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业力是做坏事得到的。
德是做好事得到的。

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Halloween Costumes

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Pray and give sacrifices for the ghosts.

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Once a year for a month, we taste death in a figurative sense and our senses are in full experiential engagement with death. Once a year for a month, with the opening of the gates of hell, the boundaries that are set in place between the living and the dead are broken down. In this sense, the Hungry Ghost Festival also known as "The Yu-lan Assembly" (盂兰会), "The Day Honouring the Middle Primordial [of the Taoist pantheon] (中元会), "The Universal Passage [of Hungry Ghosts out of Hell] (普渡), "Releasing [Hungry Ghosts with] Burning Mouths (放焰口) and "Gathering Orphaned Souls" (抢孤) betrays ambiguity: it joins together two sides that in a strictly rational world would otherwise be kept separated.

The seventh lunar month, a month when hungry ghosts and taboos run wild and parents are at pains to remind their children to proceed home early without haste. Swimming at night should be avoided, lest there is something or someone waiting to pull your legs. The call of voices from behind should also best be ignored.

There remains a hesitation and a curiosity in probing the gray area between the world of the living and that of the dead, between the natural and the supernatural. At the core of it, the coupling of apprehension about ghosts with the propitiation of kin represents a necessary ambivalence about the dead. Another person's loved one [ancestor] is another person's ghost.

During this month, we hear two distinct voices: one expressing fear of ghosts [mitigated through our offerings, prayers, getai performances and grassroots temple dinners], the other proclaiming admiration for ancestors [through the tradition of the Ullambana Day (or yu-lan peng 盂兰盆节) epitomised by the story of Mu-lien rescuing his mother from the deepest reaches of hell]. Death finds itself as a schizophrenic patient.

Thus, the Hungry Ghost Festival articulates the fear that the dead have not been resettled and might continue to haunt the community as strangers, at the same time it expresses the hope that the dead be reincorporated at the head of the family line. The annual Hungry Ghost Festival is thus the site where these two voices of the ghost and the ancestor - products of cultural adaption and religious assimilation evolved through history - are engaged and amplified.

The ambivalence between ghosts and ancestors goes far back in history. In the Chronicles of the Zuo (左传), we find the statement, "The spirits of the dead (鬼神) do not accept [offerings] from those not of their lineage, and the people do not sacrifice to spirits not of their clan. Confucius is also said to have remarked, "to sacrifice to ancestors other than one's own is presumption." This was subsequently reasserted in the Lunyu zhushu (论语注疏), "to make sacrifice to a ghost that is not one's own ancestor is an act of sycophancy.

These two voices however require us to take a closer look at the relationship between ghosts and ancestors. It must be noted that the rituals and practices of the Hungry Ghost Festival embraces not an illicit pairing of opposites, but a mutually exclusive relationship between ghosts and ancestors, and one that integrates the cultural, religious and practical aspects of the living with the dead. It is a rite of passage not only for the dead (from an unstable liminal state to a secure postliminal state) but also for the living.

The celebration of the seventh moon marks the passage of the dead from the liminal stage when there are polluting, threatening and feared as ghosts to the stage of incorporation, in which they assume honour within the family, as immortal progenitors, creators and maintainers of the values necessary to sustain the life of the kinship group. By universalising the principle of filial piety, ritually performing for all the dead the sort of service hitherto provided only for one's own kin - that we see during Ullambana Day - can one succeed in helping one's deceased ancestors. This is not only a cultural act but also an ideological one. The core value of the family is reaffirmed and its values summed up by the notion of filiality. It is the month of the family, for the living and the dead. It is a month to consolidate the emotional bond between family members and to remember the values that bind each individual member together.

For the living, the seventh month marks the successful completion of the first half of the year and the turn of the seasons. In more ancient times, the seventh month and its subsequent festival links the dead to cosmic rhythms by making them an integral part of the seasonal festivals that come near the end of the summer growing season with the aim of "responding to autumn ripening" (报秋成). The dead, through their rebirth is incorporated into the natural cycle of fertility. In death, there is life. Thus, the seventh month is also known as "sending grains" (送麻壳), "the Melon Festival" (瓜节).

But more importantly, it is an occasion and a platform whereby unity and solidarity are expressed. The festival draw together both the living and the dead in those spaces and places of worship that are central to the social and economic life of a community, whose adherents and participants make sense of their daily life and predicament through these religious practices and rituals.

In death, we find integration, social solidarity and regeneration of a community. In death we find the distinctive tonalities of the Chinese culture essential to the reproduction of the social order and our core values as a community. These are cultural assets, tangible and intangible heritage that have to be consolidated, preserved and understood. Death offers an opportunity to culture map our own heritage and allow us to define our soft power as a nation. In so doing, we take another step towards defining our unique Singaporean death identity.

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Posts about Hungry Ghost Festival on Chen Jiaxi Bernard

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Once a year for a month, we taste death in a figurative sense and our senses are in full experiential engagement with death. Once a year for a month, with the opening of the gates of hell, the boundaries that are set in place between the living and the dead are broken down.

