Name of Ritual

Hell-breaking ritual tiu fo 跳火, 破城、破地狱

Description of Ritual/Practice

• This ritual is performed to retrieve the soul of the deceased who died before their time, i.e. if the deceased pass away due to an accident, or have their life shortened. Thhe ritual thus saves those who have been wronged on their death.
• The ritual begins with 上台：超度, 以水火炼度 to alleviate the soul.
• A small paper city with 4 doors (north, south, east, west) is positioned in front of the coffin and altar, surrounded by a layer of sand. It is set on fire, and the nam mo lo performing the ritual carries a long sword and run around the city while chanting the sutras. In the climax of the ritual, the chief nam mo lo 喃呒佬 jumps over the fire (as the flames reached a dramatic height), breaks down the ‘door’ to rescue the soul of the deceased. This is repeated until all 4 doors are broken down.
• In Hakka communities, the ritual is performed with a dragon sculpture made of sand

Who practices it? Who conducts the ritual?

Ritual specialists such as the nam mo lo 喃呒佬

Is it still practiced now?

• 跳火、破城 is mostly practiced by Cantonese and Hakka communities. Most elders remaining in industry are less agile, while younger practitioners are unfamiliar with the ritual.
• The ritual is a rarely performed now due to lack of knowledge by younger generations, aging of Taoist priests, and urbanisation (HDB void decks, Multi-Purpose Hall, and modern funeral parlours may not be conducive for this practice). This results in many funeral directors not advising families to arrange for this ritual.
• This salvation ritual is also performed for wandering spirits and is performed on behalf of the deceased and their descendants（以先人和家属的名义超度孤魂) at the Ullambana festival. Doing so helps the deceased to earn merits and allows them to be reincarnated faster or more easily.