(Difficulty Level: Above 9th grade/DSE Level)

The Hungry Ghost Festival is a traditional observance that many Hong Kong families still commemorate on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. Also known as the Yu Lan Festival or Zhongyuan Festival, it marks the high point of Ghost Month. According to a prevalent local belief, the boundary between the living and the dead grows thin, and spirits return for a brief visit. The day is not solely a ghost story. Its deeper purpose is to honour ancestral relatives and to appease wandering souls who might otherwise bring misfortune.

The origin of the festival is ancient and can be traced to more than one religious source. In a well-known Buddhist legend, Mulian discovers that his mother has been reborn as a hungry ghost. The Buddha instructs him to present food and gifts to monks so that good deeds can reach her. In Taoism, the same date is associated with an earth god who judges the dead and may forgive their wrongdoing. These accounts were subsequently blended with the Chinese custom of filial duty, the notion that children must show respect to parents and earlier generations. That combination helps explain the lasting significance of the festival.

Nevertheless, the festival should not be regarded as an occasion of fear alone. Families prepare offerings so that the dead will not go hungry, and they also remember neglected spirits who have no descendants left. If these visitors are ignored, people perceive them as a possible source of misfortune. If they are treated with appropriate kindness, they are thought to bring better fortune. In this way, the rituals reinforce both caution and care.

Conventional superstitions still feature in daily life. The front row at an outdoor opera is often left empty because those seats are reserved for unseen guests. Residents avoid hanging laundry outside after dark, swimming in open water, whistling at night, or standing chopsticks upright in rice. Staying out late and stepping on pavement offerings are also deemed unwise. Such rules may appear old-fashioned, yet they show how etiquette remains embedded in ordinary behaviour.

In contemporary Hong Kong, the festival is still a widespread street phenomenon. In one neighbourhood after another, residents set out roast pork, rice, fruit, and incense. Families burn paper money and paper models of houses, phones, and clothes, a symbolic way of sending comfort to the afterlife. Temporary stages provide Chinese opera as entertainment for both the living and the dead. Some community groups also distribute rice as charity. These practices, brought by immigrants from Guangdong, are now recognised as cultural heritage. The festival is not a public holiday; even so, it continues to preserve a distinctive local identity and to perpetuate the transmission of tradition.

Glossary

ancestral (adj.) 祖先的
Connected with family members who lived long ago.

ancient (adj.) 古老的；古代的
Very old; from a time far in the past.

appease (v.) 安撫；平息
To calm someone, especially by giving what they want.

appropriate (adj.) 適當的；合適的
Suitable or right for a particular situation.

associated (adj. / v.) 相關的；與……有關
Connected with a particular idea, person, or event.

avoid (v.) 避免
To stay away from something because it may be unwise or unlucky.

belief (n.) 信念；信仰
Something a person thinks is true.

blended (v.) 混合
Mixed together to form one thing.

charity (n.) 慈善
Help given to people in need, such as food or money.

commemorate (v.) 紀念
To show that a special event or person is remembered.

community (n.) 社區；社群
A group of people living in the same area or sharing the same culture.

contemporary (adj.) 當代的；現代的
Belonging to the present time.

conventional (adj.) 傳統的；慣例的
Following old or accepted ways of doing things.

custom (n.) 習俗
A usual way of behaving that has been followed for a long time.

deemed (v.) 被認為
Considered or judged to be.

distinctive (adj.) 獨特的；與眾不同的
Clearly different from others and easy to recognise.

embedded (adj.) 根深蒂固的
Fixed deeply in a culture or in people’s habits.

entertainment (n.) 娛樂
Shows or activities that people watch for enjoyment.

etiquette (n.) 禮儀；禮節
Rules for polite or proper behaviour.

feature (v.) 以……為特色
To include something as an important part.

filial (adj.) 孝順的
Connected with the duty of children toward their parents.

fortune (n.) 運氣；好運
Luck, especially good luck.

generation (n.) 世代；一代人
People born and living around the same time.

heritage (n.) 遺產；傳統
Traditions and culture passed down from the past.

honour (v.) 尊敬；向……致敬
To show respect and care for someone.

identity (n.) 身份；特色
The qualities that make a person, place, or culture special.

immigrant (n.) 移民
A person who moves to another place to live.

instruct (v.) 指示；教導
To tell someone what to do; to teach.

legend (n.) 傳說
An old story that many people know.

misfortune (n.) 不幸；災禍
Bad luck or an unlucky event.

neglected (adj.) 被忽視的
Not given enough care or attention.

neighbourhood (n.) 鄰里；社區
The local area where people live.

nevertheless (adv.) 然而；不過
In spite of that.

notion (n.) 觀念；想法
An idea or belief.

observance (n.) 慶祝；遵行（習俗或節日）
The practice of following a custom, ritual, or festival.

offering (n.) 祭品；供品
Food or gifts given to gods, spirits, or the dead.

origin (n.) 起源
The beginning or source of something.

perceive (v.) 視為；認為
To understand or think of something in a particular way.

perpetuate (v.) 使延續；使長存
To cause something to continue for a long time.

phenomenon (n.) 現象
Something that can be seen or noticed, especially something unusual.

practice (n.) 做法；慣例
A usual activity or way of doing something.

prevalent (adj.) 普遍的；盛行的
Common or widespread in a place or group.

regarded (v.) 被視為
Thought of as; considered to be.

recognised (v.) 被認可
Officially accepted as important.

reinforce (v.) 加強
To make a feeling, idea, or habit stronger.

religious (adj.) 宗教的
Connected with religion.

reserved (adj.) 預留的
Kept for a particular person or purpose.

respect (n.) 尊重
A feeling of care and high regard for someone.

ritual (n.) 儀式
A set of actions always performed in a similar way, often for religious reasons.

significance (n.) 重要性；意義
The importance or meaning of something.

solely (adv.) 僅僅；只是
Only; not involving anything else.

subsequently (adv.) 其後；隨後
Later; after that.

superstition (n.) 迷信
A belief that certain actions bring good or bad luck.

symbolic (adj.) 象徵性的
Standing for an idea rather than being useful in a practical way only.

traced (v.) 追溯
Followed back to the beginning.

transmission (n.) 傳承；傳遞
The passing of traditions, ideas, or culture from one group to another.

widespread (adj.) 廣泛的
Happening in many places or among many people.

Comprehension Questions

1. Explain the origin and religious background of the Hungry Ghost Festival.

2. The writer says the festival should not be regarded as an occasion of fear alone. Discuss how the passage presents both fear and care.

3. Describe the conventional superstitions mentioned in the passage and explain what they suggest about local etiquette.

4. How is the Hungry Ghost Festival observed in contemporary Hong Kong? Refer to street rituals, entertainment, and charity.

5. “The festival continues to preserve a distinctive local identity.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? Support your answer with ideas from the passage.

6. Why do families prepare offerings for both ancestral relatives and neglected spirits? Explain the belief behind this practice.