Remembering the supernatural Hungry Ghost Festival in China

October 20, 2022 — by Kevin Yang
Photo by Linxiao Xu
Chinese people burning ancestor money on the street during the Hungry Ghost Festival.
Before I moved to the U.S., the Hungry Ghost Festival was the only “holiday” remotely close to Halloween in China.

When I moved from China to the U.S. in eighth grade, one of the biggest holidays I looked forward to experiencing was Halloween: It looked so exciting to dress up in different costumes and go trick-or-treating with friends. American kids take this fun holiday for granted. I didn’t.  

While kids in the U.S. are overjoyed as they dress in their fancy costumes at the end of October, most Chinese students are studying for midterms. Hardly a trace of Halloween can be found in China, except for some people selling cheap Halloween items, hoping to make quick money from young kids. That being said, people in China aren’t completely deprived of holidays celebrating the supernatural.

The Zhongyuan Festival, or the Hungry Ghost Festival, stems from the belief that ghosts will awaken and visit from hell on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. The month is called Ghost Month and the day is called Ghost Day. It was Aug. 12 this year. 

On this day, people bring food to their ancestors’ graves and burn ancestor money, also known as zuqian, hoping to get their blessings. They may also offer money and food to those who don’t have a grave. In some cities, people will also light up a lotus lamp so that it flows toward the center of the river and acts as a guide to the ghosts who died in the water. 

This particular night is abnormally quiet for most people. Adults finish their ritual activities and sleep as early as time allows. Even the most rebellious of children will obediently stay in bed. Why? Because this is taboo for the Hungry Ghost Festival: The belief is that anyone who stays up late will be possessed by ghosts or see abnormal things. 

Some of the other most prominent taboos of the festival include:

  1. Hanging wind chimes on the bedside: Chimes attract ghosts, and a person is most vulnerable to ghost invasions when sleeping. 
  2. Night tours with no specific goal: Why would you be out if you don’t have to be? 
  3. Burning paper on non-specific occasions: Don’t burn paper at some places such as weddings. It will bring ghosts to these places. 
  4. Taking anything meant for the ancestors and ghosts: This might seem obvious, but if you take from them, you will end up in huge trouble. 

Despite these taboos, the Hungry Ghost Festival is still meant to connect families to their ancestors. But because people are less superstitious and more scientific now, fewer people are practicing the traditions of the Zhongyuan Festival. Compared to Halloween, Zhongyuan Festival is more serious, and Chinese people  dress up in more formal clothes to worship their ancestors. 

Even though it is lessening in importance, the Hungry Ghost Festival  has been one of the most important traditions in China in the past 1,500 years — and I’ll always think of it as my first “supernatural” holiday.

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