Feng Shui Alert - Hungry Ghost
Festival Taboos (Revised in August 2020)
Hungry Ghost festival is an annual occasion
that is taken very seriously by Feng Shui practitioners
and chinese of Taoist faith. This festival falls on the
7th month of the lunar year, which starts on 19 August 2020
for one full lunar month. During this month the gates of
hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts who then wander
to seek food on Earth. Some even think that the ghosts would
seek revenge on those who had wronged them in their lives.
The reason why the Chinese celebrate this festival is to
remember their dead family members and pay tribute to them.
They also feel that offering food to the deceased appeases
them and wards off bad luck.
Rituals and Prayer Celebrations:
King Yama (the King of Hell) opens the
gates of hell and allows all ghosts to roam the world and
enjoy the sacrifices of the seventh lunar month.The dead
would return to visit their living relatives during the
7th month of the Chinese Lunar year and thus the living
people would prepare sumptuous meals for the hungry ghosts.
The ghosts attack their enemies, and they might be angry
or malicious in general. The Chinese feel that they have
to satisfy the ghosts in order to get good fortune and luck
in their lives. During this festival, the Chinese offer
prayers to the deceased relatives, burn paper money, paper
houses, paper transportation, paper accessories and joss
sticks massively to their ancestors as well as wandering
spirits in front of their homes. Families also pay tribute
to other unknown wandering ghosts so that these homeless
souls do not intrude on their lives and bring misfortune.
Giving the ghost such necessities would enable them to live
comfortably when they go back their own world. In Hong Kong,
Malaysia and Singapore, it is a common sight to see entertaining
Chinese Opera shows performed on outdoor stages in many
neighborhoods. There are street ceremonies, market ceremonies,
and temple ceremonies. During street and market ceremonies,
people gather at the streets and markets to celebrate the
festival. At temple ceremonies, monks in temples organize
festive activities. Individuals at home can spin the Prayer
Wheel to liberate the souls of your ancestors. Many
believe it is important to appease the ghosts to avoid spiritual
attack. These events are always held at night. Such entertainment
would please those wandering ghosts that comes to earth
once a year. The gates are closed on the last day of that
lunar month, and the wild, hungry ghosts return to hell.
Paper effigies of taoist deities at street ceremonies
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Taboos to Follow:
1. Avoid swimming during the 7th month.
It is believed that those previously drowned evil ghost might
cause you to drown in the swimming pool. Such ghost need to
find victims in order for them to be go for rebirth.
2. Children and young adults are also advised to return home
early and not to wander around alone at night. This belief
is due to the reason that the wandering ghosts can possess
children easily.
3. Avoid moving into new homes and opening new businesses
this month as it is considered inauspicious and bad luck on
new ventures.
4. Avoid getting married during this month because couples will have bad ending. Some bad ghost may cast a bad spell on couples during their wedding.
5. Avoid going for jungle trekking and going on camping trips as chances of injuries, possession and death are high.
6. Drive very carefully during this month to avoid accidents,
as there may be many wandering spirits who died of accidents
previously that are searching for next victims so that they
could be reincarnated.
7. Protect your entrances with the genuine Peachwood
Sword. This is the most excellent protector of ghost and
evil spirits, claimed by many of our customers.
8. Avoid starting any construction work or engaging in renovation
repairs at home such as fixing a tile or banging the floor
and wall for the entire month.
9. Avoid spitting and blowing your nose in the street or at any tree/plant.
10. Do not leave open wounds unattended as this will attract ghosts in following you home. Keep them plastered at all times.
11. Do not make negative comments or crack jokes about offering
items in the streets or poke fun about chinese opera seen
with empty chairs of chinese communities. Those chairs are
for the ghosts.
12. Do not pick up anything including money found on the street and never bring it home.
13. Avoid getting emotional and crying in the middle of the night. A weak, sad and emotional mind gives ghosts the opportunity to possess you and harm you.
