Since we're all talking about Halloween...

[Hayashi]

... I thought I'd share with you the Chinese equivalent. Well, we don't really have an equivalent festive occasion, but an equivalent concept, sort of. Err, lemme explain.

I read in another thread that Halloween has its roots in the belief that the day before All Souls' Day (1 Nov) the wall between the physical and spiritual world thins and spirits can cross over. Something like that anyway.

The Chinese believe that once a year, the gates of hell are opened and spirits are free to wander around in the physical world. Don't ask me why the King of Hell (the deity responsible for hell in Chinese mythology) would want to do this, I haven't the faintest idea.

This happens for a month and takes place during the 7th month of the lunar calendar, which corresponds to August/September in the Gregorian calendar. Where I live (Lion City) it's called the Festival of Hungry Ghosts. There are no "festivities" per se, it is marked by the burning of joss paper as an offering to one's ancestors. Frequently people will burn paper representing gold and silver (just paper with a gold or silver patch stuck on it) and even "Hell banknotes" printed specially for this (you should see the number of zeroes on them, lol) in the belief that this "money" will find its way to the intended receipient, thereby easing their life in hell for another year.

Some families also lay out offerings of food (rice, some dishes) maybe to appease passing spirits? A superstition is never to allow young children to go outdoors in the evening of the first and last day of the festival (when the gates are opened and when the spirits need to return to hell), lest some calamity befall them.

Another unique happening is the auction. What this is that temples will organise a dinner (with singers, etc) and items will be auctioned off and I suppose the proceeds will go to the temple for the upkeep nad maybe their programmes. Items usually auctioned are houshold stuff (appliances, etc), idols/figurines of Chinese deities and charcoal - this often fetches the highest bids as I think in Chinese the name for charcoal sounds similar to black gold or it represents gold. Anuyways it is supposed to bring prosperity to the owner.

We don't have kids going around, however, trick or treating. Fortunately/unfortunately.

[Ladyzekke]

Wow that was really interesting to read about Hayashi, thanks for posting it Wow, an entire month eh? So do people put out different foods, or burn joss paper every day during the month? And how often are the auctions?

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[Hayashi]

The joss paper is usually burnt 3 times - at the beginning, middle and end of the month.

The auctions, or "getais" as they are called here, happen throughout the island, organised by different temples. I guess each temple does one, but there are many temples here.

It can get quite cacophonous at night with all the singing and then the auctioneer's cries...

[Lifetime]

Hayashi, do you practice this custom?
I'm pretty thankful I dont live near the HDB areas..
Getai singers and joss-stick burners and what not..
Air pollution is horrible. You cant walk on the street without seeing ashes and offerings everywhere..

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No-Name Face

[Sazerac]

Hayashi, that was most interesting! Thank you for sharing that. I've always enjoyed participating in my Chinese friends' celebrations, but that's one I was completely unfamiliar with. It sounds fascinating! I really like that part about the burning of the money. I had heard of something like that during the mourning period when a Chinese person dies, that "money" is burned with the incense to help them in the otherworld.

Cheers,



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[Hayashi]

Originally posted by Lifetime: Hayashi, do you practice this custom? I'm pretty thankful I dont live near the HDB areas.. Getai singers and joss-stick burners and what not.. Air pollution is horrible. You cant walk on the street without seeing ashes and offerings everywhere..

As a matter of fact my wife does - I just help her to burn the stuff. In the bins provided, of course.

[Lifetime]

Its rather interesting to see the change upon the usually Westernised, super-modern Singapore when the 7th Lunar month comes around.
People avoid swimming, stepping on ashes, and you can see altars and offerings everywhere, even in backalleys around our main commercial district. People make offerings, burn paper money, and basically anything they want their dead relatives to have in the after-life..cars, houses, in paper variants.
I think sometimes Singaporeans are obsessed with the dead..we have Qing Ming Jie, which basically means the Tomb-Sweeping festival, where people storm the graveyards to pay their respects and clean up the tombs, then we have the 7th month, and generally every festival we have is related to something dying. Hm.

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No-Name Face