What Is the Hungry Ghost Festival?

The Hungry Ghost Festival, also known as Zhongyuan Festival in Taoism and Yulanpen Festival in Buddhism, is deeply rooted in both Buddhist and Taoist traditions in China. On this day, it's believed that the gates of Heaven and Hell open, allowing ghosts and spirits, including those of ancestors or neglected souls, to roam the living world.

It draws from the Ullambana (Yulanpen) Sutra, where Maudgalyāyana attempts to relieve his mother's suffering in the hungry ghost realm through offerings and rituals. This act of filial piety remains central to the festival's spiritual significance

2025 Date & Timing

The festival begins on August 23, 2025, marking the start of the “Ghost Month,” when spirits roam the earth
September 6, 2025 (Saturday) is the peak day, known as Ghost Day, when spirits are believed to be most active
Observances continue until September 21, 2025, when the underworld’s gates close and spirits return home

Traditions & Rituals

Offerings & Ancestor Worship

Families set up altars with food, incense, and ancestral tablets. Empty seats are left for the wandering spirits, while paper money and effigies, symbolic material goods like houses or cars, are burned as offerings for the afterlife.

Rituals & Performances

Rituals, often conducted at dusk or nighttime, may include chanting by Taoist priests or Buddhist monks and symbolic feeding of spirits (e.g., scattering rice and peaches). In some regions, theatrical getai-style performances attract both the living and the unseen audience of spirits... the front row is customarily left empty for them.

Lanterns and Spirit Guidance

Floating lanterns, often lotus-shaped, are released on rivers or waterways at night to help guide spirits back to the underworld by the end of the month

Cultural Resonance and Meaning

The festival underscores filial piety, reflecting the belief that the living bear responsibility for the spiritual well-being of the deceased. By making offerings and performing rituals, families both honor ancestors and protect themselves from misfortunes that can arise from restless spirits.

Moreover, the month-long observance acts as a communal period of reflection, connection to the spiritual realm, and a reminder of life’s impermanence and the importance of empathic acts towards the unseen.

What to Expect Around September 6, 2025

Homes and temples adorned with altars, incense, and offerings to honor spirits.
Burning of joss paper, effigies, and “hell money” in open spaces.
Lantern-lit streets and water lanterns gracefully guiding spirits.
Ritual performances, chants, and the respectful absence of humans in certain seats.
A societal shift toward caution, contemplation, and ancestral reverence.

The Hungry Ghost Festival of September 6, 2025, not only preserves deeply traditional Chinese beliefs, but also invites all of us to reflect on familial bonds, remembrance, and the thin veil between the seen and unseen.