Festival of the Hungry Ghosts

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Believe it or not...this is actually a festival here in Singapore as well as in many Asian countries. I came to know about it out of curiosity.

This past Friday there were people in random parts of the city putting things into burn barrels. By random parts of the city I mean on street corners, in front of businesses, and there was even one just across the street from the post office. I suspected that this was some sort of political or religious ritual so I didn't wander too close to inquire. People would just walk up to the barrel and place different things into the fire. What I could see were pieces of paper, maybe letters, and other pieces of paper with colorful crepe paper draped off the end.

I asked somebody about it today and they told me that it is the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts or Qingming Festival. It is Chinese tradition that on the 15th day of the Lunar Year (which typically falls in August) ghosts and spirits come out and share the earth with the living. The items that were being burned were likely pictures or things made of paper to resemble clothing and other fine goods. These are burned in order to share them with the ghosts or spirits visiting earth. Something else that is done on this day (although I did not see it) is that people place meals out as well. In addition, they will dish up a meal and leave an empty seat at the table for each family member that is deceased.

I have to admit that these are the types of experiences I really enjoy. I love to tour and experience other cultures but that is on purpose and you tend to see only the major sights given the amount of time of your vacation. This on the other hand was just something that I happened upon. It is nothing that is advertised or celebrated by way of posters or major decorations...it is just something that the locals do based on their beliefs. I could have totally ignored it but I asked somebody and have now found out about this cool tradition.

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