Ghost Festival (Hungry Ghost Month)
The seventh lunar month when the gates of the spirit world open and ancestors roam the earth.
The Ghost Festival falls on the 15th day of the 7th month in the Chinese lunisolar calendar (the 14th in parts of southern China), usually in August or early September. The whole 7th lunar month is observed as Ghost Month.
When Is Ghost Festival (Hungry Ghost Month)?
The Ghost Festival falls on the 15th day of the 7th month in the Chinese lunisolar calendar (the 14th in parts of southern China), usually in August or early September. The whole 7th lunar month is observed as Ghost Month.
Because the Gregorian date changes from year to year, check a calendar published by the tradition or your local community for this year's date.
Why It Matters
During the Ghost Festival the gates of the underworld are traditionally believed to open and spirits roam. Taoist and Buddhist traditions merge in elaborate rituals to honor and appease wandering spirits, ensuring they do not trouble the living.
How It Is Observed
Burning joss paper (ghost money) for ancestors, elaborate food offerings on roadside altars, releasing water lanterns to guide spirits, Chinese opera performed for spirits.
Sacred Text
“All things arise together, and I watch their return. They grow and flourish and then return to the source.”
, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 16 ↗