What does burning paper at the fork in the road represent?

Because in traditional customs, after the opening of the ghost gate of Mid-Autumn Festival, not only our ancestors came back, but also many passing ghosts wandered around, and they would snatch sacrifices, so that the sacrifices of future generations could not be handed over to their ancestors.

In particular, some evil spirits are fierce, and there is no sacrifice at ordinary times. As soon as the gate of hell opens in July and a half, it's hard to return to the sun, even more regardless, robbing others' sacrifices everywhere.

In order to appease these passing ghosts, the old farmer burned some paper money for the ghosts to enjoy before the sacrifice. As long as they pay the toll, these wild ghosts will not come to rob their ancestors' sacrifices. At the same time, burning paper money at the fork in the road has another meaning, which is to appease the soldiers guarding the gate of hell, hoping that they will bend the rules and allow their ancestors to stay at home for a while, so as not to close the gate of hell so soon.

After all this, the old farmer returned to his gate, rubbed paper sticks into torches with paper money, dipped them in sesame oil, lit them, and placed them around the sacrifices every 1~2 meters, about 10 on each side. Light torches to illuminate ancestors, lest they find their way home. Next, while burning gold, silver, paper clothes and paper ingots for our ancestors, we chanted prayers and invited people to go back and enjoy them first. It was not until the torch went out and the paper money was burned out that the whole sacrifice activity ended.