The 7th month of the Lunar calendar is also known as Hungry Ghost Month (鬼月), according to Chinese customs. This is the month where the gates of hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts who then wander to seek food on Earth. Of course like all Chinese customs (Wedding taboos, pregnancy taboos and many more), there are traditions and rules to follow.

With the Hungry Ghost Festival this year from 19 August 2020 to 16 September 2020, we have listed out 19 taboos not to do in order to stay safe in this Hungry Ghost month.

19 Things to Avoid During the Month of Hungry Ghost Festival

1. Do not stay out late in the night because spirit might follow you back.

2. Do not stab your chopsticks on your bowl of rice because it is rude in term of table manners and it also resembles the joss sticks offerings to the dead. It is indirectly cursing your own death and also telling the spirits that it is their bowl of rice.

3. Do not take photo at night because you might capture some other stuff that you don’t wish to see.

4. If your birthday fall in the ghost month, avoid celebrating your birthday at night and blowing your cake. It will be better to celebrate during the daytime.

5. Do not open umbrella, especially a red one in the house because wandering ghosts might seek “shelter” under the umbrella.

6. Avoid working late during this month because human are weak in the night, while the spirit are strong and might cause possession.

7. Do not cover your forehead, try to pin up your head as high as possible.