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Misc » When All Hell Break Loose
Living in Taiwan, it’s hard to ignore the fact that it’s “ghost month” right now… or what is otherwise formally known as the Hungry Ghost Festival. Though I must admit I don’t quite need the entire country to make it obvious to me, as my mother has taken to obsessively remind me about it every single day- something she does every year when the 7th month of the lunar calendar rolls around. Yep, she’s definitely a strong believer of the superstitions surrounding this ominous month.
Hungry… what??
For those who aren’t familiar with this particular festival, the 7th month of the lunar calendar is supposedly when the gates of hell will open and all the ghosts (hungry ones, to boot) are let out to freely roam Earth among us living beings. Sounds mighty creepy, but what exactly does this mean to us? Well, for believers, it can greatly influence and change the way you live during this month… or at the very least, evoke certain behavior that will appear rather strange to those who aren’t accustomed to the beliefs surrounding this festival.
To sum it up, I’ve come to notice three takes on these wandering ghosts and what their purpose are- the deceased who are back to visit their living relatives, the bored who are seeking entertainment, and finally, the evil who are out to do some harm. I should probably add that all of the above are hungry, which certainly explains the great feast many businesses and households alike would prepare during this month as an offering to please the ghosts. Likewise, this is also the month where you’d walk down the street and experience quite a bit of extra pollution caused by the constant burning of paper hell money, houses, cars, furniture, and so on so forth. These offerings are treated as gifts that the dead can take with them to the afterlife.
During this month, you’ll also find that many lanterns are lit in order to help light the way at night for these ghosts. In some areas, there are even outdoor performances (singing, dancing, plays, operas, etc..) at night to entertain and please the ghosts that may happen to wander by. Us living beings are welcome to enjoy these shows of course, but a fair warning on the best seats of the house though. See those empty seats up front that everyone’s avoiding like the plague? It’s not because they’re saving it for you… not unless you’re dead, so be sure not to sit on those seats as you might end up planting your butt on a ghost!
Ghosts that do more than BOO!
Satisfying the spirits aside, let’s not forget that these are ghosts we’re talking about… and well, we’re bound to encounter some ill-willed ones. So while it may seem strange that people are preparing feasts and being so accommodating in welcoming them as to light their way with lanterns and put on shows to make their visit a fun one, there’s still one underlying message: Appease the ghosts, hope to gain good luck from this deed, and pray that they do no harm to you.
What this all mean is that people are extra careful during this month. Beaches, swimming pools, and other bodies of water are seldom visited as there’s an old belief that evil ghosts often lurk about waiting to drown some poor, unsuspecting fellow. Drowning aside, people (especially children) are also strongly advised to return home before dark in order to prevent a ghost from doing harm to them or worse yet, possess them! Since ghosts love wreaking havoc, this period is often considered a bad time to do things like moving, starting a business, getting married, traveling, or even undergoing surgery. As a result, this month tends to end up being the lowest peak for business and vacation activities.
For me, personally, it’s become the month where my mom would incessantly bug me to come home earlier… to make sure I don’t run off for a swim anywhere, to not go near graveyards, to not do anything risky, to not travel… well, the list goes on and on. To put it in a nutshell, accidents are waiting to happen this month and it’s best not to give these ghosts any opportunities to harm us! Of course, praying becomes rather popular if all the people flocking to the temples are any indication. You may find me in one as well, that is when my mother succeeds in dragging me along.
And the moral is…
All things said and done, I would be lying if I said living among all these superstitions didn’t affect me in some way. While I may not be obsessed about it, I think it’s perhaps most accurate to say that I’m wary of it. I do become a little more careful- it’s hard not to when I’ve got my mother’s warning voice going off in my head whenever I consider on tempting the fates and doing something daring like *gasp* swim. Oddly enough, it does seem there’s always an increase of accidents (sometimes strange ones) that occur this month every year… but whether that’s a case of these incidents making the news more simply because of the superstitions or not is something to think about.
The moral of the story? Unfortunately, it all depends on what your personal beliefs are… though I suppose it couldn’t hurt to fall back on the wise, old adage of better safe than sorry (even if I may often not follow it myself).
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