Zhong Yuan Jie, The Hungry Ghost Festival

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Ceremonial offerings of food and incense during the Hungry Ghost Festival; photo by Daniel Chong Kah Fui

Zhong Yuan Jie ("Middle Ghost Month Festival") or The Hungry Ghost Festival, is held on the 15th night of the 7th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, at the full Moon. This festival is also observed by members of the Buddhist faith, who call it Yulanpen Jie ("Festival of the Offering Vessel for Relief from Suffering"), and is celebrated throughout Asia under various regional names, such as Por Tor in Thailand. At this time both Taoists and Buddhists perform rituals to honour the deceased and avert their suffering by presenting them with food offerings, lighting incense, and burning joss paper or spirit money, also known as Hell money or Hell bank notes, for their prosperity in the afterlife. Most meals served during this holiday consist of vegetarian dishes.

In ancient Chinese folk religion, the seventh month is regarded as the "Ghost Month," the opening of the Gates of Hell, when the spirits of the deceased come out from the lower realm. During this time, which lasts an entire month, it is said that the spirits of the dead roam the earthly plane and it is common to find the streets eerily quiet and empty in the evening, because, those who pay attention to tradition wish to be at home by dusk. The festival closes with the setting of small lanterns into lotus-shaped paper boats, and setting them adrift on calm waters. People gather along the river banks to watch the lights drift away, and as each one goes out, it represents another soul who has returned to the underworld.

Burning Hell money and paper gold ingots during the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival; photo by YAYImages
Chinese paper folding or zhezhi is an art that originated in medieval China; here zhezhi figures made from red and gold joss paper depict a Dog (for the Year of the Dog) surmounted by a turtle whose back bears a golden ingot; they are placed on an offering table for the Hungry Ghosts; photo by Aderibas
Street performance for the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival at old Phuket Town, Thailand, in 2016; photo by Aderibas
Lanterns float along the Zijiang River after being released by local residents to mark the close of the 2016 Zhong Yuan Festival in Guilin city, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China; photo by ChinaImages

The ghostly dead who are appeased at Zhong Yuan Jie and then sent on their way are not the celebrants' ancestors, but rather those who died without children or whose descendants have not honoured or respected their memories. They are the hungry ones who were not given offerings to sustain them in the afterlife. Thus the Hungry Ghost Festival is not to be confused with Ching Ming Jie or Tomb Sweeping Day, during which descendants travel to their family graveyards to make offerings to their revered ancestors, for during the Ghost Month, and especially at the Hungry Ghost Festival, it is the deceased who are believed to visit the living.

There are numerous taboos associated with this Festival:

Entertainment:

  • Leave the front row of chairs roped off and empty -- ghosts like to sit up front!
  • Don't play with a Ouija board.

Altars:

  • Altars are for leaving offerings, so never leave a child sitting on one.
  • Do not complain, make jokes, or otherwise disturb temporary altars placed along the road.
  • In case of any transgression against an altar, be sure to apologize to the spirits.
  • Do not pick up any coins you may see as they probably belong to spirits.
  • Do not look under the altar.

Home before dark:

  • Try to be indoors before sunset; especially children and child-bearing women.
  • Should you find yourself out at night, don’t whistle; the sound attracts ghosts.
  • At home, don't hang wind chimes near your bed; spirits are drawn to the sound.
  • Do not take the last bus; that’s the one with the ghosts on it.
  • No photos at night -- you may catch a ghost who'd rather not be photographed.
  • Better to stay home and not travel by plane or sea.
  • Do not buy a new car during the Ghost Month.
  • Do not go near the water. Don’t swim in the pool. Or go into a jungle. Or go camping.
  • Once home, keep the front door shut at night.

Stay away from cold places:

  • Do not stand under a tree or lean against a wall, as that is where spirits like to stay cool.
  • Should you become cold suddenly, do not react; keep going straight ahead without a sound.
  • Same goes for anybody tapping you on the shoulder or calling your name -- ignore it.
  • Don’t be curious or follow strange or sweet scents to their source.

Personal attire:

  • Don't leave your clothes hanging out to dry on the line overnight or spirits may inhabit them.
  • Don't paint your fingernails black or risk being thought a ghost.
  • Don't wear black or red.
  • Do not open an umbrella indoors.
  • High heels may leave the wearer open to the world below.
  • Do not cover your forehead -- you will need to leave it open as a channel for yang energy.

And finally:

  • Don't cuss -- especially anywhere spirits may be insulted.
  • Don't even talk about ghosts or joke about the supernatural.
  • Do not kill visiting grasshoppers, butterflies, or moths in your home. They may be spirits.
  • Do not talk to yourself -- spirits may think you are initiating a conversation with them.
  • Do not poke your rice with your chopsticks.
  • Do not get married, have surgery, visit a friend in the hospital, or attend a funeral.

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