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The hungry ghost festival

manuelferrara

New Member
Since the festivals is coming, I thought that maybe I woulde create a thread as I am curious about the rituals that you would perform and how late it would be dangerous to go out after and all that. Stories if you have them, infomation if you have them
 

manuelferrara

New Member
Extract from internet

The Ghost Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month. A solemn holiday, the Ghost Festival represents the connections between the living and the dead, earth and heaven, body and soul.

The entire seventh month of the Chinese calendar is called the Ghost Month, a month in which ghosts and spirits are believed to emerge out from the lower world to visit earth. The Ghost Festival is the climax of a series of the Ghost Month celebrations.

Activities of the festival include preparing ritual offerings of food, and burning ghost money (or paper money) to please the visiting ghosts and spirits as well as deities and ancestors. Other activities include burying and releasing miniature paper boats and lanterns on water, which signifies "giving directions to the lost ghosts."The Ghost Festival has roots in the Buddhist festival of Ullambana, and also some from the Taoist culture. In the Tang Dynasty, Ullambana and traditional festivities were mixed and celebrated on one day. Thus, the Ghost Festival has special meaning for all Buddhists as one of their most important festivals.

The Buddhist origins of the festival can be traced back to a story that originally came from India, but later took on culturally Chinese overtones. This story, "Mu-lien Saves His Mother from Hell," is an account of a well-to-do merchant who gives up his trade to become a devout follower of Buddhism.

After the merchant attains enlightenment, he thinks of his father and mother, and wonders what happens to them. He travels over the known Buddhist universe, and finds his father in heaven. However, his mother has been sent to hell, and has taken on the form of a hungry ghost--it cannot eat because its throat is very thin and no food can pass, yet it always hungers because it has such a large belly. His mother was greedy with the money he left her. He had instructed her to kindly host any Buddhist monks that ever came her way, but instead she withheld her kindness and her money. It was for this reason she was sent to hell. Mu-lien eventually saves her from this plight by battling various demons and entreating the help of the Buddha.

Buddhists instituted a day after the traditional summer retreat (the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar--usually mid-to-late August) as a day of prayer and offering in which monks can pray and make sacrifices on behalf of dead ancestors or hungry ghosts. The family members of the deceased essentially pay for this service, and thus their patronage is a form of charity. The deceased ancestors are pacified and hungry ghosts can eat (the sacrificial foods). The Mu-lien story ends with this festival and the rescue of his mother from hell. She ends up being reborn as a pet dog in a well-off household.
 

manuelferrara

New Member
Extract from internet

The ‘Hungry Ghost festival' or the Feast for the Wandering Souls (also known as Zhong Yuan Jie 中元节) is for the Chinese, just as Halloween is for Americans.

Hungry Ghost festival is a popular occasion celebrated by the Chinese, both seniors and the younger generations alike. This festival falls on the 7th month of the lunar New Year, and is celebrated mainly in China and other countries like Singapore , Hong Kong & Malaysia. It is believed by the Chinese that during this month, the gates of hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts from Hell who would then wander to seek food on Earth. Some even think that the ghosts would seek revenge on those who had wronged them in their lives. The reason why the Chinese celebrate this festival is to remember their dead family members and pay tribute to them. They also feel that offering food to the deceased appeases them and wards off bad luck.

Celebration
Another belief among the Chinese is that the dead return to visit their living relatives during the 7th month (around August) and thus they prepare a sumptuous meal for the ‘hungry ghosts'. The Chinese feel that they have to satisfy the ghosts in order to get good fortune and luck in their lives.

During the 7th month, the Chinese offer prayers to the deceased relatives and burn joss sticks. In Singapore , it is a common sight to see entertaining 'wayang ' shows and concerts performed on outdoor stages in some neighborhoods. These events are always held at night. There is a belief that this entertainment would please those wandering ghosts . Often the front row of seats are reserved for the dead.

Superstitions
An interesting superstition that the Chinese have about the festival is that it is bad to go swimming during the 7th month. They think that an evil ghost might cause you to drown in the swimming pool. I remember my mother actually took a knife and punctured my inflatable boat when I insisted to bring it out to sea! In addition to this, children are also 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.

Offerings to the Dead
The Chinese also do a lot of offerings to the deceased. These offerings are made by burning fake money notes, which are also known as ‘hell money' and even paper television or radio sets. Some families also burn paper houses & cars to give to their dead relatives. The Chinese feel that these offerings reach the ghosts and help them live comfortably in their world.

The Chinese regard the 15th of the lunar month as an important date to give a feast to the ghosts. On this date, the family will cook a lot of dishes and offer them to the deceased. This is done to please the ghosts and also to gain good luck for the family. 15 days after the feast, the festival will be over, as the Chinese believe that the ghosts return back to where they come from.
 

Ah Guan

Alfrescian
Loyal
This hungry ghost festival is one of the reasons why I'm a big fan of Mao's Cultural Revolution.
 

Pica_NA

Alfrescian
Loyal
Many said don't go out after 12am midnight... but Hungry Ghost Festival is chinese festival leh... so should use Chinese traditional timing. So if you looking at the chinese timing, old saying often say don't go out after 子时, which mean after 11pm.

Below is the chinese time indication and also their respective chinese horoscope:

子 (鼠) 11pm - 1am
丑 (牛) 1am - 3am
寅 (虎) 3am - 5am
卯 (兔) 5am - 7am
辰 (龍) 7am - 9am
巳 (蛇) 9am - 11am
午 (馬) 11am - 1pm
未 (羊) 1pm - 3pm
申 (猴) 3pm - 5pm
酉 (雞) 5pm - 7pm
戌 (狗) 7pm - 9pm
亥 (豬) 9pm - 11pm
 
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