The Start of the 7th Ghost Month

It's hard to miss the excessive smoke at the start of 7th lunar month (8 August 2021) and although this scenario might be replicated during the 1st and 15th day of each lunar month; the scale during the 7th lunar month was way more intensive.

Paper money would be burnt, with offerings placed outside the home to appease the hungry ghosts and pray that they would leave the households alone during the month for which the paranormal beings are said to be released temporarily from hell, where they are being punished for their earthly sins. 

The aforementioned is applicable even for my sister, who doesn't have an altar at home! Such is the power of the 7th month. Frankly, I was tempted to do the same for a peace of mind but the saying is that once you start, it would be an annual rite that you cannot miss.

You don't need much; just some paper money, candles, incense sticks and offerings. Only issue is that we are inadvertently contributing to pollution with the burning. Pests like pigeons, rats, crows and cockroaches would also have a "field month" given the food offerings that were left outdoors. 

Given that I had lived in Singapore for a few decades, I have seen how the offerings appeared to have "improve" over the years. In the past, we could just make do with fruits like apples and oranges.

Nowadays, it's a scale-up menu with expanded variety like packet drinks, biscuits. For the affluent, it could be a roasted pig! Some individuals made it even easier; just buy a few packets of economy rice would do! If I am a hungry ghost, I think I would crave for durians; it's e season anyway. p.s. I like cat mountain king and gold phoenix species.

There's one thing I would follow during the 7th month; I would not jog too late. One reason is because I am scared to bump into one of the hungry ghosts. There's also the concern that I would accidentally step into the offerings; hence 'destroying' the meal for a famished soul with a risk of incurring its wrath. 

Proliferation of temporary altars at outside shopping malls; another tell tale sign of the ghost month. We still another 3 months to go and I am still deliberating if I should check out the cemeteries in the middle of the lunar month, known to be the spookiest.