8 Ways to Pay Tribute to Your Family During the Hungry Ghost Month
While it's sometimes referred to as "Chinese Halloween," the Hungry Ghost Festival goes beyond spooky festivities. This annual celebration, with some similarities to Halloween, shares a closer kinship with traditions such as Mexico's Día de los Muertos, Cambodia's Pchum Ben, or Thailand's Sat Thai.
Known as Zhongyuan Festival in Taoism (or Daoism) and Yulanpen Festival in Buddhism, this month-long celebration commences at the beginning of the seventh lunar month in the Chinese calendar. During this event, it is believed that spirits are granted freedom from the afterlife to wander the earthly realm. To honor the departed, Buddhists and Taoists conduct ghost-feeding ceremonies, craft joss paper ingots, and participate in various cultural customs aimed at alleviating the suffering of the deceased and averting encounters with restless spirits. It's a time for individuals to contemplate life's impermanence, express gratitude to their ancestors, and strengthen familial bonds.
Whether you seek ways to celebrate with your own family or aim to gain a deeper understanding of this mystical and respectful annual observance, here's everything you need to know about the Hungry Ghost Festival.
When is the Hungry Ghost Festival in 2023?
According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the entire seventh month of the year is known as "Ghost Month." In 2023, according to the Gregorian calendar, Ghost Month will span from approximately August 16 to September 14.
The Hungry Ghost Festival, also known as "Ghost Day," is consistently celebrated on the 15th night of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. Therefore, in 2023, Ghost Day falls on Wednesday, August 30.
What is the significance of the Hungry Ghost Festival?
Ghost Month is an annual event predominantly celebrated by Chinese communities across Asian countries, including China, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, and Indonesia. It holds immense cultural and religious significance and typically falls in July, August, or September.
According to traditional beliefs, during this month, the gates to the afterlife swing open, allowing the spirits of ancestors to return and walk among the living. These wandering spirits are often referred to as "hungry ghosts" because they are thought to be restless and in need of appeasement. The festival's purpose is to honor and show respect to these spirits through various rituals, performances, and offerings. Dr. Jiang Wu, a professor of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona, explains, "The Ghost Festival, popular in Asian traditions, is a unique way of addressing our questions about death by reconnecting with the deceased and their past."
A significant aspect of the festival involves offering food and material possessions, such as money, to the spirits. These offerings are believed to provide comfort and sustenance to the hungry ghosts, ensuring their well-being and preventing them from causing trouble or misfortune. The festival also features vibrant cultural festivities and rituals dedicated to honoring one's lineage and preserving family traditions. Dr. Wu further elaborates, "These rituals and ceremonies are often led by Buddhist monks or Daoist priests to release the 'ghosts' of their ancestors from suffering in the afterlife and nourish them with symbolic food of compassion."
How to celebrate Ghost Month
Hungry Ghost Festival celebrations and ceremonies vary from one region to another. Nonetheless, some common practices can be found across communities. For instance, on Ghost Day, it is customary to display tablets honoring deceased ancestors and perform veneration rituals, as Dr. Wu notes. Additionally, popular ritual operas, such as the Buddhist legend of Mulian rescuing his mother from hell, are frequently staged.
As night descends, it is common to burn joss paper, also known as "spirit money," along with other paper offerings for the departed. Dr. Wu explains, "Paper lanterns are also released into rivers and lakes during the night to guide the spirits of their ancestors back home." However, the overall atmosphere is not one of spookiness or horror; instead, it has evolved into a celebration of family continuity and community unity.
Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett, the founder of Miss Panda Chinese and author of First Mandarin Sounds, echoes this sentiment, adding that in Chinese culture, Ghost Month is a cultural event that centers around paying respect to deceased family members and those without families. The festival emphasizes showing respect rather than being solely perceived as a celebration, as might be the case outside of the Chinese community.
Here are some meaningful ways to pay tribute to your family and ancestors during the Hungry Ghost Festival:
1. Fold joss paper ingots: In addition to burning paper money, a common practice is to fold joss paper sheets into the shape of gold ingots, which were used as currency in ancient China. This is a fun and easy craft for the whole family, and you can find tutorials online to get started.
2. Create floating lanterns: It is a tradition to float paper lanterns down a river to guide spirits home during the Hungry Ghost Festival. To make your own, you'll need string, coated paper plates, tissue paper, and a paper lantern tutorial to assist you.
3. Craft butterfly puppets: Legend has it that insects like butterflies, moths, and grasshoppers are believed to be the spirits of ancestors returning for a visit. Pay tribute to these gentle creatures by having your kids create butterfly puppets using craft paper and Popsicle sticks.
4. Hang orange decorations: Oranges symbolize good luck and wealth in Chinese culture and are often part of offerings during the Hungry Ghost Festival. Enhance your home for the holiday by hanging DIY citrus fruit decorations made from paper and yarn.
5. Prepare sticky rice dumplings: Teochew png kueh, savory dumplings filled with stir-fried rice, peanuts, garlic, shallots, and more, are often associated with Hungry Ghost festivities. Traditionally dyed in an auspicious pink hue, these dumplings symbolize good fortune and can be presented as offerings to ancestors.
6. Attend community celebrations and performances: Communities typically stage operas and other performances throughout Ghost Month. Keep in mind that the front row is usually left empty, as it is reserved for spirits.
7. Enjoy a family dinner together: Similar to many traditional Chinese holidays, the Hungry Ghost festivities may include a family dinner. However, unlike other holidays, the focus is less on the symbolism of the food and more about feeding ancestors. Simply enjoying a family meal is a great way to pay tribute (just make sure you set an extra place or two at the table for the departed).
8. Perform an appeasement ceremony: It's a tradition to set up a makeshift altar outdoors to display offerings for passing ghosts. In addition to joss paper and incense, offerings can include uncooked rice, peanuts, candies, raw noodles, fruit, and even bags of salt and sugar. Small cups of tea and rice wine are also appreciated.
What to avoid during Ghost Month
While the holiday revolves around many customs designed to display filial piety, there are also activities and practices that are considered taboo as a way to show respect to the spirits and avoid attracting negative energy. Traditionally, some of the most common Hungry Ghost Festival taboos include:
Swimming in rivers or going near bodies of water.
Holding weddings or other large parties that involve loud music.
Taking photographs or recording videos at night.
Moving into or buying a new home
Disturbing or stepping on offerings
Hanging clothes outside at night
Watching scary movies