Things to do during the Hungry Ghost Festival:
– Feed the hungry ghosts and honor ancestors by making offerings of
paper money, food and incense.
– Put pictures of ancestors close to incense offerings, rather than on
the walls of the house.
– Be extra nice to insects and small animals“ they might be
incarnations of family ancestors coming to visit you.
– Return home early and dont wander alone at night.
-Protect the entrance to your home with a Chinese peachwood
sword to ward off evil spirits.
-Go to performances, music, and traditional rituals that are held to
entertain the ghosts and ensure their happiness and fulfillment“
enjoy these together with the dearly departed.
-Hang red lanterns and banners outside – red is believed to ward off
evil spirits in public places.
– Eat long noodles “ they represent a long, well-lived life.
– Eat pineapple: this fruit is called ong lai in Hokkien, which can
also mean “to invite luck”. To eat or to serve pineapples is to bring
luck to you and your loved ones.
– Eat san choy: also known as Chinese lettuce, san choy is a
homonym for “to grow luck” in Cantonese, and the leafy vegetable
is therefore used to symbolise prosperity.
– Pray, chant, make wishes — offer prayers and make wishes for
ancestors’ well-being and for your own hoped-for good fortune.
– Keep away from walls“ it is believed ghosts like sticking to them.
Things to avoid doing during the Hungry Ghost Festival:
-No staying out late at night (the yin energy from the moon makes
ghosts more powerful)
-No strolling around alone at night (children, the elderly, and
pregnant women are especially vulnerable, ghosts are drawn to
them)
-No wearing red or black clothes (those colors might provoke ghosts
to attack you )
-No sitting in any front seats at getai performances, its not only the
hungry ghosts that’ll will get angry, the living will become
annoyed!
-No touching anyone on the shoulder or the head“ that may impair
their qi (life force)
-No singing or whistling (it may attract unwanted attention from
ghosts!)
-No responding to strange noises, sounds, anything unusual (a ghost
could be luring you!)
-No swimming (a ghost of a drowned person could want to switch
places with you!)
-No touching or disturbing joss sticks or offerings (they belong to
the ghosts). If you do this by accident, apologize to the spirits
immediately (they might forgive you)
-No picking up coins or paper money from the street (dont steal
from ghosts¦)
-No sticking your chopsticks vertically into your rice, as it
resembles incense used when praying to spirits, so hungry ghosts
may think you’re inviting them to your meal
-No using the number four, as it sounds like the word for death in
Cantonese
-No taking selfies, photos or videos at night, unless you want
unexpected mysterious photo-bombers
-No birthday parties at night (you might have unwanted ghost
guests).
-No sleeping facing the mirror or anything reflective, that attracts
spirits
– No sleeping with your hair untied (if your hair is disheveled and
loose, the ghosts will consider you as belonging to them)
– No hanging wet clothes outside at night (ghosts might be tempted
to try them on!)
– No taking life-changing actions, like moving, marrying/wedding,
starting a new business, buying a new car
– As a sign of respect, never refer to spirits as ghosts,
instead call them good brothers.