Hungry Ghost Festival

Definition

The Ghost Festival, also known as the

Hungry Ghost Festival
Zhongyuan Festival
Yulan Festival (traditional Chinese: )

It is a traditional Buddhist and Taoist festival held in Asian

countries.
Who?? Hungry Ghost Festival are celebrated by the Chinese as well
as the Buddhist and the Taoist.

In Chinese culture,the fifteenth day of the seventh month in

the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day and the seventh
When?? month in general is regarded as the Ghost Month (), in
which ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased
ancestors, come out from the lower realm.

Distinct from both the Qingming Festival (in spring)

and Double Ninth Festival (in autumn) in which living
How?? descendants pay homage to their deceased ancestors, during
Ghost Festival, the deceased are believed to visit the living
 Why??

They believed, the realms of Heaven and Hell and the realm of the living are open
and both Taoists and Buddhists would perform rituals to transmute and absolve the
sufferings of the deceased.
Activities during the month would include
preparing ritualistic food offerings.
burning incense
burning joss paper, a papier-mch form of material items such as clothes, gold and
other fine goods for the visiting spirits of the ancestors.
Elaborate meals (often vegetarian meals) would be served with empty seats for
each of the deceased in the family treating the deceased as if they are still living.
Hungry Ghost Festival
Hungry Ghost Festival In Penang
 Preparation of Hungry Ghost Festival
ONE WEEK BEFORE
1. Buy ritual offerings as a basic preparation.
Examples: Currency, gold ingots, simple jewelry, clothing, cars and homes.
2. Check calendar for a community festival.
Commonly, Chinese community celebrated this festival by various Chinese
neighborhoods, family associations and trade groups.
Activity: Opera performances, food and drink, and ceremonies performed by
Buddhist and Taoist monks.

TWO DAYS BEFORE

3. Make or buy a floating lantern
Traditionally on the evening of the Hungry Ghost Festival or on the last night of
Ghost Month to send the wandering spirits home by floating a paper lantern
down a river.
HUNGRY GHOST FESTIVAL DAY
4. Family dinner

5. Perform outdoor appeasement ceremony

After dinner is finished and once night has fallen, head
outside with offerings for the passing spirits.
Superstitions During Hungry Ghost Festival
1. Ghost Busting Services
- Cleanse the area of spirits
- Put up protective wards to houses (talisman prayer strips)

2. Enhances Feng Shui Protection

- A geomancer is often called in house to balance out the high
levels of yin (dark/negative energy). In other word, using this
protection to cleanse the flat of bad energy.
- Geomancer will give the residents a special cande to light
and walk arount the room with.
3. Lottery Number Chasers

- Medium that claim powerful spirits which is invite spirits into

their body so can reveal winning numbers through the spirits.

- This often done in hours pass midnight that involve driving

bamboo poles into grave to harass spirit to fulfill what they want.

4. Repaying The Ghost

Happen when winning number from a ghost, then it needs to make

repayment to dead. It is believed if the spirits was ignore after the
winning, then they will haunt the person.