Chinese Culture Research - Ghost Month Traditions

[Seraphfire]

My family never did much in the way of traditional Ghost Month activities so I appreciate any insights on your family's traditions in the US/West.

For what I can glean, Ghost Month is the Seventh Lunar month which is a time for honoring/venerating ancestors. In addition, "hungry ghosts" need to be fed. The traditional afterlife mythology is that during the seventh month, the "underworld" releases its occupants for exactly one lunar month. The ghosts who don't have any offerings are "hungry" which is why extra food is offered so the hungry ghosts won't bother the living. In the middle of the month, there is a traditional Ghost Festival in some parts of China.

So my questions are:

1) Did your family do any offerings and when?
2) Do they go to the cemetary and make offerings there? Is it on the first day of the Ghost Month? 3) Did your local Chinatown hold a Ghost Festival and if so what city was it?
4) Did you put lighted water lanterns on the sea to welcome back ghosts?
5) Did anyone offer joss money or other items to their ancestors?
6) Did you family ever tell you any Chinese ghost stories?

(When my grandparents passed away they were buried in a cemetary where a lot of Chinese people bought plots. There seemed to be huge gatherings, very much a party atmosphere where a lot of food is brought and eaten at the cemetary.)

Thanks for the help. :smile:

[eos]

ever since i started working on the weekends, i don't go with the family to the cemetary anymore. my grandma isn't THAT strict so we don't have to go on the exact date, chinatown does not do anything, no lanterns here, we burn paper money, we offer roast pig, chicken, wine, and i think taro root. and my mom and grandma are super superstitious and paranoid so no ghost stories or talking about bad things EVER.

[Seraphfire]

Thanks eos (eos = Akane?)

It seems to be dying out although some western Asians seems to combine it with Christianity.

Anyone else have any stories? All are appreciated. :smile:

[SunWuKong]

i associate Ghost Festival 鬼節 (14th day of the 7th month on the lunar calendar) more with superstition than with traditional. my family never did anything for it. the only people in HK i've seen do something on the day are old ladies burning offering on the streets. this festival seems to be more associated with taboos and horror stories in HK. this girl i was dating yelled at me for picking up some random coin inside a cab that turned out to be some coin that was used for some offering (not real currency). apparently doing so would compel a ghost to follow me home. it's stupid.

[Adaon]

I remember as a kid, (after Halloweens esp.) that we'd frequent my Uncle's house close to SF's Chinatown. We'd have a family dinner just about every weekend night we could for about a month at a time. I remember this time specifically because the back of my head was smacked more times than I cared to remember and was pushed halfway over to bow to pics of Grandma, whom I had only met twice before she passed away when I was about 2 and a half. Following all those weekends (since it always led up to Thanksgiving) was my birthday, so I'd remember at least 3 birthdays where they were preceded by this seemingly tradition to me. I remember a festival or two that happened in Chinatown around the same time, and when I had asked my mom, she said something about the Chinese ancestors, like Grandma, coming back to join us for a bit.

My family only went to the cemetary once to pay respects and eat with our passed relatives. I think I got especially sick that year from that, and we never did it again.

I know my friend went faithfully with his folks to visit the cemetary on wkends through high school, and even now, makes the trips at least twice a month on weekends with his mom, esp. since his dad's passed away now. They bring food to the cemetary and have a sort of "pic-nic" thing was what I was told.

[eos]

Thanks eos (eos = Akane?)

It seems to be dying out although some western Asians seems to combine it with Christianity.

Anyone else have any stories? All are appreciated. :smile:

you're welcome. =)

the only person who was christian in my family was my great-grandma, my mom's grandma. from stories i've been told, i was very happy when i was with her, and she taught me how to purse my lips and make faces. LOL
how ironic that we honor her, a devout christian lady, with chinese rituals and old-fashioned beliefs.

oh another thing: don't ever kill any insects you find crawling around the grave marker. they could be your loved ones resurrected.

[AngryABCGirl]

I fucking hate ghost day. I was moving during ghost day in Taiwan and every single damn business was burning paper and it wafted in everyone's houses while I was moving boxes. For multiple business in an office building, they would take metal drum sized garbage cans and make a big fire. God I wanted to die.