“七月十四,” also known as the Ghost Festival, is a traditional Chinese celebration that falls on the 14th day of the seventh lunar month this year it falls on the 5th day of September 2025.
According to legend, the gates of hell open on the first day of the seventh lunar month, allowing spirits and hungry ghosts to roam the mortal world for a month before returning to the underworld. This month is commonly referred to as Ghost Month. The traditional Ghost Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month and is known as Zhongyuan Festival in Taoism and Yulanpen Festival/ Ullambana in Buddhism. The Ghost Festival is a day for various sacrificial activities, including Taoist and Buddhist ceremonies, to appease and honor spirits. It is also known as the birthday of the Di Guan Da Di (Emperor of the Earth), one of the three Great Emperor Officials in Taoism.
Folk customs primarily involve paying respects to ancestors and “good brothers”—unclaimed spirits. These rituals are known as “burning street clothes.” While some people consider the seventh lunar month ominous and avoid major events like weddings and moving, this belief is a folk superstition and not a formal rule in traditional Chinese astrology.
Despite this, some people who are considered less fortunate or “resistant” are believed to be more vulnerable to spiritual harm during this month.
Here are some of the places and activities to avoid during the Ghost Festival.
Ghost Festival: Places to Avoid
Remote rivers or beaches: These are believed to be gathering places for ghosts.
Mountainous forests, especially banana groves: Spirits are said to inhabit these areas.
Graveyards: It is best to avoid visiting burial sites at night.
Abandoned buildings, construction sites, and old houses: These are also considered hotspots for spiritual activity.
9 Things to Avoid
Be disrespectful: When burning joss paper and other offerings, be sincere and avoid laughing or joking around to prevent offending the spirits.
Urinate randomly: Don’t urinate in forests or in corners, especially at night.
Pat walls or trees: Don’t pat or hit walls and trees without reason.
Walk close to walls: It is believed that spirits walk along walls.
Leave clothes outside overnight: Hanging laundry overnight may attract spirits to try on the clothes.
Go out at night: Avoid late-night outings.
Shout names at night: Calling out someone’s name at night may attract spirits.
Put your hands on people’s shoulders: In Chinese belief, a person has three “spiritual fires”: one on the head and one on each shoulder. These fires protect you from spirits. If one of them is extinguished by a hand on the shoulder, you become vulnerable.
Pick up money from the street: Money found on the street may be an offering for spirits.
People Who Should Be Especially Careful
Pregnant women: It’s best for pregnant women to avoid being out late at night, as their “yang” (positive) energy can clash with the “yin” (negative) energy of spirits.
Drunk people: Those who are inebriated are believed to be more easily influenced by spirits.
People with mental illness: People with conditions like psychosis are considered more susceptible to spiritual interference.
People having a bad year: Those who are experiencing a bad year, such as those who have just broken up with their partner, lost their job, or lost money, are considered more vulnerable.
Rituals for Burning Street Clothes
Offerings:
Tofu, bean sprouts, char siu (barbecue pork), eggs, rice, apples, oranges, pears, candy, and rice wine.
Traditional offerings include joss sticks and candles, joss paper, hell money, and effigies of clothes.
A “pardon” or “seal” can also be prepared with the names of ancestors or “unclaimed spirits” on it.
Steps:
Light the candles and joss sticks: Light seven pairs of candles and a bundle of joss sticks. You can place them on top of fruit or in paper cups filled with a little soil.
Make an offering: Before burning the joss paper, bow and say, “Spirits from all directions, please come and receive this money and clothing.”
Burn the offerings: Start by burning the effigy of Guan Yin’s clothes 观音衣 (a Buddhist deity), as her presence is believed to help distribute the offerings evenly and keep other spirits in line. Then, burn the joss paper, hell money, and other offerings.
Scatter the food: As the fire is at its brightest, scatter bean sprouts and tofu into the flames. It is believed that spirits enjoy these foods. The Chinese idiom “to trick a ghost into eating tofu” comes from this practice.
Pour the wine: Pour a little wine over the dying embers. This act is called “diàn jiǔ” and symbolizes offering a drink to the spirits after they’ve had their meal.
This ritual of burning street clothes is seen as an act of charity, helping to appease and provide for the spirits. If you perform this ritual one year, it’s considered best to continue doing it every year.
Copyright Dr. Wilson Yong. 2025
This content is based on the personal experience of Dr. Wilson and does not represent the views of other individuals or religions.
