The Hungry Ghost Festival

By Andrea Chin

Description• A grand folk festival with roots in

Buddhism, Taoism, and ancestor worship

• Celebration starting on the 15th day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar: coincides with autumn harvest

• Gates of the underworld releasing vengeful or “hungry” ghosts

• Rituals and offerings to appease or ease the suffering of ghosts

Framing Question

In traditional China, how did the myths and rituals embodied in the

Hungry Ghost Festival reflect society and their values?

History• The earliest reference in the 6th-century Record of Seasonal

Observances in Jinchu (Jingchu suishi ji) by Zong Lin (498-561)

• Celebrated by all classes of people in traditional society

• Tang Dynasty (618-907): Buddhism & Taoism– Infused teachings (i.e. karma & cosmic flow)– Elevated rituals to a more formal level

• “transformation tales” (pien-wen) – Mulien Saving His Mother from the Dark Regions– Provided a model of filial devotion & Buddhist spiritual power– Informs the main components of the Hungry Ghost Festival

• Imperial Ancestral Temple

• Song Dynasty (960-1279): more dramatic, festive fanfares

• Changes in modern times

Significance• Encompasses many aspects of Chinese culture

– food– music and dramatic arts

• Values– family and community dynamics, extending to the emperor & state– ancestor worship, respect for the dead– religious heritage (Buddhism & Taoism)

• Myth– a narrative to come to terms with mortality– find a place in the world– “correct” spiritual posture

• Ritual– sacred intent– the experience of transcendence– gives new meanings to history

http://www.videocrux.com/search?search_query=Chinese+ghost+festival