The month of Hungry Ghost - 2012

Today is the 1st  day of the Chinese 7^th month and this day will be the day where the hell open its gate for the ghostly spirits to roam the earth for 14 days.  This is the month where the Chinese people  will offer prayers and incense to appraise the spirits to spare them the bad lucks.

Through the period, there will be Chinese Operas,  stage shows and puppet shows which will be erected in open grounds or in front of the temples and it will celebrate in festival styles.  There will be fruits offerings,  roasted pig,  roasted chicken , cakes ,etc  to offer to the King of Hade and the roaming spirits. There is so much funs for the children or the temple helpers as they will be busy celebrating this occasion.

During this period, there will monks offering chanting prayers for dead and offering peace and good health for the living.  This is also the time for alms giving to the temples.

This culture have been  passed down through generations and it is deeply rooted in the customs and the daily life of the Chinese.  Offerings of prayers and food can also be found along the street corners or in front of the house of the Chinese folks. The Chinese people in Penang is among the most superstitious  in the whole of Malaysia.  In other areas in Malaysia, it can also be found in small towns spreading over the country.

It is could be seen funny and foolish to the foreigners but the Chinese people believe in the existence of the third world or the third dimension .  The heaven , earth and hell. The Chinese 7^th month is the opening of the Hell and the death rule the earth for 14 days before the Hell gate closed on the 14^th day.

There are religious procedures to sent the ghost back to Hell , the believers will have to organized a grand set off , so that the dead will be contented until the next opening in the following year.

Again, how true it is , nobody knows.  If we believe we do not need the proof but if we don’t believe , even the proof or the truth does not matter.   This is the funny side of our Mind.

Namaste

A brief explanation of the Ghost Month :

King of Hades

The seventh lunar month in the traditional Chinese calendar is called Ghost Month. On the first day of the month, the Gates of Hell are sprung open to allow ghosts and spirits access to the world of the living. The spirits spend the month visiting their families, feasting and and looking for victims.

There are three important days during Ghost Month. On the first day of the month, ancestors are honored with offerings of food, incense, and ghost money - paper money which is burned so the spirits can use it. These offerings are done at makeshift altars set up on sidewalks outside the house.

Almost as important as honoring your ancestors, offerings to ghosts without families must be made, so that they will not cause you any harm. Ghost month is the most dangerous time of the year, and malevolent spirits are on the look out to capture souls.

The Inauspicious Month

This makes ghost month a bad time to do activities such as evening strolls, traveling, moving house, or starting a new business. Many people avoid swimming during ghost month, since there are many spirits in the water which can try to drown you.

The 15th day of the month is Ghost Festival, sometimes called Hungry Ghost Festival. The Mandarin name of this festival is zhōng yuán jié (中元節 / 中元节). This is the day when the spirits are in high gear. It’s important to give them a sumptuous feast, to please them and to bring luck to the family. Taoists and Buddhists perform ceremonies on this day to ease the sufferings of the deceased.

The last day of the month is when the Gates of Hell are closed up again. The chants of Taoist priests inform the spirits that it’s time to return, and as they are confined once again to the underworld, they let out an unearthly wail of lament.