Ghost Festival

Do you believe the ghost exists in this world? Whatever you believe or not, Ghost Festival is one of festivals that exists in many big counties. America calls that Halloween, on the other hand, Ghost Festival in China call Chinese Ghost Festival or Spirit Festival. Many older Chinese think Ghost Festival is horrible but they also think it is sacred. For that reason, when Ghost Festival is coming, Chinese people would arrange some traditional things in that day.

In China, the Ghost Festival is on the fifteenth of July in the lunar calendar. On the fifteenth of July every year, my family would prepare a lot of special Chinese food to worship the dead souls because they believed if they did that, evils would never came to our home or appear. In United States, Halloween is on the October thirty-first and it originated in Europe 2,000 years ago. However, as my family and I are Chinese, we don’t really care about that day because we think American ghosts are not very horrible. Anyways, sometimes we still watch scary movies or TV show at that day. And prepare a lot of candies to offer children.

When I lived in China, I remember my mom and grandmother would burn paper money, incense or other valuables all made from paper, such as house or a car. Besides, we would stay at home at night and go to sleep before 12am in that day because we believe ghosts would find someone to replace it to go back hell. I remember when I was six years old, my mom told me if I didn’t go to sleep before 12am at that day, I would see the spirit and it would catch me because I was not a good kid. However, I went to sleep about at12:30am, and I didn’t see anything. On the other hand, Halloween is like a nice festival for children because they go outside and pick up some candies form strangers or neighbors. For this reason, my sister and I would buy a lot of candies to offer other children. However, if I trick or treating in China, the older people would think I am a crazy or may be the ghost control my body and they never open the door when a stranger to push the ring at that day.

Moreover, unlike American, many Chinese people are very superstitious. For example my family would wear simple clothes at that day and never wear red clothes because my grandmother said ghost like to catch people who wear red. Also, when that day is coming, my mom forced my sister to fixed up her hair. In Chinese tradition, long hair is not very lucky, especially on the Ghost Festival. Unlike Chinese people, many Americans would dress up as a ghost or witch because they think when the ghosts see them, the ghost would scare and fly away. However, my sister and I never did that because my mom said it was childish behavior.

Each country has diverse ways to celebrate festival, like Ghost Festival. In China, Ghost Festival is one of important festival. Some older would tell younger people about the history and their experience of the Ghost Festival. For that reason, most Chinese family still keep that traditional culture every year in every where.