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HungryGhostFestival
The14thand15thoftheseventhlunarmonth
MuchlikeWesternculture’sHalloween,someEasternculturescelebrateaFallfestivalwheretheybelievethegatesofhellarethrownopen,releasinghungryghoststowandertheearthinsearchoffoodandtakingrevengeuponthosewhowrongedtheminlife.Thismonth-longfestivalisknownastheHungryGhostFestivalandtakesplaceduringthe7thlunarmonth.
UnlikeothercelebrationsofthedeadinEasternculturesthatseektohonordeadancestors,theHungryGhostFestivalseekstopacifythehungryghosts,theghostsofstrangersandtheun-cared-fordead.Thesearetheghostsofthosewhodiedbytheirownhands,byaccidents,bydrowningorhangingwhohavebeendeniedentryintoheaven.Angrybecausetheyareforcedtodwellinhellwithoutfoodorcomfort,whenreleased,theysearchforsoulstotaketheirplaceinmisery.
ToTaoists（道教徒）andBuddhists（佛教徒）,theseevilspiritsarenottobetakenlightly.Theyaremostactiveatnightandcantakemanyformsincluding:snakes,moths（蛾）,birds,foxes,wolves,andtigers.Theycanevenappearasbeautifulmenorwomentoseducetheliving.Whentheypossessanindividualbyenteringthebodytheycauseillnessandmentaldisorders.
Throughoutthismonth,tokeeptheangryspiritsamused,peoplestagestreetoperasandotherformsofpublicentertainment.Inthepast,peopledidnotviewthestreetoperasastheywereperformedonlyforghosts.Otherrituals（典礼，仪式）areperformedtohelpsoulsenterintoheaven.Taoistsdotheirbesttoavoidlatenightsawayfromtheseamusementsandritualstosteerclearoftheevilspirits.Toappeasethesewanderingspirits,BuddhistsandTaoistsburnbundlesofjosssticks,paperhellmoney,food,andotherofferingsbytheroadside.Communitiesalongriversorneartheseafloatlanternsintheshapeofthelotusorcarvedfromfruitorgourdsinthewatertoguidethemawayfromtheirhomes.Theyfollowthelanternsfromtheriverbankorseashoretilltheycannolongerbeseen.Thisisdonetoredeemthesoulofthosewhodiedbydrowning.
Themostimportantdaysofthismontharethe14thand15th,thedaysofthegreatfeasts.Onthe14th,agreatfeastwouldbeheldtohonorfamilyancestors.Prayersandofferingswouldbemadeatfamilyaltars.Onthefollowingnight,the15th,theywouldfeastforthehungryghosts.Heldoutsideunderthefullmoon,thesefeastsfeedtheevilspiritssothattheywillleavethelivingaloneandbribe（贿赂）theancestorsforluckwithmoneyandtheharvest.