HUNGRY GHOST FESTIVAL

	Joss paper burning
Joss paper also known as ghost money, are sheets of paper that are burned during traditional Chinese festival such as Hungry Ghost festival.

Few people in China, especially younger generations in urban areas, follow hungry ghosts traditions. Many traditional practices were stamped out during the Cultural Revolution because they were seen as relics of China's feudal past.

Joss paper
	Joss paper is traditionally made from coarse bamboo paper, although rice paper is also commonly used. Traditional joss is cut into individual squares or rectangles. Each square of paper has either a thin piece of square foil glued to its center or it may be endorsed with a red ink seal from a traditional Chinese seal.

	Hungry Ghost festival
The ghosts get money too. During the festival, it is traditional to burn Hell Money and also paper replicas of everyday things that might be useful in the afterlife.

Hungry Ghost festival
	Golden pineapples made skilfully of joss paper are offered for the departed.

Local benefactors can win merit and boost their status in the community by organizing feasts as offerings to the hungry ghosts. Cooked rice is distributed to anyone who may wish to join in.

	Donation panel
A panel is displaying local people donations during the festival. Taoists usually purchase food offerings from a communal purse.

The Chinese people celebrate this festival to remember their dead family members and pay tribute to them. Offering food to the deceased appeases them and wards off bad luck.

	The Hungry Ghost festival is also a time to remember relatives who have passed on.
Hungry Ghost festival

Regular food is offered. The ghosts eat first but the food does not disappear. Then local people eat the offerings and pray for good luck.
	Donation panel

	Games are offered to the hungry ghosts such as playing cards, dices, dominoes, Chinese chess.
Games offering

Residents of Chiu Chow origin do observe the festival with particular reverence, staging street operas and distributing free rice and bread to help the elderly people.

Rice distribution activities held during the Yue Lan festival is supposed to bring peace and good fortune to recipients.
	Rice

In year 2005 an elderly woman collapsed and died while about to join distribution of Yue Lan rice in Tsim Sha Tsui. Thousands of elderly people can often particpate to such distribution and some often begun queuing up from the evening to wait for a ceremony scheduled on next day.

	Food is offered especially whole roasted pig and colored cakes.
Food offering

Policemen are now present at such distribution to prevent any stampedes between ederly people eager to get 'good luck' rice.
	Distributing rice

	In some smaller Hungry Ghost Festival area, people will rub shoulders in order to get the food and the offerings to the ghosts.
Distributing rice

In year 2006, two hungry ghost months have been running consecutively. The regular seventh month and the leap month also. This happened because the lunar calendar assigns an extra month every three years to balance the lunar and solar cycle. The last time the leap month occurred after the seventh month was in 1968 and next time is 2044.

Hungry Ghost Festival also a time to be charitable. Rice from Thailand is offered.
	Hungry Ghost festival

	Altars for gods are usually found on backstages at most Chinese Opera theatres. Before performing, troupe members would make incense offerings to the gods and pray for their blessings.
The gods of Chinese Opera

It is especially during the Hungry Ghost Festival in the month of August that the operas are staged together with other activities to atone the sins of the dead.