Crossing the Strait with Talismans: Tracing the Red Paper Ritual on Neighboring Doors from Taiwan to Fujian's Sacred Boundaries
Along the alleyways of Taiwan, why do bereaved families affix mysterious squares of red paper to their neighbors' doorways? Widely regarded as an ancient Minnan tradition, this ritual constitutes a profound philosophy of mortality and an unspoken community covenant spanning the Taiwan Strait. Tracing this practice to its Fujian roots, this article examines how red and white talismans function as magical boundaries to manage death pollution and redraw neighborhood maps.
