Hungry Ghost - The wandering souls

The Hungry Ghost festival is here again , just as the Americans have Halloween, the Chinese have the Hungry Ghost Festival. The souls of the dead are believed to roam the earth during this time of the year.  According to belief, discontented spirits wander the world during the seventh lunar month of the Chinese calendar. These ghosts can get up to mischief if ignored so all sort of offerings are made during this period.

If you happen to be in Asia this time of the year, you are bound to see large burnings and huge joss sticks by the road curbs and huge colorful flags with make shift tents.

And as if satisfying the ghosts’ appetite for money and food wasn’t enough, taking care of their entertainment is also important. Celebrating the Hungry Ghost Festival is all about looking after the wandering souls.

During the course of Ghost Month, the local Chinese community will host this festivity dinners and auctions to raise money within their individual areas in community halls or put up temporary tents at sites allocated by the local authorities.

Having  performances by the Chinese operas or live stage performances is a must have, which feature tales of gods and goddesses, bawdy stand-up comedy, as well as song and dance numbers. Everyone is welcome – so sit back and enjoy the show. Just remember not to sit in the front row, unless you want to rub shoulders with the ‘special guests’.

I won't go much into it, I have posted this topic before but if you are new to my blog,  and curious, here's a good site with photos for a quick peek : Hungry Ghost Festival or look it up in my side bar for my post where I personally attended such activity.

This year I have declined attending a number of such events due to some home front issues, unlike the previous years where attending such events has taken me to almost every corners of the city almost nightly.