swallowed” India, the cremation rite cost only 70 USD. However, the number has now risen to more than $400 – almost six times higher – since the end of April. In Sujabad – a large community that depends on the Ganges for a living – many people are currently without work. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused the loss of jobs for river boaters carrying pilgrims and tourists. With bodies constantly dropping into the river causing pollution, local fishermen are worried about their catch and fish stocks being affected. For many people, the source of fish on the sacred river has been a way of life for a long time. The Indian crematorium burns day and night. Photo: New York Times. According to people here, the most prosperous business at this time is providing wood for the crematorium. As of May 23, India recorded more than 26.2 million cases of Covid-19 and more than 295,000 deaths. The number of new infections per day in India has recently decreased, but the average number of deaths in the past 7 days has remained high, above 4,000 people per day. The “tsunami” of Covid-19 has put the Indian economy on the brink of collapse. Like the bodies found in the Ganges – whether they died from coronavirus, heart attacks or old age – residents of communities like Sujabad are falling victim to this virus. Government gets involved Images of floating bodies prompted authorities to step in. Patrol ships are deployed across more than 2,400 kilometers of the Ganges River. State and local governments have established a network of free cremation sites – providing firewood and inviting priests to perform Masses for families who cannot afford it. Hundreds of such crematoriums have been opened across Varanasi, the holy city on the banks of the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh state, and home to a series of steps leading down to the Ganges (called ghats). Usually, Hindus will gather in large numbers at ghats to bathe, baptize their children and scatter the ashes of the dead. However, now the ghats are uninhabited, while the crematoriums operate continuously day and night. In downtown Varanasi, officials have set up a Covid-19 “command center”. Here, thousands of staff will take calls from residents, check on patients, order ambulances for those in need of hospitalization and arrange cremation services. A large screen hung on the wall continuously displays the latest information on the number of hospital beds, oxygen supply and the number of new infections. Government employees patrol the Ganges River. Photo: Washington Post. Share with Washington Post , cleric Satindra Kumar in Varanasi could not hide his fatigue after long days of performing funeral rites. “I have performed the funeral rite 15 times in the past two days, most of the dead are patients with corona virus. People who don’t die from the disease also come here,” Kumar said. “The pandemic is so devastating! Everyone is afraid and suffering. I cannot stop what is happening, but I will continue to pray. I hope that will bring peace to the relatives of the deceased.” Even the poor still have to celebrate However, in rural areas, there is no similar service for the family of someone who has died of Covid-19 or other causes. Despite the extra cost, many people still make trips to the ghats to pray for their loved ones in accordance with Hindu custom. They believe that even with the added economic burden on their shoulders, they still have to bear to follow the ancestral traditions. Journalist of Washington Post witnessed a group of peasants reach out to one of Varanasi’s oldest ghats to perform funerals for three loved ones. Cremation platforms along the riverside. Photo: Getty. They prepare offerings consisting of pellets and spices, wrapped in large leaves under the supervision of a Hindu priest. After the bodies of three loved ones were blessed, the men stepped off the ghats, floated their offerings in the river, and began scattering the ashes. After that, besides the cremation fee, the group also had to pay the ceremony money for the ceremony just now. They anxiously counted every penny they had accumulated, plus the costs of barbers, photographers and gifts. They do not hesitate to pay expensive expenses to fulfill their religious obligations at a time of uncertainty, fear of an invisible and deadly force. “For generations, villagers have come here to perform the last rites of life,” said Lakshmi Singh, a farmer in his 60s. Bringing the ashes of unclaimed Covid-19 victims to the Ganges River Indian volunteers collect ashes from crematoriums to organize funerals for Covid-19 victims in Haridwar city.

