Ghost Festival

The name relates to the concept of the hungry ghost, the Chinese translation of the term preta in Buddhism. It plays a role in Chinese Buddhism and Taoism as well as in Chinese folk religion, and represents beings who were originally living people, who have died, and who are driven by intense emotional needs in an animalistic way.^[6][7][8]

As a Taoist festival: Taoism has the "Three Yuan" theory (representing the Three Great Emperor-Officials), which the name "Zhong Yuan" comes from.^{[9]: 195–196} The festival flourished during the Tang dynasty, whose rulers were partial to Taoism; and "Zhongyuan" became well established as the holiday's name.^[10]

As a Buddhist festival: The origin story of the modern Ghost Festival, ultimately originated from ancient India, deriving from the Mahayana scripture known as the Yulanpen or Ullambana Sutra.^{[11]: 301, 302  [note 2]} The sutra records the time when Maudgalyayana achieves abhijñā and uses his newfound powers to search for his deceased parents. Maudgalyayana discovers that his deceased mother was reborn into the preta or hungry ghost realm. She was in a wasted condition and Maudgalyayana tried to help her by giving her a bowl of rice. Unfortunately as a preta, she was unable to eat the rice as it was transformed into burning coal. Maudgalyayana then asks the Buddha to help him; whereupon Buddha explains how one is able to assist one's current parents and deceased parents in this life and in one's past seven lives by willingly offering food, etc., to the sangha or monastic community during Pravarana (the end of the monsoon season or vassa), which usually occurs on the 15th day of the seventh month whereby the monastic community transfers the merits to the deceased parents, etc.,^{[12]: 185  [note 3] [11]: 293  [note 4] [13]: 286  [note 5]}

The Theravadan forms of the festival in South and Southeast Asia (including Cambodia's Pchum Ben) are much older, deriving from the Petavatthu, a scripture in the Pali Canon that probably dates to the 3rd century BC.^[14] The Petavatthu account is broadly similar to that later recorded in the Yulanpen Sutra, although it concerns the disciple Sāriputta and his family rather than Moggallāna.

The Ghost Festival is held during the seventh month of the Chinese calendar. It also falls at the same time as a full moon, the new season, the fall harvest, the peak of Buddhist monastic asceticism, the rebirth of ancestors, and the assembly of the local community.^[15] During this month, the gates of hell are opened up and ghosts are free to roam the earth where they seek food and entertainment. These ghosts are believed to be spirits of those without descendants (or, traditionally, without descendants in the male line) or whose descendants did not pay tribute to them after they died.^[16][17] They are desperately hungry, thirsty, and restless as a result.^[16][17] Family members offer food and drink to the ghosts and burn hell bank notes and other forms of joss paper.^[18] Joss paper items are believed to have value in the afterlife, considered to be very similar in some aspects to the material world. Families pay tribute to wandering ghosts of strangers so that these homeless souls do not intrude on their lives and bring misfortune. A large feast is held for the ghosts on the day of the ghost festival or thereabouts, when people bring samples of food and place them on an altar or outside a temple or house, to please the ghosts and ward off bad luck.^{[17][9]: 196–197} Lotus-shaped lanterns are lit and set afloat in rivers to symbolically guide lost souls to the afterlife.^[19]

In some East Asian countries today, live performances are held and everyone is invited to attend. The first row of seats are always empty as this is where the ghosts sit. The shows are always put on at night and at high volumes as the sound is believed to attract and please the ghosts. Some shows include Chinese opera, dramas, and in some areas, even burlesque shows. Traditionally Chinese opera was the main source of entertainment but the newer shows, concerts, dramas, wars, and so forth are referred to as Getai.^[20] These acts are better known as "Merry-making".^[21]

For rituals, Buddhists and Taoists hold ceremonies to relieve ghosts from suffering, many of them holding ceremonies in the afternoon or at night (as it is believed that the ghosts are released from hell when the sun sets). Altars are built for the deceased and priests and monks alike perform rituals for the benefit of ghosts. Monks and priests often throw rice or other small foods into the air in all directions to distribute them to the ghosts.^[21]

