Hungry Ghost (Seventh Month) Festival

[winston]

Ok, time to revive this thread for you all else I send it permanently into the Archives

[kennynah]

one more month to go...

how are you all celebrating this festival? as for me.. there's no significance...

[winston]

TOL:-

Tomorrow is the 15th and a lot of Buddhists would be praying for their ancestors tomorrow.

Hmm.... this stock market correction happened in the 7th month

[winston]

How to avoid meeting ghosts By Beh Yuen Hui in Kuala Lumpur /The Star | ANN

Kuala Lumpur (The Star/ANN) - Cutting hair, shaving, going for outings and hanging clothes outside the house are among the things people should avoid doing at night throughout the Hungry Ghost Festival.

People should also avoid moving house and getting a new vehicle, as it is believed that the chances of bumping into ghosts are higher by doing all these.

"Keep away from the walls because ghosts love sticking to it," said Master Szeto Fat-ching, a famous exorcist and feng shui guru from Hong Kong.

He said although ghosts are around during daytime, they are more active at night.

Thus, precautions have to be taken during the month-long festival beginning July 31 when the Hell Gate is open and the spirits are allowed to return to the human realm.

Master Szeto also said women are more prone to seeing ghosts than men.

According to the Yin and Yang philosophy, women belong to the Yin category the same as ghosts and so they are easier to "click" with each other.

"There's nothing to fear because the ghosts are more afraid of humans than we are of them."

Dubbed the Ghost King of Macao, Master Szeto was invited here by Chinese radio station 988 as a guest deejay in a ghost-related programme in conjunction with the festival.

He also shared his stories and exchanged views with over 300 supernatural fans at an "up close and personal" session here on Wednesday.

Besides the above mentioned taboos, Master Szeto also warned the public to not take the offerings on the streets that were served to the "homeless spirits" or make fun of the belief.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/avoid-meeting- ... 03399.html

[winston]

And it will be the first day of the 8th month tomorrow ...

So it may be time to buy some stocks

[winston]

Tomorrow is the 1st Day of the Seventh Month ...

[kennynah]

so, no more swimming

[winston]

For Buddhists, if you would like to pray for your ancestors and to purify their karma, supposedly, you can only do it once a year, on the 15th day of the 7th month.

There should be some sort of activity at your favourite Buddhist Temple or Centre.

[winston]

Ghost & Gobbles By Sheere Ng....


Standard offering

The Hungry Ghost Festival, a Chinese tradition of feeding the wandering spirits during the seventh month of the lunar calendar, began last Friday (the 16th of August) and will last for a month.

Hence the feast is on again – meats, fish, fruits, cakes, alcohol for the wandering souls and a separate menu of milk, sweets and tidbits for the “young spirits”. As with tradition, the ghosts get to tuck in first, before the living could be offered its “earthly” leftovers.


Sweets for the lost young spirits

“This festival is an expansion of Zhong Yuan, the birthday of the ‘Earth’s Official’, who pardons the sins of the dead”, says Mr Chung Kwang Tong, secretary general of the Taoist Federation. (Buddhist refers this day as Yulanpen, which has a different origin.)

Traditionally on the 15th day of the seventh month, Taoist priests would chant the scriptures, urging the spirits to repent, adds Mr Chung.

During the ritual, they also “offered” buns and rice – the traditional and ancient Chinese staples. But over the years, the commoners and peasant folks reinterpret it on a grander scale, believing that the more and better food offered, the likelier their ancestors would be satisfied and thus seek forgiveness.

They also extend their offerings to the spirits who have no kith and kin with the hope that they will not wreak havoc to their lives.

When it comes to the food selection, it’s the same general rules when offering a fellow living human – only fresh cooked foods make it to the offering table. “You wouldn’t give rotten fruits to your father would you?” says Mr Chung.

Mr Zhang Zai Xing, who is in charge of the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre’s sacrificial ceremony, says that they would prepare necessities that would also be of use to the centre’s members, since the offerings will be redistributed back to them. Therefore, practical stuff like salt, condensed milk, canned food and packet drinks, among others, are the norm.

While there isn’t an edict to follow, there are certain unspoken rules that any believer must abide by, as they had been practiced for centuries by the Chinese around the world.

For example, animal sacrifices come in threes – one that thrives on land (e.g. pork), in the air (e.g. chicken, to represent birds) and in water (e.g. seafood, especially fish).

According to Mr Chung, they represent the three realms of existence – heaven, earth, and the netherworld.

While most fruits are accepted, from the humble apples and oranges to the fancier, recent additions like dragonfruit and kiwi, Mr Chung cautions that the dead may not share the living’s liking for pungent fruits like durian (it is an acquired taste even for humans after all).

Chinese rice wine and tea are the de facto beverages, since they are an old time Chinese favourite meal accompaniments. But businessmen with fatter budgets have been known to offer expensive liquor like brandy and whiskeys.

Mr Ron Zhuang, who’s in the construction business, offers beers and brandy, on top of the suckling pig, roast pork, roast chicken, fish, crabs and a buffet spread of six to eight more dishes.

When asked what they wish to receive in return for the feast, he says, “Besides good luck, we also hope for safety, which is very important in our business.”

There are also less observant believers. Folks are known to offer unconventional items like a Macdonald’s meal. So long as they believe it will please, it will be done.

Devotees also offer “material offerings” by burning paper mache versions of cars, money, houses, toilets, maids and even iphones (the list goes on).

But food must never be implied with paper, as the spirits actually “consume” them, albeit in a different manner. According to Mr Eric Yeo, a practicing Taoist priest, “They eat by smelling, not by swallowing.”

http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/news/ ... 51372.html

[kennynah]

didn't they just performed on the 7th month ghost festival