A false door dated to 2,400 BC. Photo: Sharron Mollerus. What is a fake door? False doors were one of the most common architectural features in ancient Egyptian tombs, mainly royal tombs, dating back to the Egypt’s Old Kingdom period. False doors first appeared in the Mastaba . tombs [loại mộ cổ hình chóp cụt] It belonged to the Third Dynasty and was widely used in tombs of the Fourth to Sixth Dynasties. False doors are usually made from a monolithic limestone rock, sometimes painted red with black spots. Its shape resembles a real door with an outer frame but is longer and narrower, such as the false door in Sean Khui Ptah’s tomb located in the Teti cemetery in Saqqara, Egypt. However, in the tomb of Hesire lăng [bác sĩ của Pharaoh Djoser] and many others, false doors can be made of wood. The fake door is almost always fixed in place. But in rare cases, they can be teleported. The original form of the false door was just a small alcove facing the west. Then, the ancient Egyptians carved out a square or rectangle at the top where they believed that gods or dead relatives would appear to receive offerings. The sides of the door are stone and linoleum [bộ phận nằm trên khung cửa có tác dụng đỡ mảng tường gạch phía trên] where the Egyptians wrote hieroglyphs. During the nearly 150-year rule of Sixth Dynasty pharaohs including Pepi I, Merenre and Pepi II, the false door underwent a series of design and layout changes. Based on that, historians can date many tombs based on the characteristics of the false doors. After the First Intermediate Period, the popularity of false doors in tombs dwindled. During the New Kingdom period, false doors became simpler, just drawings on the flat surface of a wall or stele engraved with hieroglyphs. Sometimes, fake doors are painted on the sides of the stone coffin. A grave may consist of two false doors, one for the owner of the grave and the other for his or her spouse. Also, in some cases of extended family graves, each member has their own false door. Gateway to the afterlife For the ancient Egyptians, false doors were considered a gateway between the world of the living and the world of the dead. They believe that the souls of deceased relatives can pass through this door to receive offerings or offerings. The false door is usually located on the west wall of the main room in the chapel, or altar room. It is meticulously decorated, bearing the name and title of the owner of the tomb. The hieroglyphic content on the false door also refers to offerings for the deceased. Sometimes it was a curse meant to protect the mummy and their spiritual journey after death. Anyone who dares to enter or tamper with the mummy’s tomb will be met with bad luck and inevitable death. However, those with good intentions who come to make offerings will be blessed. For example, the false door in Redi-ness’s tomb at Giza (Egypt) records the following: “I never wanted to harm anyone. But anyone who dares trespass on my resting place will be punished by the gods.” The life-sized statue is walking through the fake door. Photo: Wikimedia In some of the tombs, life-sized statues were created walking out of the center of the false door. On either side of the door were painted two servants accompanying them to show their noble status. Usually, in front of the fake door there will be a stone table – where offerings for the dead are placed. Offerings can be real food or symbolic food carved directly on the table such as bread, beer, chicken, beef, etc. Currently, fake doors are one of the unique architectural features of the ancient Egyptians that are interested and studied. Although many fake doors still exist in the mausoleum grounds, there are a few that have been removed and displayed in different museums around the world. Fake door outside Egypt Egypt is not the only place where strange fake doors can be found. In 1996, tour guide Jose Luis Delgado Mamani accidentally discovered a stone gate 7m high, 2m wide in the mountains of Hayu Marca, about 35 km from the Peruvian city of Puno. It was named the “Gate of Gods”, or “Gate of the Gods”. According to legend, anyone who walks through the Gate of God will become immortal. The native Indians believe that the great heroes of the past passed through this gate to enter the land of the gods and enjoy eternal life. Gate of God in Peru. Photo: Alamy In addition to the Divine Gate in Peru, there are many ancient structures that are said to be portals to other worlds. For example, the Stonehenge stone circle in England; Gate of the Sun in Tiahuanaco, Bolivia; The Star Gate in Sri Lanka, … In January 2018, archaeologists discovered a fake door in a Greek tomb at the Al-Abd archaeological site in Alexandria. Dr Ayman Ashmawy, an expert in Egyptian antiquities, said that the fake door in this case played a role in misleading thieves, making it impossible for them to find the real door of the tomb.

Tiet Thanh Minh arrives 60 days after Lap Spring, 105 days after the Winter solstice day. The first day of this period is called Tet Thanh Minh. Thanh Minh Tet in 2019 falls on the 5th of April of the solar calendar (1/3 of the lunar calendar). Vietnamese people often worship Tet Thanh Minh at the family and ancestors’ grave, so it is necessary to prepare 2 ceremonies. Thanh Minh worshiping ceremony at the tomb Depending on the family, the Thanh Minh Tet ceremony at the ancestor’s grave can be a vegetarian or salty ceremony. The offerings include: incense, lamp, tea, fruit, wine, clear water, betel nut and gold coins. Vegetarian tray includes: Sticky rice, banana cake, fruit cake, water bottle, salted rice, burns, butter, honey cup. The salty tray in addition to the above has added meat wine, sausage, boiled chicken or braised pork rolls. If there are many incense bowls, each bowl must be lit, while the offerings placed on the table can be shared. When going to graves, the main job is to repair the tombs to be clean, re-fill the tombs for fullness, remove weeds and wild trees overgrown the tomb, then put the offerings to Tet Thanh Minh. Finished offering, waiting for the incense to burn about 2/3, then the ceremony to give thanks, turn gold and ask for fortune to go home to celebrate the family and ancestors at home. If it is written down on paper, then after reading it, it will also bring goods. When going to the gravesite, pay attention to walking gently, carefully, do not mess up and swirl rubble soil to avoid affecting the surrounding environment and landscape. Do not step on another’s tomb or kick offerings on someone else’s tomb. If there are young children, pay attention to the careful supervision of them. tet Thanh Minh New Year worshiping ceremony at home The offering at home does not require too fussy, depending on the conditions of each family or local customs and habits to prepare. You can make a tray to worship Thanh Minh Tet with a full range of savory dishes such as sticky rice, boiled chicken, sausages, bamboo shoots soup, vermicelli, adding a stir-fried plate … and some other offerings such as fruit, fresh flowers, betel nut, votive … Buddhist families prepare vegetarian offerings. Some families do not cook Tet Thanh Minh offerings, only burn incense with fresh flowers and fruits, tea, candies … to pay tribute to ancestors. Before worshiping, it is necessary to clean the house to be tidy and clean, to clean the ancestral altar. The worshiper must wear clean, neat clothes and put on incense, bow to the ancestors and read vows. When a week of incense burns out, the family can turn gold and ask for the enjoyment of the fortune.