en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Festival

Lunar - July 14

There was an article a while back about the mess that was made at Nanping Street after Christmas or New Years.

The younger generation does not want to do this. Right now there is a woman chewing her mother's ass just outside our window. She has a big attitude and one can see that she does not want to do this meaningless ritual and tradition. The woman yelled at her mother and said, Why are you crying? Where were you when our father was alive.

Meanwhle the old woman is throwing cigarettes and fruit into the fire of burning paper and stacking rice balls with incense next to it. Now she is saying, hurry up! stop babbling (Lao dao - 唠叨) and lets go home.

人活着的时候都没对他那么好,死了在这哭有什么用？别在外面弄这一套,丢人现眼。

I am sure the street cleaners would love to get rid of this festival and the mess that results from all the burning and left over food and pests. The people leave a big mess and could care less who will clean it.

Traditions serve a purpose when they have meaning for the participants. When rituals are repeated for no reason or done with a bad attitude then they should be allowed to evaporate and disappear with time.

Here in China, there is more propaganda and meaning for Valentine's day (Feb 14) then there is for Qi Xi Jie (July 7).

I see store front windows sprayed with snowflakes and signs that Read Merry Xmas - Ridiculous. I also see people wearing red Santa hats during December -

Get rid of a very old traditional chinese festival, where people remember their ancestors? And that comes from a citizen of the US...
And now i really wonder, when does the post come from you about Chinese people have to not look chinese anymore and also have to abandon chopsticks. You're ridiculous! You're guest here, maybe a good teacher... or are you a missionary?

I saw some people burning stuff on the pavement yesterday, only 2 people in a walk of about 3-4km so clearly it is dying out (if it was indeed yesterday). Once we die we should no longer need money, food, etc. By all means remember your loved ones when they have passed, no need to burn money and food etc. Having said that, these cultural traditions make the world more interesting - but only if they are understood and appreciated by the people doing them. The CNY and wedding traditions for example, seem to be enjoyed and understood by almost nobody, yet they are continued emptily, much for the resentment of many young people.

cultural traditions make the world more interesting - but only if they are understood and appreciated by the people doing them.

Well said!!! As in the example I mentioned earlier - exactly my point.

There will always be people like the one above who has to go down the slippery slope with the All or Nothing thinking!

It's the same empty and messy celebrations everywhere. People don't understand the true suffering behind Thanksgiving and yet celebrate it, don't know the meaning or don't know when is Mardi Gras or Cinco de Mayo and yet make lots of noise and a huge mess in the streets celebrating these emptily. Same for Easter and Christmas, nobody seems to know what they mean, yet gather and celebrate.

Mardi Gras - Great example - A religious festival mixed in with old pagan celebrations used now as a sex festival. Ever been to NO or Rio during Mardi Gras?

These things will live or die on their own. You may see people in the younger generation rolling their eyes, and maybe they won't do it when it's their turn. Or maybe they will have some kind of epiphany when they get older and do it too.

You may have seen very little of it in your neighborhood, but nearly every inch of sidewalk in mine is covered in soggy ashes today.

Qixi (Chinese Valentine's) is a bad example, because it wasn't celebrated in the same way as in the past. It was reinvented around a grain of similarity with Valentine's maybe about a decade ago.

You think that's messy, try being the guy who has to clean up after 'The Twelfth'

Sorry, but it's seems so typical: an American come to China, tell Chinese people to stop ancient tradition, because the American thinks it too messy, and it's not like America.

Very typical arrogant Western attitude. Why don't you stop your independence country day, because fireworks are too messy?

Never ASSUME because when you assume you make an ASS of Urself.

1 - Where does it say? - tell Chinese people to stop ancient tradition. Please cut and paste here so you can prove your point.

2 - Do you know geography? Why do you assume the OP was born in America?

3 - Just so you know - fireworks are illegal in the US and not permitted during the 4th of July. Each city or county conducts their own fireworks show and they have emergency medical and fire personnal standing by. Individuals can not light up their own fireworks.