Hungry Ghost Festival origins, traditions, and why people burn paper offerings

Also known as Zhong Yuan Festival or sometimes simply Ghost Festival in Chinese, the Hungry Ghost Festival is mainly a Buddhist and Taoist tradition. Its significance varies between the religions in that Taoism focuses on appeasing wandering souls while the Buddhist emphasis is on filial piety. Nowadays, of course, the sentiment behind its customs is a blend of both.

Ancestor worship is still a major part of Chinese culture – though the term is a bit of a misnomer, because this concept is closer to paying respects rather than a deified worship. It is believed that the gates of the underworld open during the Hungry Ghost Festival, and spirits are able to reenter the world of the living and visit their loved ones during this period. 

The entire seventh month of the lunar calendar is known as Ghost Month, and it is believed that spirits roam the world of the living for the entire month. The festivities culminate in the main Hungry Ghost Festival on the 15th night of the seventh lunar month. This year, the Ghost Month runs from August 23 to September 21, with the Hungry Ghost Festival falling on September 6.

Since the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is at its thinnest during Hungry Ghost, Chinese people take this entire month as a time of remembrance. They make offerings of food and incense (whether at burial sites or simply on sidewalks), and burn paper offerings so their deceased relatives can receive otherworldly material goods and enjoy a comfortable afterlife.

This festival also involves Chinese opera performed on makeshift stages erected around the city’s neighbourhoods. The public are more than welcome to attend and support – and indeed these performances tend to be popular among the older generation – but it is said that the shows are for entertaining wandering ghosts on their yearly sojourn to the realm of the living. Sounds creepy, but it’s definitely a cultural experience worth checking out.

The most common offering is joss paper, also known colloquially as hell money. The sentiment behind this ceremonial offering is so that spirits won’t have to suffer any financial woes. It seems capitalism is alive and well (pun intended) even in the netherworld.

Joss paper at its most traditional and basic level is thin sheets made from rice or bamboo paper. These are then decorated with seals, designs, and motifs, mainly to show what the joss paper signifies. Even within the spirit world, the value of different currencies is distinctly classified. The three major varieties of hell money are copper, silver, and gold – clearly differentiated by the large metallic-coloured square printed on the cream joss paper. Silver joss paper is usually burned for ancestral spirits, while the golden variety is offered exclusively to gods and deities.

Even though the spirits of loved ones are on the forefront of most people’s minds during the Hungry Ghost Festival, lots of people across Hong Kong are kind enough to also remember the scores of spirits who don’t have anyone left to look after them by burning offerings. For this purpose, copper hell money – or simply called cash – is dedicated to spirits in general or spirits of the unknown.

Usually, you’ll see these joss papers simply being burnt in loose sheaths. But sometimes, those doing the offerings may also fold the papers so they are shaped like yuanbao ingots, an ancient Chinese form of currency. Each sheet would be rolled up and the ends tucked into the circular space, which displays the copper, silver, or gold section of the joss paper prominently on the top of the ingot.

Times have changed since the days of the simple metallic squares on joss papers, and more contemporary paper offerings include ones styled like legal tender bank notes (albeit depicting the deity who oversees hell, Lord Yama, instead of a president or founding father), or even credit cards and cheques. 

The practice of burning offerings of ‘monetary’ value has since evolved to encompass paper versions of pretty much any item that might be useful to spirits. More fanciful offerings can include papier-mâché clothes, houses (with or without accompanying papier-mâché servants), vehicles, luxury branded goods like Vuitton handbags, jewellery, and even modern appliances such as smartphones and electronic tablets. 

If you’re thinking of trawling the streets to spot people burning paper Rolex watches and convertible sports cars, however, you may be in for a bit of disappointment. The more elaborate paper offerings are usually burned in private ceremonies or funeral proceedings in cemeteries or funeral homes. Out on the streets, you’re most likely to see joss paper or ingots being offered.

Apart from the obvious craftsmanship and artistic aspects of joss paper and modern paper offerings, this Hungry Ghost Festival tradition – born out of love and concern for the deceased – also presents an insightful glimpse into the personal aspirations of Hongkongers.