Ghost Month (鬼月 in Mandarin)
While the Festival itself usually falls on the third or fourth week of August, seven months after the Lunar New Year, it’s a little special in 2017!
This year, the festival actually falls on the 5th of September, much later than what we are used to, and the reason why this is happening is actually really cool.
Turns out that this year is scheduled to have a leap month, whereby a whole extra month is added to the Lunar Year, which happens about every three years in the Lunar Calendar. After the sixth lunar month ends on July 22, another sixth lunar month will be observed until August 21, following which the Ghost Month begins.
The Hungry Ghost Festival is a Buddhist and Taoist festival set on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, also known as the Ghost Month or 七月 (qi yue).
It is believed that during this month (August 22th - September 19th 2017), the gates to Hell are opened and ghosts and spirits are free to roam the earth and are often believed to visit their living relatives.
Apart from a whole list of taboos to be observed by the superstitious and even the non-superstitious alike, Taoists and Buddhists pay respects to their ancestors by burning incense and joss paper as offerings.
In Singapore, another unique part of the Hungry Ghost Festival and the Ghost Month would be the staging of Getai, a popular performance held in residential areas that is aimed at entertaining both the living and the spirits.
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TODAY’s Hungry Ghost Festival Photos Are So Chio You’d Think They’re For Instagram
Think you’re familiar with the terms ‘Artistic‘, ‘Instagram-worthy’ and ‘So nice we gotta write an article about it‘?
Think again.
TODAY published a series of photos revolving around the Hungry Ghost Festival 2017 just yesterday, and our Goody Feed team couldn’t help but rave about them.
It’s hauntingly beautiful.
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12 Hungry Ghost Festival Superstitions to Watch Out For This 7th Month
The Gates of Hell have opened and spirits roam among us. No, we’re not talking about the plot for a horror movie. Every year during the 7th Month of the Lunar Calendar, or Ghost Month (鬼月 in Mandarin), the ghosts and spirits trapped between the human and spirit realm will roam the face of the Earth.
These spirits are ‘hungry’, having been trapped, hence the name Hungry Ghost Festival. While it might sound like a scary horror plot just waiting to happen.
Here are 12 Hungry Ghost superstitions to help you get through the month and stay out of trouble with the spirits.
Don’t sit at the front row
Watch what you step on
Don’t open your umbrella indoors
Don’t kill any insects
Avoid the waters
Don’t whistle
No chopsticks in rice
Keep in your clothes
Don’t say “I do” or move into a new house
Go home early
Don’t look back (especially if someone taps your shoulder)
Don’t pick up anything from the ground
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RELIGIOUS LEADER REMINDS CHINESE S'POREANS TO STOP TOSSING OFFERINGS AROUND
Tossing paper offerings in the air and littering the ground with paper money is not part of Chinese tradition or culture and can be a nuisance instead, says a Chinese Singaporean religious leader.
In his message to Singaporeans, Chung Kwang Tong, a leader and managing committee member of the Singapore Taoist Federation, reminded Chinese Singaporeans giving joss offerings during the 7th Month Hungry Ghost Festival to be considerate and only burn offerings in the bins provided by Town Councils.
His words come with the weight of the Singapore Taoist Federation, Buddhist Federation and the Wat Ananda Metyarama Thai Buddhist Temple, all of which have in the past few years reminded followers to burn ALL offerings within the bins provided and not toss it around.
He wrote in a Facebook post: "Please remind friends and neighbour to be considerate and do not burn on the grass patches, drain covers, pavements or any public areas. Use the bins provided.
"Do clear up the offerings after the prayers. The spirits won't physically take away the offerings and clear it for you. The cleaners will have to do so. Let's give them a helping hand ok?"
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