The Chinese Ghost Month

For the uninformed, there is a Chinese belief that on its Lunar 7th Month, also widely known as the Ghost Month, all hungry ghosts (purportedly the souls of human beings who had died and are trapped in hell for some reasons) are allowed to come out of hell and visit the earth. The only purpose is to allow them to have food to eat. The food they eat are not our physical food but the spiritual essence of the food (I am not too sure about this theory). Only foods that are offered to them can be eaten by them. The sign to them is the presence of two lit red candles and/or some joss sticks. The typical way is to put all the foods on an altar (as shown below).

Food offered include most of what we consume as humans, such as fruits, cooked foods, cooked meat dishes, drinks, etc. Offerings can be directed only to the deceased you know, such as a family member, by writing his/her name on the altar.




Hell Notes

Beliefs include the use of money, known as hell notes, in hell. The living can buy such notes easily in shops and supermarts and eBay, bundle them together, write the names of the the recipients, and offer them with the foods. After an estimated time of about half-an-hour to 2 hours, it is assumed that the ghost is finished with the food. The hell notes are then burned (it is believed that they turn into real notes in the spiritual realm). The better the paper quality, the more it costs in our world, and the more valuable it is in the next world. Some of the notes look like these:

Burning of Hell Notes

Burning also take place along roadsides

Paper Models


In addition to hell notes, beliefs include burning of paper models of houses, maids, electrical applicances, etc. These are also believed to be transformed into reality when they 'reach' the other world.

Operas

As it is believed that ghosts are suffering in hell and this month is a time for them to take a break, operas are shown on makeshift stages built along roadsides or empty spaces, to let these ghosts enoy them. So do not be surprised if you should see such stages with operas and no human audiences.



People With Third Eye Opened
It is quite strange this belief, origins which cannot be traced, has survived till the technological age of our time. There is no way to prove it scientifically or otherwise. It is peculiar to the Chinese, and they had brought these beliefs with them wherever they went all over the world. I wonder what force is behind these beliefs that keep them alive?

Of course it is up to us to choose to believe or not to, but there are some people who claim that they can see the other world, and some of those I have met told me that these beliefs are true. They do see it happening every year, and they find it very frightening. So much so that they avoid going out of their homes during this month. According to them, what are true include hell notes, food offerings, paper models, all kinds of ghost (good-looking, from different time periods, ugly, bloody, long tongues, etc).

Interesting Points
Assuming that this is true, then I have some interesting points to make.

Firstly, this belief spans over many countries in the world, with different time zones. The Gates of Hell is supposed to be opened during this 7th month. Hence, which time zone is used as reference? Do the ghosts reach Singapore first, or Taiwan, or China? Maybe the answer is that since there is no time factor in the other world (as time exists only on earth or other planets), there is some way of synchronising events their way.

Secondly, as I had asked in a previous post about the whereabouts of Heaven and Hell, these beliefs may tie in with my speculations. If Hell is attached to the earth in a different dimension, then the ghosts can be released at any time of the year. So since it is only on the Lunar 7th month that this happens yearly, this pattern may tell us that hell and earth coincide only once a year, over a period of 1 month of our calendar. Outside of this period, the ghost might not be able to reach us as the earth moves away. Logical isn't it?

If that is true, it could also be true for Heaven. But this hell seems to be for Chinese only! Those with the third eyes opened also told me that they seldom see non-Chinese ghosts. That is another mysterious point that puzzles me.

Thirdly, these ghosts are offered operas that feature stories and acting costumes of one particular period of ancient China. This has not been updated to newer ideas like modern soap operas, musicals, TV serials, Youtube, etc. That again is another mysterious point.

Lastly, I wonder for how long more this belief and the related activities will last....