Ghost Month

Ghost parade – ink painting by Gong Kai, a 13th-century artist.

August 1, 2019, is the first day of lunar July and lunar July is viewed as the ghost month in Chinese tradition since it is the time when shadowy beings would have a better chance to sneak into the human world.

During that period the yin yang two worlds are like two trains running on separate circular tracks in opposite directions passing each other by. At that particular moment, those who are most desperate therefore most brave – like hungry ghosts – might jump through the gates in an attempt to collect some trophies.

To be precise, the real lunar July associated with the ghost month is between Beginning of Autumn (the day when the Sun is at the celestial longitude of 135°) and White Dew (the day when the Sun is at the celestial longitude of 165°) in 24 solar terms of the season.

Ghost parade – ink painting by Gong Kai, a 13th-century artist.

A female VIP ghost from Other World leads a ghost parade to wreak havoc in a Chinese community.

Ghost parade – ink painting by Gong Kai, a 13th-century artist.

A female ghost, a former politician, collaborates with the ghost VIP from the Other World and urges her local followers to create chaos in human society.

COMMENTS FROM MINDS.COM

Eric
“Yeah c’mon we can totally freak out the living, you know we can. Follow me!” Just like a politician” hahaha

soxfan1957
We don’t need help from ghost to create havoc. We are completely capable of doing that on our own.

All Things Chinese
The ghosts might think you are very ungrateful.

soxfan1957
Well, I guess they can join the party then. Must be respectful to the dead.

All Things Chinese
Respectful dead usually doesn’t become a ghost – they live a respectful life in the yin world or return to the yang world or go to other worlds. The choices are endless. It’s like after you resigned or retired or are fired from a job from a company, you go to resume your career or life elsewhere. But a silly few would return to the former company with a gun …

Ghosts’ umbrella movement – ink painting by Luo Pin, an 18th-century Chinese artist.

While people in the yang world cannot live without the sun, the beings in the yin world cannot bear to be exposed in the daylight, even at the time when there is no sun, and no rain, which would cause them to melt. It is why when ghosts parade in the human world, whether for celebration or protest, they have to pop up an umbrella to hide in the shadows.

COMMENTS FROM MINDS.COM

soxfan1957
Very strange that a ghost would melt in rain. Our ghost loves rainy cold nights with thunder every. Yet until you mentioned it I never realized they don’t go outside.

All Things Chinese
Regarding the ghosts in Chinese mythology, they won’t melt in rain but will be under the sun because they are mainly formed with yin qi.

When lots of yin meet lots of yang, what is going to happen? Yin and Yang merge and become something else. What is to be left for a figure chiefly made of yin then? 😉

Human beings are by and large half yin and half yang, and the yin-yang proportion varies from person to person and from moment to moment. For instance, a well-trained Daoist would be able to stare at the sun directly, while most people will only damage their eyes if they try to do so.

Eric
Don’t want to get sunburn. 🤔

All Things Chinese
They can’t endure the yang qi.

rbli88
This series on ghosts is kind of relevant to recent events in HK with regards to umbrellas, ghosts parading and wreaking havoc. LOL

All Things Chinese
You have decoded my dark hidden message 😥

Ghosts from the earth – ink painting by Luo Pin, an 18th-century Chinese artist.

The ghosts rambling in the human world are not all from the yin world or other shadowy domains. Some are generated on earth, such as from long-deserted houses and the graves located in the so-called “corpse nurturing spot” (养尸地) where yin qis from all sources converge, according to Feng Shui theory.

The reventilated fragmented portion of the spirit from the deceased normally has little self-awareness but acts based on a single unfulfilled urge or obsession in the instinctive side of the habitual pattern, which often makes them appear senseless and ferocious.

Around Ghost Day on August 15, Chinese people sent cancels with their wishes to rivers as a way to communicate with beings in other worlds.

COMMENTS FROM MINDS.COM

Eric
Try to get through the waters of “Hades” 🤔😁

All Things Chinese
The Chinese version of Hades is Ghost King, but its position is appointed not inherited or grabbed by force from its father since in the traditional Chinese cosmic view, the universe is not ruled by a family and no group can stay in any ruling position forever.

On Ghost Day, Chinese girls sent lotus lanterns with their best wishes for the future to waterways.

Fengdu, A Ghost City

According to Chinese mythology, the land of the yin world is called Fengdu. In Chongqing, there is actually a city known as Fengdu, so the locals built a ghost town to attract tourists who wish to have a preview of the land they might migrate to sooner or later.

This is the entrance on a border wall that allegedly divides the yang world for the living and the yin world for the dead.

COMMENTS FROM GOOGLE PLUS

March 23, 2019

soxfan1957
So the question is it is heaven or hell or just the land of the dead.

All Things Chinese
Just a land of the dead, neither heaven nor hell, a place most people will go after death, according to Chinese mythology.

It is quite logical. Think about this yang world: only a special few would go to prison or live in a palace. ~_^

David Crosswell
Heaven and Hell are more Christian concepts. There are other belief systems that include an afterlife or even another life.

All Things Chinese
Heavens and hells are as real as this human world. But there are many heavens, many hells and countless other worlds.

Mile HsiangYang Lee
PURGATORY – A BUFFER ZONE between NOT ALIVE + NOT Exactly DEAD 😂😂😂😂😂 (I Think) 😉😉😉😉😉 It’s like DAWN – Not DARK + Not Exactly LIGHT too 😇😇😇😇😇

All Things Chinese
They are dead, but death is just another form of existence. And few will remain dead forever, just like few will keep living forever.

Mile HsiangYang Lee
One life is ENOUGH. I Don’t Want to be ALIVE After I’m Dead – In Whatever Form 🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅

All Things Chinese
You have no choice before you reach nirvana.

Mile HsiangYang Lee 
😩😩😩😩😩

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