Cultural enrichment for mayos: Hungry Ghost Festival Month
6 2019-08-19 by HardIsLife
What: it’s a Chinese traditional festival originated from Buddhism but celebrated all across Asia.
When: it’s happening right now.
Why: ever seen Spirited Away? It’s like that. All the spirits including our ancestors would come up from hell because the gates of hell are opened for a month and they are hungry.
Do:
- offer paper money (currency in hell) by burning it so that your ancestors can buy shit and bribe if needed. It’s tough down there.
- offer food because they are hungry.
- burn incense
- float lanterns in the river before the festival ends so that ghosts could find their way back
Do NOT
- Eat the food being offered to the ghosts or disrupt the offerings in any way
- Mock the ghosts
- Stick your chopsticks upwards in your rice bowl because the ghosts will assume it’s for them
- Pick up random items that you see that are not yours
- Sit at the front row because that’s reserved for ghosts
- Wear red or black clothing
- Open an umbrella outside of your house unless you want a Totoro situation but instead a ghost would want to take shelter with you.
- Whistle or say the word, “ghost” out loud. That’s just Asian common sense.
17 comments
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1 POST_BUSSY 2019-08-19
Gay
1 HardIsLife 2019-08-19
Self inflicted wound?
1 POST_BUSSY 2019-08-19
Yep
1 GaysianSupremacist 2019-08-19
Yes?
1 POST_BUSSY 2019-08-19
Based
1 DrunkenRecidivist 2019-08-19
They come up from hell? All your ancestors are in hell? Or is it more of some underworld thing because there isn't a seperate heaven for the good ancestors and you just don't know english that well?
1 HardIsLife 2019-08-19
Yes
1 DrunkenRecidivist 2019-08-19
So if you make them happy do they help you out or something? And if you piss them off what kind of curses do they put on you?
1 HardIsLife 2019-08-19
Haven’t you seen Mulan? They help awaken the stone dragon to help you 🤦🏻♀️
1 DrunkenRecidivist 2019-08-19
No I never saw it. I meant to watch Spirited Away but I haven't seen that yet either.
Do you burn real money?
1 HardIsLife 2019-08-19
You need to watch all ghibli movies 🤦🏻♀️
No, it’s paper money printed like hell money. https://www.taiwanese-secrets.com/wp-content/uploads/chinese-ghost-festival.006.jpg they don’t use our currency in hell 🤦🏻♀️
1 DrunkenRecidivist 2019-08-19
I don't watch much anime. I've seen Princess Mononoke a couple of times though.
You aren't allowed to open an umbrella outside? So you just have to get rained on for the whole month?
1 HardIsLife 2019-08-19
Well, if you’re superstitious 🤗 I’m wearing black right now. So, lol
1 DrunkenRecidivist 2019-08-19
I didn't know Asians don't whistle because of ghosts. I guess I actually learned quite a lot from this post.
1 HardIsLife 2019-08-19
These are just some things old people tell you not to do since you were a kid so it just seems like common sense to us. I remember wanting to wear a red dress that my mom bought for me around this time of year when I was a kid and my grandmother didn’t allow it. They would say things like, “oh, if you whistle, the ghost will like the tune and follow you back home.” There’s also beliefs like ghosts don’t notice that you are nearby until you talk about them and suddenly, they will take interest in you.
There are also different types of spirits and whatnot. Like you cannot breathe around some of them (seen in spirited away) and others, you need to stand still.
You should look into this Asian horror game called Detention https://youtu.be/_6Kq9-jbYBI it explores those beliefs and traditions as enemies in the game
Here’s one of the enemies/ghosts where you need to hold your breath when they pass by you. It sniffs you out to see if you’re breathing.
https://i2.wp.com/modernhorrors.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Detention-Stalking.gif
Others are really hungry so you need to offer them rice bowls to pass by safely. That kind of thing. The game itself is really good too if you’re into horror.