Ghost Festival

The Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, or Yu Lan is a traditional Chinese festival and holiday celebrated by Chinese in many countries. In the Chinese calendar , the Ghost Festival is on the 15th night of the seventh lunar month .

In Chinese tradition, the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day and the seventh month in general is regarded as the Ghost Month , in which ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm. Distinct from both the Qingming Festival (in Spring) and Chung Yeung Festival (in Autumn) in which living descendants pay homage to their deceased ancestors, on Ghost Day, the deceased are believed to visit the living.

At Ghost Festival or hungry ghost month, live shows called getai or “stage of songs” is held in the various towns in the city state of Singapore. They are performed by groups of singers, dancers and entertainers on a temporary stage that is set up within a residential district. The festival is truly modernized by the ‘concert-like’ live performances, often with scantily clad girl performers.