Ghost Festival Rituals

Ghost Festival Rituals

Two real life encounters with ghostly beings during Ghost Festivals.

The Ghost Festival is a traditional Chinese or Taoist festival celebrated on the 15th night of the seventh lunar month. The 15th day of the seventh lunar month is called is known as “Ghost Month.” Many people believe that during that month the sector are Heaven, Hell and the Earth and restless ghosts will freely roam the earth.

Ghost Festival rituals of joss sticks, incense, paper money, prepared food, wine and tea are offered to these temporary ‘guests’. One of the main highlights of the festival is the Chinese operas, usually held on temporary bamboo stages, to appease the wandering spirits from the otherworld.

Laden with Offerings for Hungry Ghost Festival

Here are two truly terrifying stories about peoples’ actual experience during the dark month.

Qing Ming Amazing Stories

Qing Ming Amazing Stories

Qing Ming (or commonly named Ghost Festival) is the time where the deceased or the departed are given one month’s permission to visit our world.

Qing Ming to Taoism and Buddhism followers is to revere or admire one’s departed families and relatives that live in this world. It is also an opportunity to visit the graveyards even sweep their tombstones as a mark of respect. The followers bring food, drinks and joss sticks to pray to graveyards. They also offer paper money, houses, suits, mobile phones and even a paper maid!

Prayers at Gravesite (courtesy www.mythicmaps.et)

However Qing Ming or Ghost Festival as the name implies have its share of ghostly stories, I will relate two spooky tales that happened during the festival.

1^st story

This happened in a seafood restaurant in Port Klang during the Qing Ming month as told by Steven Yap. Steven was told by his mother to be back early after work especially during that month but he did not really believe in such stories. 

He and his office colleagues had a celebration one night when one of his workmates received a healthy commission for a project. After work they went to a seafood restaurant to celebrate with food and drinks.

Half way during dinner, Steven had to go the restroom which was separately located adjacent to the restaurant. The male toilet was dark and muddy and the lights were not working well as they were flickering on and off. When he was done, he went to the row of basins to wash his hand when the lights went off. He was quickly drying his hands when he realised from the mirror that someone was in the toilet.