There seems to be no respite in sight for the Malaysian ringgit, which is already among Asia’s worst performing currencies. With exchange rates fluctuating so much in the real world, it only stands to reason that those in the afterlife could get affected too.
According to Mashable Asia, Malaysian papers are reporting that people are starting to turn to foreign currencies such as the U.S. dollar, when it comes to selecting paper money to burn as offerings.
With the Chinese Qing Ming festival coming, where people are expected to burn “money” for their ancestors in the afterlife, stores are selling replicas of U.S., Singapore and Japanese banknotes.
As a woman named Chong, told The Star: “I know that the U.S. dollar is at its strongest right now since around 10 years ago.”
“I thought it would be more prosperous to buy this for my family’s departed ones instead, so that hopefully, they bless us with good health and wealth in return.”Ang Siew Siew, who manages a joss paper store in the Malaysian state of Penang, said customers say they perceive the U.S. dollar as stable and strong in value.
“[The customers] claim U.S. dollars would be useful if their ancestors need to go on a holiday in the afterlife,” Ang said.
WHAT DO THE BANKNOTES LOOK LIKE?
The Qing Ming banknotes look similar to the real thing, only that the usual image of the president is swapped out for that of Yanluo, the god of death in Chinese mythology.
The change in afterlife currency is being fanned by the Malaysian ringgit’s fluctuations.
The ringgit dropped to a 12-year-low last year, triggered by fears that Trump’s presidency would set off more investors pulling out of emerging markets in the region.
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