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The Ghost Month is the seventh lunar month of Chinese Lunar Calendar.  The 15th lunar day of the 7th lunar month is the Chinese Ghost Festival. The Chinese formal name of the Ghost Festival is Chung-Yuan .  The first lunar day of the 7th lunar month is on August 8, 2021.  August 22, 2021, is the 15th lunar day, which is the Chinese Ghost Festival.  The first lunar day of the 8th lunar month is on September 7, 2021.  Therefore, the Ghost Month is from August 8 to September 6 in the China time zone.

7th Month (or Hungry Ghost) festival is an annual occasion that is taken very seriously by Feng Shui practitioners and chinese of Taoist faith.  This festival falls on the 7th month of the lunar year, for one full lunar month.  During this month the gates of hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts who then wander to seek food on Earth.  Some even think that the ghosts would seek revenge on those who had wronged them in their lives.  The reason why the Chinese celebrate this festival is to remember their dead family members and pay tribute to them.  They also feel that offering food to the deceased appeases them and wards off bad luck.

Many Chinese families have both Buddhism and Taoism religions.  The spirits jailed in the Hell are called ghosts.  The folklore says the ghosts have a one-month parole and will travel to the towns in the 7th lunar month every year.  People have better to feast them.  People are afraid that ghosts play trick-or-treat game.  That is why the Chinese call the 7th lunar month as the Ghost Month.

Rituals and Prayer Celebrations:

King Yama (the King of Hell) opens the gates of hell and allows all ghosts to roam the world and enjoy the sacrifices of the seventh lunar month.  The dead would return to visit their living relatives during the 7th month of the Chinese Lunar year and thus the living people would prepare sumptuous meals for the hungry ghosts.  The ghosts attack their enemies, and they might be angry or malicious in general.  The Chinese feel that they have to satisfy the ghosts in order to get good fortune and luck in their lives.

During this festival, the Chinese offer prayers to the deceased relatives, burn paper money, paper houses, paper transportation, paper accessories and joss sticks massively to their ancestors. Families also pay tribute to the wandering ghosts, also known as Good Brothers so that these homeless souls do not intrude in their business, family lives and bring misfortune to them.  Giving the ghost such necessities would enable them to live happily and comfortably when they go back their own world.

In Singapore, it is a common sight to see entertaining Chinese Opera (Getai) shows performed on outdoor stages in many neighborhoods.  There are street ceremonies, market ceremonies, and temple ceremonies.  During street and market ceremonies, people gather at the streets and markets to celebrate the festival.  At temple ceremonies, monks in temples organize festive activities. Individuals at home can spin the Prayer Wheel to liberate the souls of your ancestors.

Many believe it is important to appease the ghosts to avoid spiritual attack.  Such ceremonies entertainment would please those wandering ghosts that comes to earth once a year and are usually held at night.  The gates are closed on the last day of the lunar month which is on 6 September 2021, and the wild, hungry ghosts return to hell.