Ghost Festival facts for kids
The Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, is a special celebration held on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. Both Buddhists and Taoists celebrate this festival. People believe that the gate to the underworld opens on the first day of this month. This means that all ghosts and spirits are set free from hell to wander for the whole month. During this time, people hold ceremonies to welcome these spirits.
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History of the Ghost Festival
Traditionally, the Chinese called the Ghost Festival the "Chung-yuan Festival". Taoists believed it was the birthday of Yenlo Wang, who is known as the Demon King. In the early 500s AD, it also became a Buddhist festival. It has mostly stayed the same since then.
During the 1900s, some governments in China saw this festival as old-fashioned. The People’s Republic of China did not allow public religious celebrations, including ghost festivals. However, changes in the 1970s allowed these festivals to be celebrated again.
Traditional Festival Rituals
The Offering Ritual
The offering ritual is a very important part of the celebration. People set up long tables in front of their houses and temples. They place food on these tables to offer it to the ghosts. At the peak of the celebration, priests throw food and candy into the air. This is meant to feed the hungry ghosts. Children, and sometimes adults, rush to collect the sweets. People also offer incense, paper clothes, and "spirit money" to the ghosts.
Salvation Lanterns
Salvation lanterns are used to guide wandering spirits and evil ghosts. They are placed at the doors of homes and temples. These lanterns are set up on the last day of the sixth lunar month. They are lit at midnight every night during Ghost month. When the gates to the ghost world close, the lanterns are put away.
Releasing Water Lanterns
Water lanterns are special lanterns for ghosts who died from drowning. They light up the waterways to bring these ghosts to the celebrations. This helps ghosts from the underworld and underwater to be in the same space peacefully.
Stealing the Lone Object Game
The activity called “Chiang-Gu” involves stealing a lone object. This game is celebrated in Yi-Lan, Taiwan. Competitors climb a tall tower to reach a prize at the top. The game was banned for some time because people got injured or even died. In 1991, the game was brought back.
Closing the Underworld Gate
On the first day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar, the gates to the temples are closed. This marks the end of the Ghost month. It is the time for the wandering souls to return to the underworld. A Taoist priest uses a sword to send away the wandering souls. He then closes the gate of the underworld in the northeast direction, bringing the event to a successful end.
Ghost festivals are celebrated across Asia. This includes China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan. Many of the 34 million Chinese people living overseas also celebrate it.
Images for kids
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A young girl performing during Ghost Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The red seats in front are reserved for ghosts.
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Chinese lotus lanterns floating in a river.
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Japanese volunteers perform tōrō nagashi: placing candle-lit lanterns for the dead into flowing water during Obon, in this case into the Sasebo River.
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A white and a red rose issued to guests at a Tết Trung Nguyên service
See also
In Spanish: Festival de los fantasmas para niños
