Lord Zhang's birthday is now upon us.

I was at my teacher's sintua shortly after midnight to wish the Serpent Queller many happy returns.

Breakfast.

I usually just ask the organiser.

Preparing the King of Ghosts and his retinue for their send-off.

The likelihood is that someone is trying to break or threaten the Datuk's influence/reign over the area.

Probably a black magician or dark arts practitioner who is in league with a being or beings who are the Datuk's enemies.

The big sendoff.

Sunrise parting.

Hell deities are my area of expertise, but I do know a fair bit about Heavenly gods, too.

If you wish to be enlightened about anything, just ask.

Absolutely not.

They will be rounded up and brought back to Hell.

The send off is purely symbolic.

The ghosts are not the ones who have rewarded the devotees.

Being prisoners, they are in no position to grant such boons.

The jailers.

That's right.

Treats for the young and young at heart.

If the flies haven't settled and if the food isn't otherwise contaminated, yes, absolutely.

The food is usually left out for at least 30-60 minutes.

Sure, why not.

The highest ranking are the trinity known as the San Qing, but in practice, they are hardly revered.

Even the Jade Emperor, next in line, is pretty much there in temples and sintuas solely as a nominal presence to grant the place the necessary authority to operate.

Sintua doctrine states that the higher ranking a deity, the less involved they become with mortal affairs, and therefore the less relevant they become.

The highest ranking sintua deity who is worshipped on a widespread basis would be Guan Yin.

You can make offerings to family on any day, but these should include extra special items (particularly food items) on their death anniversaries and other significant dates.

Not all Hell beings accept anything other than traditional silver incense paper, so my advice is to stick with that.

Inclusion of an address slip with burned offerings is a must, as you have correctly pointed out.

Nothing apart from cash and simple paper clothing should be burned, and food offerings should be placed in front of the ancestral altar where your relative is enshrined (ideally use divining blocks to determine if they have finished their meal).

The burning can be conducted within the confines of your home and its compound.

The San Qing are the Three Pure Ones, yes.

As I mentioned, they are not commonly seen in Chinese folk religion temples; the Taoists pay them more reverence than we do.

Guan Yin is by far the most widely worshipped Chinese folk religion deity, on account of how responsive this merciful goddess is said to be.

Second in line would be Di Zhu Gong, the minor earth deity who is said to preside over each plot of land and/or building thereon.

Lord Guan is also popular on account of his protective nature and his role as a military wealth god, preventing one's money from being robbed or cheated.

I'm not really familiar with most of the names you are using, by the way; you seem to be writing in a dialect I do not recognise.

Many thanks for your readership.

Do stick around and feel free to chat about the topic.

It's over, everyone.

The gates have shut.

But let us not cry because it's come to a close, but smile because it happened.

Hope all of you had a good time.

See you all next year...