Singapore 7th Month Ghost Festival

  

A Chinese deity 'Da Shi Ye', Guardian God of Ghosts

Hungry Ghost celebration (known as Zhong Yuan Jie in Chinese) is the month where the entryways of hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts who have been kept in isolation the whole year. These ghosts meander to Earth to seek for food, complete any unfinished business they have left on Earth, and to take revenge on the individuals who had wronged them in their lives.

Offerings

Offerings are made to “hungry ghosts” as a way to appease them. These hungry ghosts or pretas are believed to be roaming around in search of something to satisfy their insatiable hunger. This makes them a nuisance to mortals but they are seen as something to be pitied, hence given 
offerings.

Burning of  hell notes

Preta

An example of a p

Pretas may very well be the embodiment of all negative and/or evil in the world. They are believed to be the people who lived very sinful lives previously. As a result of their karma, they are undergoing suffering greater than that of humans, as known to be the extreme levels of hunger and thirst. They seem to be malicious beings, causing misfortune to living beings especially when they’re out roaming freely. They are similar to dwellers of hell except these are trapped in the subterranean world while the pretas freely roam around.

Beliefs

There are various beliefs surrounding the hungry ghost festival but I would like to focus on the basics and the taboos.The ghosts are believed to be forgotten ancestors who have stopped receiving tributes or those who were never given proper ritual send-off. People offer food, money, and prayers to alleviate the suffering of the ghosts.


There are taboos to be considered during the ghost festival. Activities are discouraged for the people as these may attract the ghosts and may end up causing misfortune for them. An example is to stay away from walls as it is believed to be the places ghosts like to stick to. People are advised to be cautious of their actions during this time in order not to disturb the spirits.

Live Shows

There are also live shows called “getai” for these spirits. These cultural performances are made for the ghosts and sitting on the front row is another taboo as it will cause you a misfortune for sitting on a special spot for the spirits. These are probably done to entertain the spirits, however, this tradition is slowly dying.

"VIP" seats for the hungry ghosts

CONCLUSION

I believe that this festival is a way to honor the dead. It means that we, as humans, being the only things that have free will, emotions, and knowledge on the concept of death, we value the departed ones wherever they are. We feel that it is only right to show respect to the dead as it is our own way to cope up with a great loss. This way, we are not only reminding ourselves of their deaths, but in a way we are celebrating their lives.