"Taking place in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the Hungry Ghost Festival honors those who did not receive a proper burial. In Chinese folk belief, this is when the gates of hell open, and the spirits of the deceased wander back to the mortal realm, seeking entertainment and nourishment. In Southern China, Taiwan and other regions with Chinese diaspora communities, people set up altars and offer food for these spirits, and conduct rituals like burning incense and joss paper."
""I think a huge thing that happens to festivals about death in Chinese culture is that we don't talk about it," said Trinh. Festivals such as the Hungry Ghost Festival are far less known to people than other traditions, and when they are brought up, the conversations are often centered on taboos and caution: don't go out late at night, hang laundry outside, or do anything that might attract haunting spirits."
Harry Trinh, raised in Vietnamese Chinese communities, observed silence around death-related festivals and sought to challenge those taboos. He hosted the first Hungry Ghost Festival Theater at Welcome to Chinatown’s Bowery event space, incorporating traditional elements such as a flower plaque and a small altar. The festival occurs in the seventh lunar month when spirits of those without proper burials return to the mortal realm seeking nourishment and entertainment. Communities set up altars, offer food, burn incense and joss paper, build temporary stages for performances, and leave seats open for spirits to bring peace and prevent haunting.
Read at ABC7 Los Angeles
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