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As the ones we love never depart until we choose to forget them, the Hungry Ghost Festival is celebrated with great pomp and blare by the Chinese across the world. During this festival all the deceased relatives are remembered and paid respect to. One of the most fascinating of Chinese festivals, it is one that will surely add color to your holiday if you happen to be in Singapore during the time of the festival. Indulging in the finest of luxuries available to you at 5 Star hotels Singapore has, such as The St. Regis Singapore the celebration will indeed thrill you with all its quaint rituals and deep, hidden meanings.

The Festival of the Hungry Ghost is also known as the Ghost Festival and Yu Lan, and is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the Chinese lunar calendar. The seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar is the month of August and this month is called the Ghost Month and the fifteenth day is called the Ghost Day by the Chinese.

Mainly observed by the Buddhists and Taoists this month is believed to be month in which the gates of hell are opened and the spirits of the deceased revisit the world they once lived in. The families of the deceased perform rituals to pardon the sufferers in hell while some families have elaborate meals of vegetarian food, serving to plates that are placed before empty seats for each of the deceased member of the family.

Some traditions also include floating decorated paper lanterns on water hoping that these would provide the direction and guidance needed to the revisiting ghosts to find food offerings that are prepared for them. Some even worry about stepping out of the house at night for fear of encountering a ghost on the way and carefully seek to avoid places that have water, as they believe that the ghosts of drowned mortals are more troublesome that the rest.

It is indeed an interesting and beautiful festival that lends much color and beauty to the life of the Chinese. Stemming from Buddhism combined with folklore this festival is indeed one that stands out as quite unique and special in the Chinese culture and tradition.

Thanuja Silva is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Auburn Silver. She has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.

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