The Hungry Ghost Festival begins on the first day of the seventh lunar month, when it is believed that the gates of the underworld will open, allowing spirits to visit the living.
This year, that day falls on August 13. The festival will last until September 10, the final day of the seventh lunar month, when the gates of hell are shut. The apex of the festival falls on the 15th night (August 27), when it is believed the spirits are at their most active.
While welcomed ancestors are honoured, the festival â celebrated as Zhongyuan by Taoists and Yulanpen by Buddhists â places special emphasis on âhungry ghostsâ, the restless souls who died without living descendants, suffered traumatic deaths or were improperly buried. These spirits return to Earth hungry, thirsty and prone to causing mischief if ignored.
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