THE HUNGRY GHOSTS' FESTIVAL
The 7th. month of the lunar calendar is the most inauspicious month for the superstition-prone Chinese. During the whole period of the month, the spirits of the dead are believed to be released from hell to wander about on earth to intermingle with human beings. So great is their prejudice against this month that no marriages as well as other family functions are allowed to be held during the month. They also take extreme precautions not to undertake unnecessary journeys and other activities such as swimming in the sea, lest misfortune and accidents befall them owing perhaps to their unknowingly stepping on the toes of these malignant and mischievous spirits. No one knows for sure how and when this festival originated, although there is a story narrating how Mogallana saved his mother from sufferings in hell because of his great filial piety towards her. Many Chinese Buddhists believe that the festival held on the 15th. day of the 7th. lunar month is of Buddhist origin to commemorate the outstanding filial piety of Mogallana. Ancestor worship thus became the main objective of observing this festival. One possible version of this story is the attempt to encourage the people to redouble their efforts in the practice of ancestor worship at a time when laxity in its practice had begun to set in.
Buddhism teaches the existence of hungry ghosts or Petas, who are living beings born in this unfortunate plane of existence (one of the apdyas) owing to the akusala kamma they have accumulated on earth. The Chinese call these ghosts ' kwei' and believe that it is they who give an enormous amount of trouble to human beings such as making them sick, taking possession of them, haunting their houses, and so on. Those ' kwei' or evil dissatisfied spirits whose families have neglected them by not making ritualistic offerings to them or those who died suddenly and violently, become hungry ghosts, out to seek vengeance against human beings. They are called hungry ghosts because they are believed to have insatiable appetites for food. In reality, what they long for are acceptance, rest and peace, and if these are offered to them, they become placated and will not disturb human beings. For this reason, the Chinese, including those who profess the Buddhist religion, perform complex rites and rituals to transfer merits to these ' kwei' in the hope that they will be helped to be reborn in a more fortunate plane of existence. Some families claim to have received messages from their dead ancestors in their dreams intimating the miseries they are going through in the nether world and imploring for help.
In many Chinese temples, Buddhist and Taoist alike, clan associations and market places, celebrations (called Fu-tu) are held on a grand scale, where sacrificial offerings are offered to all the hungry ghosts who have no families to perform such ceremonies for them, or those who have been neglected by their families. Many animals are slaughtered and a large sum of money spent on burning joss-sticks, candles and joss-papers (called 'Hell bank notes'). In recent years, several Mahayana temples have taken the initiative to educate their devotees in the proper manner of transferring merits to their dead ancestors without violating religious principles. This UUambana ceremony, as it is called, is gaining popular acceptance among the Chinese Buddhists of all persuasions and in a matter of time, it is hoped, such expensive rituals and ceremonies as have been observed for hundreds of years, will become a thing of the past. When it happens, Malaysian Buddhists of Chinese descent will be able to continue their ancestor worship in a respectable and dignified manner by transferring merits to them in the form of alms-giving to the monks and nuns, practising charity and helping the poor and needy, publication of dhamma books, and performing various kinds of social services. Such rites and rituals which hitherto have been carried out in the name of Buddhism will then be correctly performed following Buddhist religious principles.
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