During the evening, incense is burnt in front of the doors of households.^[19] Incense stands for prosperity in Chinese culture, so families believe that there is more prosperity in burning more incense.^[21] During the festival, some shops are closed as they want to leave the streets open for the ghosts. In the middle of each street stands an altar of incense with fresh fruit and sacrifices displayed on it.^[21]

Fourteen days after the festival, to make sure all the hungry ghosts find their way back to hell, people float water lanterns and set them outside their houses. These lanterns are made by setting a lotus flower-shaped lantern on a paper boat. The lanterns are used to direct the ghosts back to the underworld, and when they go out, it symbolizes that they have found their way back.^[21]

Singapore and Malaysia

Concert-like performances are a prominent feature of the Ghost Festival in Singapore and Malaysia. Those live concerts are popularly known as Getai in Mandarin (simplified Chinese: 歌台; traditional Chinese: 歌臺; pinyin: gētái) or Koh-tai (Hokkien Chinese: 歌臺; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ko-tâi).^[22] They are performed by groups of singers, dancers, entertainers, and opera troops or puppet shows on a temporary stage that is set up within a residential district. The festival is funded by the residents of each individual district. During these Getai the front row is left empty for the special guests—the ghosts.^[23] It is known to be bad luck to sit on the front row of red seats, if anyone were to sit on them, they would become sick or similarly ailed.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, the festival is popularly known as Chit Gwee Pua (Hokkien Chinese: 七月半; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chhit-goe̍h-pòaⁿ) or Chit Nyiat Pan (Hakka Chinese: 七月半; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ:Chhit-ngie̍t-pan), Cioko, or Sembahyang Rebutan in Indonesian (Scrambling prayer). People gather around temples and bring an offering to a spirit who died in an unlucky way, and after that, they distribute it to the poor, the way people scramble the offerings is the origin of the festival name, these festival mostly known in Java Island. Other areas like at North Sumatra, Riau, and Riau islands also held a live concert or known as Getai (Mandarin simplified Chinese: 歌台; traditional Chinese: 歌臺; pinyin: gētái) like those in Malaysia and Singapore, and there are also time for people who do Tomb sweeping or known as Sembahyang Kubur to respect to the ancestor spirit and looking for some luck, they will bought like a hell notes or Kim Cua (Hokkien Chinese: 金紙; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kim-chóa) and paper-based goods like paper house, paper horse, paper car, etc., those goods will end up burned as it was believed that goods will sent to help the spirit feel better in afterlife.

Taiwan

Traditionally, it is believed that ghosts haunt the island of Taiwan for the entire seventh lunar month, when the mid-summer Ghost Festival is held.^[24] The month is known as Ghost Month.^[25] The first day of the month is marked by opening the gate of a temple, symbolizing the gates of hell. On the twelfth day, lamps on the main altar are lit. On the thirteenth day, a procession of lanterns is held. On the fourteenth day, a parade is held for releasing water lanterns. Incense and food are offered to the spirits to deter them from visiting homes and spirit paper money is also burnt as an offering.^[26] During the month, people avoid surgery, buying cars, swimming, moving house, marrying, whistling, and going out or taking pictures after dark.^{[27][28][29][30]}

Vietnam

This festival is known as Tết Trung Nguyên^[31] and is viewed as a time for the pardoning of condemned souls who are released from hell. The "homeless" should be "fed" and appeased with offerings of food. Merits for the living are also earned by the release of birds and fish. The lunar month in which the festival takes place is colloquially known as Tháng Cô Hồn - the month of lonely spirits, and believed to be haunted and particularly unlucky.

Influenced by Buddhism, this holiday coincides with Vu Lan, the Vietnamese transliteration for Ullambana.

In modern times, Vu Lan is also seen as Parents' Day.^[32] People with living parents would bear a red rose and would give thanks while those without can choose to bear a white rose; and attend services to pray for the deceased.

