👻 Hungry Ghost Month starts today
Don't swim, stay out late or take selfies for the next 28 days, especially on 2 Sep. Expect disrupted prayer services and kiss goodbye to signature getais cause they're now banned.
Today marks the start of the seventh lunar month, which also means that the Hungry Ghost Month has officially begun!
Booooo~~~
What’s that?
Your country doesn’t celebrate the Hungry Ghost Month? Well, you can think of it as a more religious version of Halloween, except that nobody is playing dress up, and most are just trying to ward off actual ghosts. Okay, maybe Halloween isn’t the most ideal comparison.
The Hungry Ghost month is a recreational month in which ghosts get to break out of hell to roam the living realm for, well, a month.
Buddhists and Taoists believe that the gates separating the living and the dead open during the seventh month in the lunar calendar, which, as you can imagine, differs from our Gregorian calendar that we use on a day to day basis.
During this period, the souls of the deceased is believed to mingle among the living. To co-exist peacefully and to prevent spirits from acting mischievously, the living (i.e: us) prepares food, entertainment, prayer money (also known as hell notes and even an assortment of paper versions of earthly goods such as phones, cars, and clothes as offerings to appease them.
People also light incense and candles to help them find their way back to the afterlife. Some even take this opportunity to pay respect to family members who have passed away.
It isn’t uncommon to see people burning effigies of things that the spirits may need or enjoy in the afterlife, such as a pack of cigarettes, and luxury items like sports cars and mansions, to make the afterlife more comfortable.
This year, there are even apt paper face masks as part of the offerings. Irony aside, this really goes to show just how quickly businesses tap on opportunities to innovate and stay current. I suppose it does help inject a sense of inclusivity for the spirits too.
Random short film idea:
A man sees a little girl not wearing a mask at the playground. He walks up to her and tells her off. The little girl stares back blindly, tilts her head, and asks,
‘Will you burn one for me?’
End scene.
Aaanyway, everything culminates on 2 September, during the Hungry Ghost Festival.
How will COVID-19 change the prayer rituals?
In Singapore, religious organisations will be allowed to conduct the seventh month prayer services with up to 50 people at a time, excluding religious and supporting workers, throughout the Hungry Ghost Month from 19 Aug to 16 Sept.
As with all other activities, worshippers will need to practise social distancing when worshipping individually or in groups of no more than five. Worship services must also be as short as possible, and everyone must wear a mask while religious leaders may wear a face shield instead when performing speaking duties. Natural ventilation should be maximised and no receptions or on-site meals are allowed.
The trademark getai will also be banned, but we’ll come to that later.
Why do ghosts roam during the seventh month?
It’s actually kind of sad if you think about it.
The spirits who roam in the realm of the living during this period have been denied the chance to be re-birthed due to a variety of reasons. It could be caused by actions done when they were alive, their personal choices, and more.
Some of these wandering ghosts may be feeling lost. Others may be looking to harm living beings so that they can take their place in hell or vent some vengeance. Some may be looking for sustenance, starved from their year spent in hell. This also explains why this period is known as the Hungry Ghost Month.
If you ask me, we’re all just lost souls searching for a direction. ;(
What should I do?
Generally, people go on with their lives as usual, although the superstitious are more cautious.
It is not so much about what you should do, but more of what you should avoid. This is probably one of the rare moments in which we actually want to be told what not to do. So, here goes.
Don’t swim
It is believed that the spirits of those who died in the swimming pool or the sea when they were alive will continue to haunt the area and cause other living people to drown. This is because the ghost can only be reborn when someone dies and takes over his or her place.
During the Hungry Ghost Month, some reported odd leg tugging sensations, inexplicable leg cramps, and more while swimming in the pool.
Of course, this could all be a product of attribution bias.
There are even people who go as far as avoiding tours on cruise ships (not like this is a concern anytime soon) or going near any large bodies of water during the month!
Don’t stay out late
As with all horror films, the bulk of everything nasty tends to take place at night when the protagonist is alone. The Hungry Ghost Month is no different, and you don’t want to be the protagonist in that dark alley with a weak, flickering street lamp.
It is believed that if you are ‘unlucky’, or feeling mentally distraught, you may be vulnerable to getting pranked or possessed by a ghost.
Don’t respond to your name
Not at work though, because that will probably cause a lot of confusion for your colleagues.
If you’re walking alone at night and hear an unfamiliar voice call out to you, you’re supposed to keep walking without responding, or worse, turning your head back. The latter is believed to extinguish your natural ‘protective light’ resting on your shoulders. If you really, really, really have to turn, you are supposed to turn with your full body and avoid just looking over your shoulder.
You are also not supposed to sing, whistle, or hum at night as it’s believed to attract spirits looking for entertainment.
Don’t sit in the front row at getais
This is a huge taboo.
Getai shows, which are chinese music concerts, have the front row ‘empty’ and reserved for ghosts honoured by the festival. If you take these seats, you may be unknowingly sitting on the lap and blocking the view of a very angered ghost.
You’ll sometimes see drinks and snacks placed neatly on the floor for the front row seats too. It is, obviously, meant for the spirits so don’t take it!
Nowadays, the entertainment provided at getais are becoming more modern and can include karaokes, stand-up comedy, and dances to suit the tastes of spirits more recently deceased. Some of these getais are also conducted in a variety of dialects such as Hokkien, Teochew, and Cantonese.
In Singapore, large tents are set up in open fields to host raucous dinners and auctions in heartland estates like Ang Mo Kio and Yishun. It attracts a large crowd of people from the older generation.
With COVID-19 this year, however, singing and other live performances will not be permitted in Singapore. The atmosphere is going to be starkly different, as with various events worldwide.
I suppose the spirits will need to adapt to the new normal too.
Don’t wear full red or black
Contrary to popular belief, that little black dress is not suitable for all occasions — the Hungry Ghost Festival being one example. Red or black clothing supposedly attracts spirits, so try donning other colours instead.
Don’t wear heels
It is believed that you need to be literally grounded by maximising the contact of your feet with the ground to stay safe. Having your feet elevated by wearing heels will make you vulnerable to being possessed through the energy point below the ankles.
Sounds crazy, I know!
Don’t take selfies
At night, that is. It is believed that the camera can capture images of spirits. Not taking selfies will avoid any nasty surprises.
This also sounds like the start of a Netflix horror series — It all started with a selfie. I’ll be willing to write a good script on that, any takers?
Just… Don’t do anything important
The Hungry Ghost Month is deemed as a bad time to do anything important. If you have any life milestones such as marriage, property purchases, or business launches, try to not do it during the seventh lunar month to avoid the bad luck associated with it.
Or, pro tip, you can just do it during the seventh month and blame it on the timing if it goes down in flames.
When does this scary month end?
These self-imposed restrictions can come to a halt when the hell gates close at the end of the Hungry Ghost Month. This year, it runs from today, 19 August, to 16 September.
Think someone will enjoy being reminded that the Hungry Ghost Month has commenced? What, they’ll actually be freaked out reading this list of Don’ts? Why not share it with them after the sun goes down! :D
Pssst
This post was drafted in broad daylight because I am neither scared nor mildly superstitious, nuh-uh. But just in case anybody is reading this over my shoulder as I type, I’d like to highlight that I respect all beings. Yup. Okay.
Anyway, did you know that Thought Confetti has got its own Facebook page? Come check it out! It’s a more conducive platform for me to share cool articles that I chance upon with you.
Aww, come on, check out the Facebook page! Maybe give it a like? ;)
Photo Credits: 8days, Mothership, Singapore Uncensored, Stickpng, Straits Times, TaiwanNews