Language Matters | How the Hungry Ghost Festival has roots in Buddhism and Daoism
Celebrated in the seventh lunar month, the Hungry Ghost Festival is a time to appease and honour ancestors and restless spirits
鬼門大開! The Gates of Hell were flung wide open across East and Southeast Asia last week, at the start of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.
In this Ghost Month 鬼月 (Cantonese gwái yuht), spirits are permitted to cross over into the human realm and roam the earth.
During this period, and especially on the 15th day of the seventh month, festive practices aim to regain the favour of one’s ancestors and other restless spirits in need of honour or appeasement, and, in so doing, to demonstrate filial piety.
Known in English as the Hungry Ghost Festival, this celebration has roots in both Daoism and Buddhism.
For Daoists, this is 中元節 (Mandarin: Zhongyuan Jie) “Middle Element Festival”. In traditional Daoist belief, the three realms, heaven, earth and water, are ruled by deities who determine mankind’s fate.
While the ruler of heaven grants happiness, and the ruler of water alleviates dangers, it is the ruler of earth – the middle element or middle realm – who pardons sins. His birthday falls on the 15th day of the seventh month, which is when he comes to earth to judge the deeds of the living.