14. Do not whistle after the sun set. This will attract the
attention of ghosts that may stick to you for a long time
giving your a spate of long term bad luck.
15. Keep away from the walls as it is believed that ghosts
like sticking to walls.
16. If you are born during the ghost month, avoid celebrating
your birthday at night and blowing your cake. It's better
to celebrate during the daytime.
Hotel Taboos:
For those who are travelling, they may
want to be cautious when staying in hotels. The hotel is considered
as a "yin place" and is normally a favorite settlement for
ghosts. The following are some tips that one can follow when
staying in hotels to prevent ghostly encounters:
1. Provide a respectful knock on the bedroom door before you
enter for the first time.
2. Avoid entering the room right away. Whisper to yourself
that you are renting the room to stay temporarily, as a form
of asking permission. Let any spirit leave the bedroom first
before you enter.
3. Place your pair of shoes or sandals facing the door. The
shoes must be away from the bed. One side of the shoe points
to the door and the other side point inwards.
4. Display a glass of salt water next to your bed. Salt is
an excellent antidote for dirty energy.
5. You are encouraged to flush the toilet bowl first before
using it.
6. You are also encouraged to avoid wearing black or striking
red colored clothings.
7. Normally there is a bible or quran in the drawers. Please
avoid touching or moving them from their original positions.
8. Always keep the toilet's door closed with lights turned
off when you go to sleep.
9. Try to avoid facing the mirror when you sleep. If the mirror
is designed in this manner, try to cover it with a towel.
10. Avoid placing any shoe next to the bed when sleeping.
11. Watch out the mouth from mentioning anything about ghost.
Ghost story telling must be avoided by all means.
12. Display a 7 Star Sword made from Peach wood. It must be
made from "genuine peach wood" to be effective in
chasing away ghosts and protecting one with a good night's
sleep.
Protection Required:
1. During the Ghost Festival, feng shui
practitioners will display the Chung
Kwei, the ghost catcher whose specialty is to devour the
ghosts that he catches, in the foyer facing the entrance of
their homes. The other powerful deity who can vanish wondering
ghosts will be Kwan Kung.
And at least one of the images must face the entrance (door
or window). This act serves to scare away any roving spirits
from intruding the particular household. As such the whole
family will be able to avoid ghost spells.
2. Ghosts enter through entrances such as the maindoor, side
door or back door. For thousands of years, the most powerful
door protector of doors are the Door
Gods. No spirit of the darker realm is able to bypass
the Door Gods. Apart from that, Fu
Dogs are also potent feng shui animals that when displayed
at the maindoors or in its vicinity facing out would scare
away bad wandering spirits and ghosts. They usually work hand
in hand with the Door Gods.
3. Wear protective amulets to prevent bad luck, ghost possessions
and accidents due to ghost disturbances. One such powerful
type of bead that is currently very popular is the Dorje
Dzi.
4. Taoist practitioners can choose to carry along the powerful
Kwan Kung amulet for protection.
No evil dares to fool around when the Kwan Kung is there.
5. For those who are travelling afar, going for late nights
or regularly visiting yin places, the Chung
Kwei amulet is an excellent protection. You are being
easily targeted or harmed by suicide ghosts who are looking
for chances to reincarnate.
6. Hang the 8
Auspicious Objects at chi entry points of your house such
as windows to deflect away any evil energy. Also hang one
of it in your car to prevent accidents. For taoist feng shui
practitioners, you may opt for the Elliptical
Coin and hang on the door knobs of all entries you want
to protect. Some would even go for higher form of protection
with the bagua hung above
their maindoor.
7. Carry along, hang in the car or in the house the powerful
Peach Wood 7-Stars Sword.
It is the most indispensible tool for Taoist Exorcism from
ancient times till today.
8. Families should burn at least a bunch of incense
sticks in an empty can (cleanly washed from used food
can) on the 14th day of 7th lunar month. This should be done
after 7pm and the burning of the incense sticks are to be
done outdoor, close to the main entrance.
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