ghosts

Just as the West has Halloween for ghost and souls, the Chinese have a holiday to fete the departed spirits of the underworld.

In Chinese tradition, the seventh month of the lunar calendar is known as the Ghost Month, where the spirits of deceased ancestors emerge from the lower realms since the gate of Hell is said to be open during this month. This year, August falls on the seventh month and right now when walking the streets of Hong Kong you see people lighting little fires outside their shops and homes all the time.
Why? Well here people believe that the living is supposed to please the ghosts by offering them food and money. And the money needs to be burnt to get to the ghosts. So just about everywhere you go, people are burning paper which symbolises “hell money”, so that the dead can buy stuff in the afterlife. (However, in these modern times people do not only burn paper that symbolises money, almost just as common are paper symbolising laptops, cars, watches, and even Viagra…, because, you know..., the dead still like to get it on... ;-))

Consequently, all this burning of paper means that small particles of ash float through the air, and these crumbling bits and pieces that cover us with dust are supposed to make us feel as if the spirits actually are hovering around us. And I must admit that I kind of like it, cause it makes me sing: I’m afraid of no ghosts… Who are you gonna call? Ghost busters! And then I giggle to myself… Silly I know, but I can’t help it…

Anyway, in modern but still superstitious Hong Kong, all sorts of activities grinds to a halt. It is said that the ghosts wander the streets at night, so people are actually advised not to go out then. And people also avoid unnecessary risky activities during ghost month, like swimming and other water sports, because if you’re unlucky, you could drown... There are also many other taboos: moving a house, opening a business, and holding a wedding ceremony should all be avoided. If a child is born on this day, their birth date would usually be changed when registered or celebrated to remove any doubt that they might be in contact with a ghost…

With all this in mind, it’s probably good that I am lacking adventures at the moment, even though I complained yesterday…