TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Hungry Ghost Festival 2026 begins on Thursday, Aug. 13, marking the start of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, when Taoists and Buddhists observe traditions honoring ancestors and remembering wandering spirits.
The festival, also known as Zhongyuan among Taoists and Yulanpen among Buddhists, runs until Sept. 10 this year. Its 15th day, commonly known as Ghost Day, falls on Aug. 27.
During the month, families may offer food, burn incense and joss paper, and prepare paper effigies such as houses, cars and clothing. At the same time, various traditional taboos are observed, including avoiding swimming, major life events and certain activities at night.
But not all beliefs surrounding the festival are shared by religious authorities. A Taoist priest interviewed by AsiaOne said the idea that the "gates of hell" literally open during the seventh lunar month is a misconception. The festival, he explained, is more closely associated with repentance, filial piety and compassion.
Here is what to know about the Hungry Ghost Festival in 2026, including its key dates, traditional taboos and how to make offerings responsibly.
When Is the Hungry Ghost Festival in 2026?
The 2026 Hungry Ghost Festival begins on Aug. 13 and ends on Sept. 10.
The 15th day of the seventh lunar month, known as Ghost Day, falls on Aug. 27. According to traditional beliefs, this is when wandering spirits are particularly active.
During the festival, offerings may be made not only to deceased family members but also to wandering spirits who are believed to have no descendants to honor them.
What Is the Hungry Ghost Festival?
The festival is a period during which Taoists and Buddhists observe customs related to ancestors, deceased relatives and wandering spirits.
According to folklore, spirits are allowed to return to the human world during the seventh lunar month. People therefore make offerings of food and other items to appease them.
However, the belief that the gates of the underworld literally open for an entire month is not universally accepted.
Lee Chee Tong, an ordained Taoist priest, told AsiaOne in 2023 that the idea originated partly from misunderstandings surrounding Taoist rituals. Priests perform po di yu, or "hell-breaking," rituals to summon specific spirits from the netherworld, he explained.
Because such rituals were conducted across Singapore and Malaysia, people eventually came to believe that the gates of hell had opened.
Lee said the seventh lunar month also has historical links to the harvest season. Farmers would offer their best produce to their ancestors before extending offerings to wandering spirits without descendants.
The tradition, he said, is ultimately about repentance and filial piety, rather than fear.
Tzu Chi Singapore similarly emphasizes values including filial piety, virtue and compassion for all beings, while encouraging environmentally responsible practices.
What Are the 7 Traditional Taboos During the Hungry Ghost Festival?
As reported by South China Morning Post, many of the following taboos are rooted in Chinese folklore rather than established religious requirements. Families and communities may observe them to respect tradition, particularly when older generations pass the customs down to younger members.
1. Do Not Swim or Do Water Sports
One traditional belief warns against swimming during the seventh lunar month because of the legend of the "water ghost."
According to folklore, people who die by drowning may become shui gui, or water ghosts, believed to remain trapped at the place where they died.
The spirit is traditionally said to seek a living person to take its place so that it can move on.
AsiaOne also lists swimming among the activities traditionally avoided during the festival.
2. Do Not Schedule Major Life Events
Traditional beliefs discourage holding major celebrations such as weddings or beginning major life changes during the seventh lunar month.
The taboo is associated with the traditional concept of yin and yang. The seventh lunar month is believed to carry strong yin energy, while weddings, business launches and other milestones are considered activities requiring positive yang energy.
Some folklore also holds that wandering spirits could interfere with major celebrations.
Commonly avoided events include:
- Getting married
- Buying a home
- Moving house
- Launching a business
3. Do Not Pick Up Loose Coins or Items on the Street
People are traditionally advised not to pick up money, red envelopes or other objects found on the street during the festival.
Some coins and small bills may be deliberately left as offerings, sometimes described as "road tax" or "buy-way money" intended to appease wandering spirits.
Folklore also associates red envelopes left on the ground with rituals intended to transfer misfortune.
In some parts of Taiwan and mainland China, another traditional story connects money left on the road with so-called "ghost marriages," in which a deceased unmarried woman is symbolically matched with a living man.
4. Do Not Whistle Late at Night
Another traditional taboo is avoiding whistling or humming outdoors late at night.
Chinese folklore sometimes treats whistling and similar sounds as ways of attracting the attention of spirits. The belief holds that a wandering spirit could follow the person home after hearing the sound.
This is a folkloric belief, rather than an established scientific or religious fact.
5. Do Not Hang Laundry Outside Overnight
Some traditions advise against leaving clothes outside overnight during Ghost Month.
According to folklore, wandering spirits without descendants may search for physical comforts, including clothing. Garments hanging from a clothesline are therefore sometimes believed to provide a place for spirits to shelter.
The tradition consequently warns against wearing clothes that have been left outside overnight.
6. Do Not Wear All-Red or All-Black Clothes Late at Night
Traditional beliefs also caution against wearing entirely red or black clothing late at night.
Black and other very dark colors are associated with yin energy in Chinese philosophy. Red, meanwhile, is normally considered an auspicious color but has a different association in some Ghost Month folklore.
One belief holds that spirits who died in anger or trauma while wearing red could become particularly vengeful "red ghosts." Wearing all red at night is therefore sometimes considered provocative or attention-grabbing.
Asia One similarly lists wearing black or red among the traditional activities elders advise younger people to avoid.
7. Do Not Turn Your Head if Someone Taps Your Shoulder or Calls Your Name at Night
One of the more elaborate traditional beliefs concerns the Three Flames of Vitality.
According to this folklore, every living person has three invisible flames of yang energy — one on the forehead and one on each shoulder — that protect against negative spiritual energy.
A wandering spirit is believed to be able to approach from behind and call someone's name or tap their shoulder.
The traditional advice is therefore not to turn the head alone. If someone needs to look behind them, the belief says they should turn the entire body rather than just the neck.
Again, this is a traditional spiritual belief, not a scientifically established phenomenon.
What Should You Do During the Hungry Ghost Festival?
While many traditions focus on what to avoid, the festival also emphasizes respect, compassion and responsible offerings.
AsiaOne and the National Environment Agency (NEA) have highlighted several practical measures for people who observe the festival.
Make Offerings Safely
Those burning joss paper should use designated burners or areas and place them on sturdy ground away from combustible materials and residential premises.
NEA also advised people to burn smaller amounts of joss paper to reduce smoke and ash.
Clean Up After Prayers
People making offerings should clear away food, paper and other materials after prayers.
NEA specifically warned that leaving offerings behind may constitute littering. Food left outdoors can also attract pests such as rats.
Do Not Burn Joss Paper in Shared Spaces
According to NEA, as cited by The Straits Times, joss paper should not be burned at:
- Along common corridors
- On staircases
- At lift lobbies
People should instead use designated burning areas.
Be Considerate of Neighbours
Smoke from burning joss paper can affect other residents, particularly people living on lower floors and those with respiratory conditions.
NEA therefore encouraged people to conduct offerings responsibly and consider the impact of smoke and ash on their neighbours.
Why Is the Hungry Ghost Festival Important?
Beyond the supernatural beliefs surrounding Ghost Month, the festival serves as a period for remembering ancestors and expressing filial piety.
The traditions also reflect ideas of compassion toward deceased people who are believed to have no descendants to honor them.
For those who observe the festival, the most important practices are therefore not necessarily about fear of spirits but about respect for ancestors, compassion toward others and responsible observance.
At the same time, many of the festival's taboos remain part of Chinese folk traditions passed down through generations. Whether families follow them as religious practice, cultural tradition or simply out of respect for older relatives varies widely.