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Rescue from Hell: Mulian Saves His Mother

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East Asia gallery interactive of the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore (www.acm.org.sg)

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More information

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China's Ghost Festival - Culture - Chinadaily.com.cn

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Zhong Yuan Festival is on the 15th night of the seventh month. It is also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival.In fact people called it the Ghost Festival because they wanted to honor the deceased ancestors.

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Chinese people put them on water since water and ghosts are associated with yin.

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西的国没有中元节，但是这个节和万圣节很一样的。美国人觉得在万圣节所有的来自地狱的鬼魂回来也看美国住宅。他们叫万圣节西国的“死者的一天”。中元节比万圣节在中国给他们的家人东西，但是美国人在万圣节不送给他们东西。在这个节，美国人穿服装，也问他们的环境的住宅如果他们可以有糖果。
(西的國沒有中元節，但是這個節和萬聖節很一樣的。美國人覺得在萬聖節所有的來自地獄的鬼魂回來也看美國住宅。他們叫萬聖節西國的“死者的一天”。中元節比萬聖節在中國給他們的家人東西，但是美國人在萬聖節不送給他們東西。在這個節，美國人穿服裝，也問他們的環境的住宅如果他們可以有糖果。)

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What Activities Do Chinese People Do During the Festival

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What Activities Do Chinese People Do During the Festival

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在中元节，很多中国人剪纸，牺牲饭，烧香，常常放在河中把灯笼，也着火纸所以他们的家庭的鬼魂很高心。
(在中元節，很多中國人剪紙，犧牲飯，燒香，常常放在河中把燈籠，也著火紙所以他們的家庭的鬼魂很高心。)

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在中元节，很多中国人送给饥饿的鬼魂很多及，烤鸭，水果和蛋糕。因为这个节有很多牺牲的，中国人不吃很多一个饭。
(在中元節，很多中國人送給飢餓的鬼魂很多及，烤鴨，水果和蛋糕。因為這個節有很多犧牲的，中國人不吃很多一個飯。)

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中国人觉得佛，死去的祖先，也家庭的鬼魂都是最有名的中元节的人。
(中國人覺得佛，死去的祖先，也家庭的鬼魂都是最有名的中元節的人。)

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The Date of the Festival on the Gregorian Calendar

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The Date of the Festival on the Gregorian Calendar

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和阳历八月还有九月
(和陽曆八月還有九月)

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The Date of the Festival on the Lunar Calendar

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The Date of the Festival on the Lunar Calendar

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中元节在阴历七月十五号
(中元節在陰曆七月十五號)

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中国人相信中元节的起源是一个住宅的妈妈生病了。她的男孩儿叫，Mulian，要帮她的身体越来越好了。他问佛怎么他帮他的妈妈，但是因为他的妈妈小的时候不很慷慨也很类，她有不好的投胎。佛高速Mulian如果他给他的死的祖先很多的东西，他妈妈的身体会越来越好了。所以，Mulian给他的死祖先很多饭，剪纸，也其他的东西。明天她的妈妈告诉Mulian她太好了。在中元节，中国人觉得天堂之门 和地狱打开，所以所有的家庭的鬼魂访问，所以他们应该他们很多贵的东西。
(中國人相信中元節的起源是一個住宅的媽媽生病了。她的男孩兒叫，Mulian，要幫她的身體越來越好了。他問佛怎麼他幫他的媽媽，但是因為他的媽媽小的時候不很慷慨也很類，她有不好的投胎。佛高速Mulian如果他給他的死的祖先很多的東西，他媽媽的身體會越來越好了。所以，Mulian給他的死祖先很多飯，剪紙，也其他的東西。明天她的媽媽告訴Mulian她太好了。在中元節，中國人覺得天堂之門 和地獄打開，所以所有的家庭的鬼魂訪問，所以他們應該他們很多貴的東西。)

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中国人觉得每天所有的人应该给他的父母很多尊重。所以，在中元节，很多中国人觉得他们不一直给他的活的家人东西，他们觉得在这个节他们送给他们的死者家属很多东西。即使他们是鬼，所有的家人值得尊重。
(中國人覺得每天所有的人應該給他的父母很多尊重。所以，在中元節，很多中國人覺得他們不一直給他的活的家人東西，他們覺得在這個節他們送給他們的死者家屬很多東西。即使他們是鬼，所有的家人值得尊重。)

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Famous Poetry Associated With the Festival

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Famous Poetry Associated With the Festival

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中元节没有有名的诗歌，但是在这个节很多中国人去看歌台。这个演出都很响，也第一排座位没有人所以他们的家庭的鬼魂有座位。
(中元節沒有有名的詩歌，但是在這個節很多中國人去看歌台。這個演出都很響，也第一排座位沒有人所以他們的家庭的鬼魂有座位。)