In Asia, the month of August is considered as a Ghost Month—and no, this has nothing to do with ghosts or any other supernatural stuff. According to Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, the seventh month of the year is a time to offer to ancestors and deceased spirits.
Still, there are different perspectives of this month.
During the seventh month of the year, Chinese perform roadside prayers at night, in which they are offerings to wandering spirits to appease them. On the other hand, the Taoists perform ceremonies to worship the Great Emperor Lord of the Earth and to free the deceased spirits from their sufferings.
The Confucians treat this time as the Autumn Harvest, in which on the 15th day, they will remember the good actions of their ancestors and pay respects to them.
There are some things to avoid during this time of the year, such as:
- Attend funerals
- Visit the sick
- Hold major life events, such as weddings, starting or opening new businesses, signing contracts, etc.
- Go out late or travel at night
- Sleep facing a mirror
- Hold big parties
Now that you know what you should avoid, what are the things that you can do during this month?
Make Sure Your House Is Well-Lit
Despite ghost month is not all about ghosts, it won’t hurt to do some things to prevent them from coming into your home. In order to do that, keeping your house well-lit at all times is important.
Trim Your Garden
Hungry ghosts like forest-like locations and if your garden is starting to look unkempt, it’s time to do some trimming. It’s essential to do this before ghost month rolls in. Get rid of weeds fallen leaves, etc. Just make sure that your garden is tidy and neat.
Offer Food
You can lay out a table filled with food and light a candle in the name of your deceased loved ones. There’s no specific food to place, so the choice is all yours. If you have incense sticks, light nine and go through every room of the house. Fill each room with the fragrant smoke of incense to cleanse your house.
There’s really nothing to be scared about during ghost month, but it also won’t hurt to do some of the things listed above, especially if you believe in it.
Have a good month ahead!