7 taboos to avoid during Hungry Ghost Festival to keep unwanted spirits at bay
Spirits are believed to roam the world when the gates of the underworld open, and actions such as picking up loose change can attract them
This year, that day falls on August 13. The festival will last until September 10, the final day of the seventh lunar month, when the gates of hell are shut. The apex of the festival falls on the 15th night (August 27), when it is believed the spirits are at their most active.
While welcomed ancestors are honoured, the festival – celebrated as Zhongyuan by Taoists and Yulanpen by Buddhists – places special emphasis on “hungry ghosts”, the restless souls who died without living descendants, suffered traumatic deaths or were improperly buried. These spirits return to Earth hungry, thirsty and prone to causing mischief if ignored.
But have no fear – a few simple precautions are all it takes to stay safe. Here are seven things you should avoid during the festival.
1. Do not swim or do water sports
According to Chinese folklore, a person who dies a traumatic, unexpected death – such as by drowning or suicide by water – suffers a grim fate. Their soul is believed to become tethered to the exact physical spot where they died.
Unlike spirits who die peacefully and pass into the underworld for judgment and reincarnation, a water ghost remains trapped in a cold, dark, submerged state.