WHAT IT IS ABOUT?
Ghost festival is on the 15th of the 7th month according to Chinese (lunar) calender, but that whole 7th month is called the ghost month. It is when the Gate of Hell is opened and which the ghost and spirits, and also dead ancestors come out and find their living heir if they have not fulfilled their dead ancestors requests.
WHAT TO DO?
During that month, usually the living heir will burn incense and paper money, and also prepare food offerings such as oranges, rice, steamed pork or sometimes their ancestors favourite food. Although later on, their family will eat this. Sometimes, they will also burn miniatures like houses, cars, shoes, clothes, and so on that are made out of paper, because the Chinese believes when you die, you wear nothing and own nothing. So in order to give their deceased family members some comfort in the underworld, the living heir burn these stuffs to them. Some cases, if the stuffs are not burn, the deceased spirit could come back and haunt you.
SUPERSTITIONS/TRADITIONS
1.When somebody calls you in their full name, do not answer or look back, because then they will take you to the underworld.
2.Do not sleep in king bed size alone because something could be sleeping beside you.
3.Burning paper money so that they will have a currency to buy what they want in the underworld.
REASONS FOR DOING THIS PROJECTS
It is unique traditions to Chinese although some other Asian culture might have something similar. But the main reason is that, today, nobody believes in ghost and lean towards science. It is not just the matter of believe because this can also be called as cultural heritage, what the Chinese are made of; their identity. It might sounds ridiculous to outsiders that have never heard of it, but to the Chinese who had been doing it and been implanted these ideas since they were born, it is quite matter, since it is also linked with moral values like filial piety and respect towards the older generation.
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