Pineapple
Pineapple (OngLai) also means “prosperity” (Ong) in Chinese, so it is common for people to use pineapples to decorate their homes during Chinese New Year. However, as it is not a happy event, it is not appropriate to have the word “Ong”, so it is generally considered that the use of pineapples for ancestor worship during the Qingming Festival should be avoided.
Grapes, lychees and longan
Any fruit that looks like a bunch should be avoided. It is also believed that this will prevent the elderly members of the family from leaving with the deceased.
Bananas
The word ‘jiao’ (banana) is similar to ‘zhao’, so people associate it with disturbing words such as ‘invoke evil’ or ‘invoke the spirit’ and should be avoided.
Pear
In Taiwan, pear (lai) means “to come”, meaning to invite someone doesn’t exist in this world to follow you, as it has bad connotations and often brings negative energy.
