Praying to Hungry Ghost

[nowayL]

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I was invited by my Chinese colleague to join their prayers to the hungry ghost just at the back of our workplace. I bring my camera and take some snaps on how they do it. These should be the equivalent of our All Souls Day.



a brief explanation:

he Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, or Yu Lan is a traditional Chinese festival and holiday celebrated by Chinese in many countries. In the Chinese calendar (a lunisolar calendar), the Ghost Festival is on the 15th night of the seventh lunar month (14th in southern China).
In Chinese tradition, the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day and the seventh month in general is regarded as the Ghost Month (鬼月), in which ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm. Distinct from both the Qingming Festival (in spring) and Chung Yeung Festival (in autumn) in which living descendants pay homage to their deceased ancestors, on Ghost Day, the deceased are believed to visit the living.
On the fifteenth day the realms of Heaven and Hell and the realm of the living are open and both Taoists and Buddhists would perform rituals to transmute and absolve the sufferings of the deceased. Intrinsic to the Ghost Month is ancestor worship, where traditionally the filial piety of descendants extends to their ancestors even after their deaths. Activities during the month would include preparing ritualistic food offerings, burning incense, and burning joss paper, a papier-mâché form of material items such as clothes, gold and other fine goods for the visiting spirits of the ancestors. Elaborate meals (often vegetarian meals) would be served with empty seats for each of the deceased in the family treating the deceased as if they are still living. Ancestor worship is what distinguishes Qingming Festival from Ghost Festival because the latter includes paying respects to all deceased, including the same and younger generations, while the former only includes older generations. Other festivities may include, buying and releasing miniature paper boats and lanterns on water, which signifies giving directions to the lost ghosts and spirits of the ancestors and other deities.

[nowayL]

The preparations

Food offerings


joss materials




Hell currency


candles




food offerings

[nowayL]

Making the materials for burning later ...


They look very serious .... hehe

[michaelocana]

ayayyy morag lami sad ilang mga food master? kita diri kay naay biko, inasal, menudo, humba ug mga imnonon nga mka hubog hehehehe

[nowayL]

Aw layo ra sa atua Master ... hehe ... Trabaho man mi ani MAster nya gawas lang mi kadyot mga 2 hrs para ampo kuno .... hehe

[michaelocana]

wahhhh diri sa pinas master morag pistahan jd kung adlaw sa minatay hahahaha

[nowayL]

more seriousness .... hehe

[nowayL]

And the not so serious in praying or camera conscious? .... hehe







bastos ug expression, ghost will be angry... hehe


and more worst ... hehe

[nowayL]

This is there small altar




a closer look

[nowayL]

After the preparations, the praying started.