Related Buddhist traditions in other parts of Asia

In Asian Theravadin Buddhist countries, related traditions, ceremonies, and festivals also occur. Like its Ullambana Sutra-origins in Mahayana Buddhist countries, the Theravada scripture, the Petavatthu gave rise to the idea of offering food to the hungry ghosts in the Theravada tradition as a form of merit-making. In stories published in the Petavatthu Maudgalyayana, who also plays the central role in the rise of the concept in the Mahayana tradition, along with Sariputta also play a role in the rise of the concept in the Theravada tradition.^[33][34][35] Similarly to the rise of the concept in Mahayana Buddhism, a version of Maudgalyayana Rescues His Mother, where Maudgalyayana is replaced by Sariputta is recorded in the Petavatthu and is in part the basis behind the practice of the concept in Theravadin societies.^[36] The concept of offering food to the hungry ghosts is also found in early Buddhist literature, in the Tirokudda Kanda.^[37]

Cambodia

In Cambodia, a fifteen-day-long annual festival known as Pchum Ben occurs generally in September or October. Cambodians pay their respects to deceased relatives up to seven generations. The gates of hell are believed to open during this period and many people make offerings to these hungry ghosts.^[38]

Laos

In Laos, a festival known as, Boun khao padap din usually occurs in September each year and goes on for two weeks. During this period, it is believed that hungry ghosts are freed from hell and enter the world of the living. A second festival known as Boun khao salak occurs directly after the conclusion of Boun khay padab din. During this period, food offerings are made to the hungry ghosts.^[39]

Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, food offerings are made to the hungry ghosts on the seventh day, three months and one year after the death day of a deceased person. It is a ceremony conducted after death as part of traditional Sri Lankan Buddhist funeral rites and is known as mataka dānēs or matakadānaya.^[40][41][42] The offerings that are made acquire merit which are then transformed back into the equivalent goods in the world of the hungry ghosts.^[40] The offering that is offered on the seventh day, comes a day after personalized food offerings are given in the garden to the spirit of the deceased relative, which occurs on the sixth day.^[43][44] The deceased who do not reach the proper afterworld, the Hungry Ghost realm, are feared by the living as they are believed to cause various sicknesses and disasters to the living. Buddhist monks are called upon to perform pirit to ward off the floating spirits. The rite is also practiced in Thailand and Myanmar and is also practiced during the Ghost Festival that is observed in other Asian countries.^[45]

Thailand

In Thailand, a fifteen-day-long annual festival known as Sat Thai is celebrated between September and October in Thailand especially in southern Thailand, particularly in the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat.^[46] Like related festivals and traditions in other parts of Asia, the deceased are believed to come back to earth for fifteen days and people make offerings to them. The festival is known as Sat Thai to differentiate it from the Chinese Ghost Festival which is known as Sat Chin in the Thai language.^[47]

Japan

Chūgen

Chūgen (中元), also Ochūgen (お中元), is an annual event in Japan on the 15th day of the 7th month, when people give gifts, especially to their superiors.^[48][49] Originally it was an annual event for giving gifts to the ancestral spirits.

One of the three days that form the sangen (三元) of Daoism, it is sometimes considered a zassetsu, a type of seasonal day in the Japanese calendar.

Bon

Obon (sometimes transliterated O-bon), or simply Bon, is the Japanese version of the Ghost Festival.^[50] It has since been transformed over time into a family reunion holiday during which people from the big cities return to their home towns and visit and clean the resting places of their ancestors.^[51][52]

Traditionally including a dance called Bon Odori,^[50] Obon has existed in Japan for more than 500 years. In modern Japan, it is held on July 15 in the eastern part (Kantō) and on August 15 in the western part (Kansai). In Okinawa and the Amami Islands, it is celebrated as in China, on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month. In 2019, Obon was held on the same date in Kansai, Okinawa, and the Amami Islands, as August 15 on that year, was also the 15th day of the 7th lunar month.

