
University of Toronto apologises for hell money handed to students during CNY
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The University of Toronto has apologised for offering its students hell money during Lunar New Year. Many of the university's Asian students felt offended since hell money is generally used as offerings to the deities and deceased ancestors. Multiple reports, including the Global Times and South China Morning Post, said members of the University of Toronto Graduate House Team hoped to celebrate Lunar New Year, but put incorrect banknotes into the red envelopes. Some students said the words "Hell Bank Note" were written at the top of notes that was so hard to overlook.
On its Weibo account, the university apologised and said, "The University of Toronto received information from students about the Lunar New Year's red envelope incident. After learning the details of the incident, the University of Toronto immediately contacted relevant departments and teams to understand it and withdrew all red envelopes. The University of Toronto understands the impact of this incident and apologises for the mistake."
It added, "Chinese New Year should be happy and auspicious, and the University of Toronto deeply regrets the mistake. The university is firmly committed to the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion. We will continue to strengthen important campus education efforts to increase knowledge about and understanding of our diverse community, deepening inclusivity and the sense of belonging across our three campuses."
Traditionally, red envelopes filled with money are given out, particularly during Lunar New Year, as symbols of auspiciousness and prosperity for the recipients in the coming year. Red envelopes can also be used on other occasions, including wedding banquets and the birthday of the recipient.
University of Toronto isn't the only one to recently have faced confusion on Chinese offerings. Recently, UK media outlets The Guardian and BBC decided to publish recipes around dishes during the festive period. Unfortunately, the image accompanying the recipes showed joss paper, ancient Chinese coins and an envelope given out at funerals (吉儀) to go with recipes. On BBC's website, the recipe "Lo mein with scallops and Tenderstem broccoli" offered by chef and founder of School of Wok Jeremy Pang was accompanied by a red packet and an envelope given out at funerals, which even contained the name "吉儀" on the surface of the envelope. Traditionally, in Chinese custom, attendees of a funeral will receive the envelope after the ceremony.
Meanwhile, The Guardian's "Pork and crab dumplings with spicy sour sauce" dish featured a side of longevity joss paper for decorative purposes. Joss paper is traditionally burnt by the Chinese to pay respects to the departed and for ancestral worship. They can also be used during the worship of deities in Chinese folk religion. The feature has also caught the attention of the Twitter-verse, with Vivienne Chow, a correspondent for art market website, artnet, tweeting about it.
(Photo courtesy: Weibo)
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BBC and The Guardian Chinese dish recipes showcased with a side of joss paper and funeral envelopes
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