Rules on burning stuff?

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
1

I would think in Taiwan where everyone burns paper money at the right (or wrong) time of the year, it’s ok to burn stuff as long as it’s not noxious (like garbage).

So I start a little bonfire in front of my house and the neighbor complains and calls the cops. I was totally surprised because I didn’t think there was any rule about burning stuff since Taiwanese people do it bloody all the time. The cop came over and took a look at what I was burning (he wanted to make sure I wasn’t like burning garbage or something) and I explained I was just burning wood and making charcoal. He seemed ok with it but the neighbor was VERY angry with me burning stuff for whatever reason. So I put it out anyways just to not piss them off.

So what are the rules on burning stuff? When and where can I do it? It really sucks when every other Taiwanese can burn shit pretty much at any time and burns way worse shit yet somehow I can’t do it?

I asked the neighbor that so I can’t start a fire anytime and not even BBQ and she pretty much said no fires are allowed in the neighborhood, not even BBQ.

2

By a stack of ghost money and burn it in a strategic place whenever the wind is blowing in the direction of her freshly hung washing or an open window. That should shut her up some. When it rains, my neighbor downstairs burns her ghost money in the stairwell. :fume: :fume:

3

I am not a Buddhist/Taoist (not even sure where the one ends and the other begins, they all look the same) so I have no real religious need to burn ghost money. No idea what are the rules on that but in my neighborhood I have not seen anyone burn ghost money, which is kinda odd, or maybe I just didn’t notice it. I would think the large number of elders would mean that they burn ghost money like mad.

4

Rules vary. In my Mucha neighborhood you couldn’t burn ghost paper. The village chief would collect during ghost month and other times. Even bbq is banned in some areas.

Now in Xindian neighbors burn ghost paper twice a month and no one stops them.

5

[quote=“Mucha Man”]Rules vary. In my Muzha neighborhood you couldn’t burn ghost paper. The village chief would collect during ghost month and other times. Even bbq is banned in some areas.

Now in Xindian neighbors burn ghost paper twice a month and no one stops them.[/quote]

So this is mostly a community/village rule and not a city/county/district rule?

One of the reason I chose my current location was the fact that there are open spaces that allowed me to do things like BBQ and bonfires… now to find that its not allowed is really shit.

6

[quote=“Taiwan Luthiers”][quote=“Muzha Man”]Rules vary. In my Muzha neighborhood you couldn’t burn ghost paper. The village chief would collect during ghost month and other times. Even bbq is banned in some areas.

Now in Xindian neighbors burn ghost paper twice a month and no one stops them.[/quote]

So this is mostly a community/village rule and not a city/county/district rule?

One of the reason I chose my current location was the fact that there are open spaces that allowed me to do things like BBQ and bonfires… now to find that its not allowed is really shit.[/quote]

I think there are city wide rules but the are enforced at the village level. Go ask your village chief.

7

My neighbor did that once. Once. I blew up so badly they never tried again.