A Gift to the dead from Pre-school

My son's pre-school is lovely, gentle, caring, and culturally diverse. They have an international potluck after their Christmas recital, which I found amusing as some parents wrote "American" next to their dishes despite we are in the US. 

So today, for Chinese New Year, my son’s teachers kindly gave our children Lai See. Traditionally a red packet with real money inside, for luck. If it’s for something fun, like from teachers, it’s usually filled with toy money or gold chocolate coins. 

So when my son opened his Lai See from his teachers,  I didn't know how I was supposed to feel as inside the red packet was a "heavenly bank note,” or Ghost money – gifts to the dead. These notes are burned when someone dies, or on days where people celebrate the ancestors. It is not something to give to the living.. In fact it's a curse, the person who receives it will die soon. Very bad luck.

Fortunately I don't believe in anything, so I found it disturbing yet funny. If my grandmother saw it… I can hear her say, “Wah, Give our children money for the dead? Wishing on them death?? " Chinese people hate nothing more than bad luck especially grandmothers.. 

So tomorrow, I will have to have a little chat with the teachers. They were so sweet, I feel bad to embarrass them.. But it's actually quite funny. An easy mistake.

This photo was very entertaining for my friends on FB of course. 

• MR:HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

• LR: oh dear…. can you imagine how mortified ppl wld be….. ha ha ha.

• BC: wow, might as well be monopoly money, sheesh. @_@.
• LR:  i've known ppl to want to use the 'pretty' gold and silver paper etc, you know, the pre-folded gold and silver ingot paper….. i suppose it's an honest mistake….wonder if the ppl who sold it to them had a good chuckle…..
• GY: Choi~~~ OMG~~ faint…
• RF: Hahaha!!! I know i should NOT but … Like this cultural gag 

• RF:  They probably thought this is chinese monopoly game money 
• YSS: The minute K opened it and I saw the paper, I thought, "Choi! Yau mo gau chor," and then started laughing, it's quite funny really.
• HH: Ohh… My gosh…. Big mistake huh
  If it was written ten thousand… You might not notice  as I didn't