Local benefactors can win merit and boost their status in the community by organizing feasts as offerings to the hungry ghosts. The cooked rice is distributed to anyone who may wish to join in.
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A panel is displaying local people donations during the festival.
Taoists usually purchase food offerings from a communal purse.
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| Donation panel |
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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.
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Games are offered to the hungry ghosts such as playing cards, dices,
dominoes, Chinese chess.
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| Games offering |
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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.
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Rice distribution activities held during the Yue Lan festival is supposed to bring peace and
good fortune to recipients.
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| Rice |
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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.
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Food is offered especially whole roasted pig and colored cakes.
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| Food offering |
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Policemen are now present at such distribution to prevent any stampedes between ederly
people eager to get 'good luck' rice.
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| Distributing rice |
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In some smaller Hungry Ghost Festival area, people will rub shoulders in
order to get the food and the offerings to the ghosts.
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| Distributing rice |
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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.
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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.
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| The gods of Chinese Opera |
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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.
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Chiu Chow opera troupe are often coming from China. They are hired to stay in Hong Kong
during one month for the Hungry Ghost Festival and perform in various districts.
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| Chiu Chow opera troupe |
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In each Hungry Ghost festival area, performances last up to three days.
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