Strange Japanese Custom #1

I got this last week from a collegue at work. His father sadly passed away. In Japan, they have a tradition, where if a family member dies, everyone rallies round and puts money in. Although it's not as simple as that..

You have to put old, worn notes in a special envelope with a black ribbon. You cannot put in fresh new notes, as that symbolises that you knew that person would die. Old notes signify that you weren't expecting it and has come as a shock.

Then, you write your name, and the phrase 'go-rei-zen' (in kanji) vertically on the envelope. But, you must write it in a thin grey pen. This signifies that you used a black pen, but your tears washed the ink away leaving it grey. Another collegue of mine had a special pen. One side was thin and grey for sad occasions, the other thick and black for happy occasions.

After all that is done, your grieving collegue takes the money, and buys a special gift for everyone that gave the money. And this is the gift. It's a towel, and a card, which has printed Japanese inside. I don't know what it says.