Hong Kong City Events
A table at the Hungry Ghost Festival © Wikimedia Commons
Hungry Ghost Festival (Yue Lan)
It is believed that the gates of the underworld open for a
month, once a year and the discontented and vengeful ghosts of
those who died without proper funeral rites, who met a violent
death, or whose living relatives neglected their after-life
spirits, roam the earth looking to satisfy their hunger for
attention and peace. The purpose of the festival is to prevent
these ghosts from inflicting harm on the living in order to gratify
their needs, and so elaborate religious parades with food offerings
fill the streets, and roadside fires are built to burn gifts of
money and crafted paper objects such as cars or furniture to
appease the wandering ghosts. Various types of entertainment also
take place to keep them happy. For more information contact the
Hong Kong Tourist Office Association on +852 2807 6543 or
info@www.hkta.org
Venue: Various. Popular venues are King George V Memorial Park, Kowloon and Moreton Terrace Playground, Causeway Bay;
Date: Starts 23 August 2010
