7th Lunar Month

Want to know how superticious the Chinese can be? Well...in August they "celebrate" (not sure if that is the word I would use) the 7th Lunar Month. This is where on the first day of August the gates of Hell open up and the kui (uncared for spirits or spirits under judgment that are locked in hell) roam the earth to eat their fill before being locked up for another year. The belief is that once the gates are opened, these kui will come out to look for food and if no one has prepared any offerings for them, they will go into homes to help themselves. Fearful of such visits, people are generally quick to make offerings to appease and ward off the hungry ghosts. It demonstrates the concern in Chinese religious belief for the pitiable existence of souls not cared for by the living.

As part of the celebrations of this festival, a ge tai (variety show) is often held, primarily to entertain the kui in the hope that when distracted or happy, they will not look for or disturb living beings. The first night of the ge tai is traditionally meant for the kui to attend. Another practice is to hold celebratory dinners, during which various items of luck and blessing will be auctioned off. Many would bid for these items in the hope and belief that they would, in year ahead, bring prosperity to the owners. The most prized possession is a block of charcoal. This relates back to the myth of Mu Lian, where it is held that when Mu Lian finally reached hell, the buns he brought to feed his mother had turned into charcoal.

The believers lay emphasis on giving offerings to ghosts because it is regarded as an important means of seeking fortune. Offerings such as paper (or hall) money and paper replicas of objects from the material world, such as cars, computers and even mobile phones. These paper objects are burnt so that the departed can enjoy comforts in the afterlife.

Other believers have warned that Special attention must be given to the "hungry ghosts" and the "lonely ghosts," this is because they have no living descendants can easily get bad-tempered and destructive during their "vacation" back to Earth. The paper objects can prevent them from doing any harm to the living or the dead, the Chinese would use lanterns to distract them away, or make sacrifices and burn "hell notes" or "paper replicas" for them to use in the underworld, in a safe place outside their homes (to prevent them from coming in) to "bribe" these disturbed souls.

Superstitions
Here is the list of ‘advices’ to heed during the Hungry Ghost festival

• Don’t move, renovate or marry during Hungry Ghost Festival as it is considered inauspicious.


• Stay away from swimming during the 7th month as it is believed that the water spirits will drag these little ones into the water and drown them.


• Avoid old trees. It is believed that the spirits will hide there.


• Children are advised to return home early and not to wander around alone at night. This belief is due to the reason that the wandering ghosts might possess children.