Feed the Hungry Souls

A longstanding Buddhist and Taoist tradition, the Hungry Ghost Festival takes place on the 15th of the seventh lunar month, specifically during August in the Western calendar. Chinese beliefs say that this is the time of the year when spirits are released to roam the earth—when they wander to search for material things like food and money. While it is only widely celebrated in Buddhist communities, it doesn’t hurt to learn a thing or two about how the anticipated Hungry Ghost Festival is observed across Asian countries.

SINGAPORE

In the Lion City, the spirits of the deceased are best remembered through offerings. This practice involves displaying metal bins around residential areas, which will be used to contain hell money and pieces of paper that take the shape of cars, jewelleries, and gadgets. These will then be burned by the spirit’s relatives to represent how they manage to answer the material needs of their deceased loved one even in the afterlife. Live performances in Chinese also take place during the festival, with comedic acts, mythological tales, and dance numbers sharing the spotlight with outdoor dinners and auctions. The front row, however, is particularly reserved for the roaming spirits, so remember to know your place to fully enjoy the show.

CHINA
The first and last days of the Hungry Ghost Festival play a more significant role in the celebrations of mainland China. Similar to how Singaporeans observe the month-long festivities, the Chinese also make it a point to burn paper money right outside their homes or throughout temples. They likewise offer food and light incense sticks, so that the hungry souls wouldn’t bring them bad fortune. Meanwhile, the last day of the festival involves going back to how it all started—burning even more paper money, returning photo frames on walls and shelves, and letting go of spirits through river lanterns made out of wood and paper.

HONG KONG

The people from Chiu Chow, a city in the eastern part of Guangdong province in China, comprise more than a million of Hong Kong’s population. To preserve local traditions, they have been holding their very own Yu Lan Ghost Festival for over a hundred years now. The same practices take place, one of which being burning make-believe money until they turn into ashes on the streets. They also leave plates of food on the pavement, noting that the spirits want to indulge on meat, fruits, and pastries. There are also Chinese operas being held on pop-up stages to pay tribute to Buddhist gods, with the front row still being left empty for the restless ghosts to occupy.