Related Hindu traditions in other parts of Asia

India

The performance of Shraddha by a son during Pitru Paksha is regarded as compulsory by Hindus, to ensure that the soul of the ancestor goes to heaven. In this context, the scripture Garuda Purana says, "there is no salvation for a man without a son". The scriptures preach that a householder should propitiate ancestors (Pitris), along with the gods (devas), ghosts (bhutas), and guests. The scripture Markandeya Purana says that if the ancestors are content with the shraddhas, they will bestow health, wealth, knowledge and longevity, and ultimately heaven and salvation (moksha) upon the performer.^[53]

Indonesia

In Bali and some parts of Indonesia, particularly among the indigenous Hindus of Indonesia, ancestors who have died and cremated are said to return to visit their former homes. This day is known as Hari Raya Galungan and celebrations typically last over two weeks, often in the form of specific food and religious offerings along with festivities.^[54][55] The festival date is often calculated according to the Balinese pawukon calendar and typically occurs every 210 days.^[56]

• All Souls' Day
• Buddhist art
• Chinese ghosts
• Lantern Festival
• Nine Emperor God / Festival of Nine Emperor God (Chinese: 九皇, Hokkien: Kow Ong Yah, Cantonese: Kow Wong Yeh)
• Phi Ta Khon
• Tōrō nagashi

• Bandō, Shōjun, ed. (2005), "The Ullambana Sutra (Taishō Vol. 16, No. 685)", Apocryphal Scriptures (PDF), Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai English Tripitaka Series, Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, pp. 17–44, ISBN 978-1-886439-29-0, archived from the original (PDF) on February 10, 2013.
• Chow, Shu Kai (周樹佳) (2015), 鬼月鉤沉-中元、盂蘭、餓鬼節 [Investigation of Ghost Month - Zhong Yuan, Ullambana and Hungry Ghost Festivals] (in Traditional Chinese), Hong Kong: Chung Hwa Books (Hong Kong), ISBN 9789888366392
• Langer, Rita (2007), Buddhist Rituals of Death and Rebirth: Contemporary Sri Lankan Practice and Its Origins, Abingdon: Routledge, ISBN 9781134158720.
• Karashima, Seishi (2013a), "The Meaning of Yulanpen 盂蘭盆 "Rice Bowl" On Pravāraṇā Day", Annual Report of the International Research Institute for Advance Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2012, XVI: 289–305
• Karashima, Seishi (辛嶋静志) (2013b), 「盂蘭盆」の本当の意味 ―千四百間の誤解を解く [The Real Meaning of Urabon [Yulanpen] –The Solution to a 1400 Year Misunderstanding], 大法輪 (The Great Wheel of the Dharma) (in Japanese): 182–189{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Karashima, Seishi (辛嶋静志)(in Chinese as 辛島靜志) (2014), 盂蘭盆之意-自恣日的“飯鉢” [The Meaning of Yulanpen 盂蘭盆 "Rice Bowl" On Pravāraṇā Day], 中華文史論叢 (Journal of Chinese Literature and History) (in Traditional Chinese) (114), translated by Qiu, Yun Qing (裘雲青): 279–301{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Mair, Victor H. (1989), T'ang Transformation Texts, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, ISBN 9780674868151.
• Teiser, Stephen F. (1988), The Ghost Festival in Medieval China, Princeton: Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0-691-02677-0.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ghost Festival.

• The Bristol University Buddhist Death Ritual Project Images and a documentary film by Ingmar Heise and Han Zhang "The Spirit's Happy Days: Buddhist Festivals for the Dead in Southeast China" can be downloaded there.
• Zhong Yuan Jie (Hungry Ghost Festival) - INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
• Zhongyuan Festival
• Chinese Ghost Culture
• Hong Kong University Library Digital Archives Oral History Project of Hong Kong
• Waters, Dan (2004). "The Hungry Ghosts Festival in Aberdeen Street, Hong Kong" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch. 44: 41–55.