Beating the Petty Person

Have a grudge against someone?  A boss you don’t like?  A nosey neighbor?  Well, now you can be freed from the stress and anguish of this “petty person” – with the practice of “da siu yan”.

The practice of "beating petty people" -- or "da siu yan" -- is a unique southern Chinese custom for exorcising any real or imagined demons.  Usually carried out by old ladies who are the de facto sorceresses of Hong Kong, these “witches” use a paper effigy of the petty person you are having trouble with, and beat it with an old beat-up shoe while they chant.  

Then they burn the effigy up – I’m sure there is more to it than that, but for 50 Kong Kong dollars ($6.45) you can have peace of mind  knowing the bane of your life will now be haunted with the curses of the chanted divination.

                                               And to think that is all that it takes!  Who knew?!

It only takes about three minutes and the feisty old ladies are given HK$50 for their trouble.

For a video of this woman beating a petty person and burning the effigy, check out my Facebook Page HERE.  

“That's not a whole lot for giving you peace of mind. But for them, it's a higher calling.

"This isn't a job that anyone can take on," says practitioner Siu Jeh. “You have to be commissioned by the gods. They have to give you the power, then you can complete the petty people beating ceremony."

http://travel.cnn.com/hong-kong/life/gallery-petty-people-beating-229091

Source: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/see-do/culture-heritage/living-culture/pretty-person-beating.jsp#ixzz3A5gKVaf3