Letters from China No 9

16th August 2008

Yesterday was the Chinese Ghost Festival, the 15^th day of the 7^th lunar month. Known locally as the “Hungry Ghost Festival”, it is a time when people burn incense and joss paper, a papier-mâché form of material items such as clothes, gold and other fine goods for the visiting spirits of their ancestors. Elaborate meals are served with empty seats for each of the deceased in the family treating the deceased as if they are still living and food is left outside front doors as offerings to the “ghosts”. So it’s not unusual to see a large plate full of chicken, vegetables and bowls of rice sitting outside our neighbours’ doors, even in a high-rise apartment block - the “ghosts” come anyway. It is also a day when children should respect their parents, parents of past lives and even parents of future lives. So it should really be "The Season of Filial Piety". It is celebrated in various forms in India, China Japan, Vietnam and all countries with a Buddhist population.

It’s all very different from celebrating Christmas and Easter! I’d better go and light the incense at our kitchen God’s little shrine!

We were given a picture of “Guang Yu” to hang facing our front door in order to frighten away nasty people. He is rather intimidating.

It’s not unusual that local hillsides are set afire by people visiting their ancestors’ tombs on “Tomb Sweeping Day” or Qingming as it’s known. Another day of ancestor worship - a day when people flock to the cemeteries, usually on hillsides as the hill gives easier access to the heavens, to clear their ancestors’ graves of weeds etc. Sometimes they will open the caskets and re-arrange the bones. At the same time incense will be burned and offerings made, usually burnt. So you can imagine what might happen - and it does. The local fire departments are out in force here and in Hong Kong

And this all happening in a country that is officially atheist, even though there is religious freedom, of a sort. In fact, China is a very spiritual country regardless of the official dogma.