Described as one of China’s most unique cultural attributes the Hungry Ghost Festival is one of four traditional events of the year that centres on ancestor worship. Identified as the Zhongyuan Festival by Taoists and the Yulanpen Festival by Buddhist communities this annual event is typically celebrated on the 15th of the Chinese calendar’s seventh lunar month. In 2011, the Hungry Ghost Festival will take place on the 14th of August in the western calendar which is coincidentally the Ghost Month according to Chinese belief. Legend states that the ghosts and spirits are unleashed from hell on the first day of the seventh lunar month and are on the prowl in search of amusement then onwards. The Chinese therefore refrain from engaging in any risky or dangerous activities such as swimming or roaming the streets after dark as ancient beliefs dictate that ghosts might attack their foes in vulnerable situations.
The Chinese also burn paper money outside their households, offices, road sides and in fields on the first day of the month as the ghosts are believed to be in need of monetary offerings. Other items of appeasement that are offered to the ghosts include food while people also light joss sticks and perform special ceremonies in streets, markets and temples during the festival days to avoid the wrath and spiritual assaults of ghosts. During the actual the date of the festival a ceremony takes place at dusk when families put out ancestral tablets on top of a table and lay out food for the hungry spirits three times a day. People may also bow and pray in front of the ancestral tablets in hopes of attracting the blessings of their ancestors. Family members also feast on an elaborate meal on the festival day and leave an open seat and place setting for ancestors.
The final day of the seventh lunar month which falls on the 28th of August this year will see locals burn paper clothes and money for the ancestors to use in the spirit world while all ancestral pictures and tablets will be kept back in their original spaces, stored away in cupboards and hung back on walls. This is a practice that is believed to encourage the sprits to move on. Most families prepare paper lanterns and paper boats and set them afloat on the river come evening time. The names of deceased ancestors are scribbled on the paper lanterns and many a family watch as the procession of paper boats with colorful lanterns move across the water in to the horizon as the festival comes to an end.
Travelers on the lookout for a luxury apartment in Beijing should look to the elegant Somerset Grand Fortune Garden for all their accommodation needs. Ideally located in the heart of the city’s commercial and financial hub the stylish living quarters at Somerset are some of the most luxurious serviced apartments Beijing has to offer.
The Chinese also burn paper money outside their households, offices, road sides and in fields on the first day of the month as the ghosts are believed to be in need of monetary offerings. Other items of appeasement that are offered to the ghosts include food while people also light joss sticks and perform special ceremonies in streets, markets and temples during the festival days to avoid the wrath and spiritual assaults of ghosts. During the actual the date of the festival a ceremony takes place at dusk when families put out ancestral tablets on top of a table and lay out food for the hungry spirits three times a day. People may also bow and pray in front of the ancestral tablets in hopes of attracting the blessings of their ancestors. Family members also feast on an elaborate meal on the festival day and leave an open seat and place setting for ancestors.
The final day of the seventh lunar month which falls on the 28th of August this year will see locals burn paper clothes and money for the ancestors to use in the spirit world while all ancestral pictures and tablets will be kept back in their original spaces, stored away in cupboards and hung back on walls. This is a practice that is believed to encourage the sprits to move on. Most families prepare paper lanterns and paper boats and set them afloat on the river come evening time. The names of deceased ancestors are scribbled on the paper lanterns and many a family watch as the procession of paper boats with colorful lanterns move across the water in to the horizon as the festival comes to an end.
Travelers on the lookout for a luxury apartment in Beijing should look to the elegant Somerset Grand Fortune Garden for all their accommodation needs. Ideally located in the heart of the city’s commercial and financial hub the stylish living quarters at Somerset are some of the most luxurious serviced apartments Beijing has to offer.