Hungry Ghost Festival

Hungry Ghost Festival 2010

If there is a Chinese version of Halloween, it will be the Hungry Ghost Festival.   It is an annual traditional Chinese festival celebrated by Chinese in many countries such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and China.   Although the Ghost Festival is on the 15th night of the seventh lunar month (14th in southern China), the celebration lasts for the whole month.  For this year the Ghost Month is from 10 Aug – 7 Sep 2010.  However, the Hungry Ghost Festival is very much different from Halloween in many ways.   For the start, the Ghost month lasts for one whole lunar month, it usually only involve adults and the main motive is to provide some fun for the ghost but it has slowly evolved to be as entertaining to the living human as well.

About the Hungry Ghost Month

Every year on 7th lunar month (usually in the month of August),  most Chinese (usually Taoists) in Singapore and other countries practice a large-scale tradition of paying respects to the dead.   During this month, the Taoist Chinese believe the “Gates of Hell” are wide-opened and souls of the dead are freed and allowed to roam the earth.  It is the month when they are out seeking for food and entertainments.

To respect and provide some “entertainments” to the dead, there will be  traditional rituals, Chinese customs and performances almost at every corner of Singapore.  Activities during the month would include preparing ritualistic food offerings, burning incense, and burning joss paper.  In recent years, the offering evolved too to include paper-form of material items such as DVDs, Plasma TV, Credit Cards and other fine goods (even Casinos) for the visiting spirits of the ancestors!  

Ghost Festival in Singapore

The Festival is unique in this part of the World and it is a colorful festival bound with religious beliefs and mystery.   For foreigners and visitors, it is important to note that as with many religious events, it is best to observe the event with respects and at an arm’s length. 

The best places to observe how the traditional rites are practiced in Singapore are in the heartlands where you can easily spot fellow believers burn incense sticks and present their offerings made especially for the occasion.   Small altars can also be seen outside many homes, both on private property and in public housing areas.

Things To See

It is not uncommon to see various forms of tents set up in open fields during this period, for the Chinese also believe in entertaining the spirits.  The most interesting things to watch are the Chinese Opera, Grand Feast and the GeTai.

Special Note:

Everyone is welcome to watch the shows as long as you don’t sit at the front row, which is reserved for the “special guests”.   So now you know why the front seats are always “empty”.

Chinese Opera

It is a common sight to see entertaining Chinese Opera (Wayang) and puppet shows performed on outdoor make-shift stages in many neighborhoods. These events are always held at night. 

Now a days, these Chinese Opera are of less interests to the younger Singaporeans.   However, performances would still go on even if it rained and there’s no audience as these performance were not meant for living people anyway. 

Giant dragon incense sticks (diameter of at least 1 feet and length of 6 feet) lined the streets, and it was a smoky month, where everywhere would appear hazy due to mass joss paper offerings burned throughout the month.

GeTai  歌台

This is something which is unique and entertaining to see if you have not seen one.   Getai are also found in many outdoor make-shift stages in many neighborhoods.   You could see performance on song and dance numbers in the various Chinese dialects, even sensually acrobatic pole dancing and scantly dressed singers.  It will be an eye-opener or eye-candy for many.

The Getai appeals to the younger generations and the old.  Because of its wide and popular acceptance, it had recently becoming a media for even the government to promote some of the campaigns using Getai as a fun entertaining way communicating to the aged.

Grand Feast

Grand feasts with hundreds of households attending and usually combine with opera and singing performances is fascinating to watch.  It is by invitation to the dinner only and prepaid by each household who participate in this neighborhood event.  The most interesting event during such feast is the bidding and auction process.  You could witness the original primitive way of auction with each of the bidder shouting out their prices for the objects which deem auspicious. 

The Hungry Ghost Festivities take place across the various neighborhoods and provide a chance for those who are feeling a little adventurous and want to encounter in a truly local experience.

Photos: jarrodstone, tuis, bernardoh, dckf_$êr@pH!nX, Photoholic2009, Burns!