by Elle Morena

Created on: August 16, 2011

Ancestors and restless spirits are the focus of the Hungry Ghost Festival which happens on the seventh lunar month of the Chinese calendar. During this festival ancestors and restless spirits are appeased by having elaborate prayers and offerings in the form of food and drinks offered to them. Food and drinks, normally Chinese tea is offered together with burning joss sticks are normally laid out outside ones home. These spirits are thus discouraged to come inside the home, bringing bad luck, and as such they should have their meals outside. It is believed that these spirits roam earth during this month, and annually the Chinese Community the world over will celebrate this festival.

The appeasement comes with the believe that in the entire month, the gates of hell are open to allow spirits, also known as Hungry Ghost to roam among the living. These “hungry ghosts” will roam looking for food and drinks that are not available in hell. Appeasement will ensure that no bad luck is brought on to the living. As such, food, drinks, joss sticks and “hell” money is burned for the ghost to use when they go back after the one month of freedom.

For the year of 2011, the Hungry Ghost month is from July 31 to August 28, with the actual festival on August 14. It is during this month that filial families remember and pay respect to their family members that has passed away. Other wandering ghosts are also appeased in the process to ensure no bad luck or bad misfortune falls onto the family.

Both the Buddhist and Taoist celebrate this festival with the Buddhist believing that this the month for Yulan to pay tribute and respect to the elderly, whilst the Taoist, call this festival Zhong Yuan Jie, where 14th August is believed to have the most number of ghost roaming earth. Previously in Malaysia. the Chinese community will just have individual offerings placed out-side their home, but now, these families form communities and everyone gets together to organized a big celebration.

To-day in Malaysia, the Hungry Ghost Festival is celebrated in a big way, where the Chinese community will get together to organized dinners and stage shows with singers and dancing girls to entertain diners throughout the night. At times there may be a charity raffle where money is collected for the less fortunate and symbolic good luck items are sold during the festivities.

The more traditional celebration will see offerings being offered to the Da Shi Ye, i.e. King of Hades and the ritual culminates with a ceremony where the paper effigy of the King of Hades will be set ablaze together with his paper made mansion, servants, hell money etc, to give him a grand send off to the underworld.  Entertainment for the living and the hungry spirits during the ceremony includes Chinese opera, with some seats, normally the first few rows left empty for the unseen spirits.

During the month of the Hungry Ghost, the Chinese believe that it is not a good month for celebrations, for example marriages, moving home, and renovations to homes etc. are discouraged as it will bring bad luck to the people having such celebrations. “Dangerous” activities like swimming in the ocean or in a swimming pool, mountain climbing, hiking in the jungle or forest are also activities that are curtailed as the Chinese belief that spirits roaming around may take the opportunity to take a living soul back to the underworld with them.

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