|  | GHOSTS
Hungry Ghosts
On the seventh month of the lunar year, the hungry
ghosts of Singapore return to pig out.
From the Files of Fortean Slips
by D. Trull
Enigma Editor
dtrull@parascope.com
In those cultures to which it is foreign, the phenomenon of Halloween must look singularly insane. We commemorate a pagan holiday -- which was intended to honor the spirits of the dead -- by dressing up our children in flame-retardant plastics and marching them around to solicit candy from strangers. Go figure.
Still, Halloween is not entirely unique in the world. In Singapore, they have a celebration that's kind of similar. It also involves dead spirits and the distribution of food, and it might sound pretty wacky to Americans. At least the logical thought processes behind it are a lot more evident than those that account for trick-or-treating.
The ethnic Chinese of Singapore have a tradition stating that throughout the seventh month of the lunar year, ghosts return to visit their living relatives. In most cases, this is a pleasant reunion. But there are troublemakers in the form of the souls of those who left behind no descendants, or who had less than harmonious relations with their relations. These ain't no friendly ghosts. These are the hungry ghosts, and they're out to get medieval on your ass unless you take the proper measures to assuage their phantasmagoric fury.
People appease the hungry ghosts not only to ward off bad luck, but also in hopes that their ancestors will bring them good fortune in work or school, or help them win the lottery. During the month of the haunting, the faithful increase their praying, and flaming dragon-shaped joss sticks are lit upon the Singapore sidewalks. Neighborhoods hold festivals with loud, exuberant music every night in outdoor tents to entertain their ornery ancestors.
Offerings are made to the spirits by burning fake money and symbolic paper TV sets, cellular phones and pieces of furniture, intended for use in the afterlife. You've got to wonder how the ghosts feel about granting good luck to descendants who toss origami on the bonfire instead of a 27-inch stereo Mitsubishi. But these festivals are by no means a cheapskate affair: pieces of charcoal are auctioned off as lucky "black gold," fetching prices as high as $13,000 a nugget.
The most important day of the celebration comes on the 15th of the month: this is when families prepare great feasts for the hungry ghosts. On August 28, this year's ghost chow day, Singapore's piped gas supply suffered a major breakdown as a result of all the simultaneous cooking. The Taoist Mission issued a public statement to console those whom the outage left unable to feed the hungry ghosts.
"In this case, something unexpected happened," said Lee Choon Huat, general secretary of the mission. "So if the food was not ready, it doesn't matter, as long as [people] were sincere about repenting and asking for forgiveness."
The hungry ghosts festival wraps up fifteen days after the big dinner, whereupon the ghosts must return before the gates of hell slam shut. Now there's a fascinating thought. What is the penalty for going AWOL from hell? If you don't show up on time, what else can Satan possibly threaten you with? I guess hell becomes home after a while. Probably beats roaming the earth... especially with all those pesky descendants always begging for stuff.
It's a nutty tradition, sure, but for we Halloween adherents to ridicule the hungry ghosts would be a case of the pumpkin calling the jack-o'-lantern orange. Maybe we could even learn a thing or two from our Singapore counterparts. This year, take some of those unwanted B-B Bats and Fruit Roll-Ups out of your goodie sack and throw 'em in the back yard for your dearly departed Uncle Grady. Hey, it couldn't hurt.
Source: Associated Press.
1996 ParaScope, Inc.
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