Ghost Month: An Ancient Asian Tradition
- Bee Williams
- Aug 18
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 22
In many parts of East and Southeast Asia, August isn't just a hot summer month it’s a spiritual time full of reverence, caution, and rituals. Known as Ghost Month, this period is steeped in tradition, superstition, and ancestral respect. It's a time when the living share the world with the dead, and the boundary between the two realms grows thin.
Whether you’re walking through a Taiwanese alley lined with food offerings or attending a Chinese opera performance staged for an invisible audience, you’re witnessing a centuries-old cultural practice that still pulses through modern life. Ghost Month: An Ancient Asian Tradition.
What Is Ghost Month?
Ghost Month takes place during the seventh month of the lunar calendar, typically falling in August or early September. Its focal point is the Hungry Ghost Festival, which lands on the 15th day of that lunar month. But the entire month is considered spiritually charged.
According to traditional beliefs, during Ghost Month, the gates of the underworld open, allowing spirits—both benign and vengeful to roam freely among the living. These spirits, often referred to as “hungry ghosts,” are thought to be ancestors without descendants to honor them, or individuals who died tragic or unnatural deaths.
The result? A full month of rituals, taboos, and offerings designed to appease, respect, and keep peace with the spirit world.
Where Is It Celebrated?
Ghost Month is primarily observed in countries with strong Chinese cultural influence, including:
China
Taiwan
Hong Kong
Singapore
Malaysia
Thailand (among Thai-Chinese communities)
Vietnam (as Vu Lan Festival)
Each country and even each region within a country has its own variation of customs, but the themes are largely consistent: honor the dead, feed the spirits, and avoid bad luck.
Key Traditions and Rituals
Burning Offerings
One of the most recognizable rituals during Ghost Month is the burning of joss paper also called “spirit money.” People burn paper versions of money, clothing, electronics, and even luxury goods like cars and houses to provide for ancestors in the afterlife.
You’ll often see these offerings being burned in metal bins on street corners or outside temples. The idea is that these goods, once consumed by fire, are sent to the spirit realm for the deceased to enjoy.
Food for the Dead
Feeding the spirits is a central part of Ghost Month. Families leave out plates of food especially during the Hungry Ghost Festival as a way to nourish wandering souls. It’s common to see public altars filled with rice, meats, fruits, cakes, and incense.
In some places, grand banquets are held in the streets, complete with empty seats for ghostly guests. The first serving always goes to them.
Entertainment for Spirits
In Taiwan and parts of Malaysia and Singapore, people host street operas, puppet shows, and musical performances during Ghost Month. But these aren’t for the living. The front rows of these performances are often left empty reserved for the spirits.
These events serve a dual purpose: to entertain the ghosts and to keep them happy so they don’t cause trouble.
Taboos and Superstitions
Ghost Month also comes with a long list of “don’ts.” Many people go out of their way to avoid attracting negative attention from the spirit world. Common taboos include:
Don’t swim (ghosts are said to drown the living to escape the underworld).
Don’t stay out late at night.
Don’t hang clothes outside after dark.
Don’t move house or start a business.
Don’t whistle at night or step on offerings.
Even people who don’t consider themselves superstitious may still follow these customs out of respect or habit.
Why the Spirits Are “Hungry”
The term “hungry ghost” comes from Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. In these traditions, a ghost becomes “hungry” if it has no descendants to make offerings or if it lived a life of greed, deceit, or violence. These spirits are stuck in a state of suffering and craving, unable to find peace or satisfaction.
Ghost Month offers a chance for redemption not just for the spirits, but for the living as well. By showing compassion through offerings and rituals, people believe they can bring relief to these wandering souls and generate good karma for themselves.
A Living Tradition
While some may see Ghost Month as outdated or old-fashioned, it’s still widely respected in modern times. In cities like Taipei, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur, businesses make offerings, communities organize large-scale celebrations, and families continue to pass down these customs to younger generations.
Even corporations and politicians sometimes postpone major announcements or events until the month is over. The fear of bad luck even in high-tech urban environments has a long reach.
At its heart, Ghost Month is about more than spirits. It’s about memory, tradition, and how a society honors its past. It reflects deep values: respect for elders, recognition of mortality, and a belief in the unseen.
More Than a Festival
Ghost Month is not just a “festival of the dead” it’s a living conversation between generations, between worlds, and between beliefs. It’s one of those rare cultural moments where myth, ritual, and community all meet in the open.
So if you’re ever in Asia during Ghost Month and see smoke curling from a paper offering, or pass a feast with no diners, remember: it’s not just superstition. It’s a signal that the past still matters and that the line between life and death is thinner than we think.