A Tale of Two Ghosts - By Crystal LC Huang
(Written for the local newspaper a while ago, when I contributed a monthly writing to the LifeStyle Column.)
(Written for the local newspaper a while ago, when I contributed a monthly writing to the LifeStyle Column.)
Frankenstein, Arachnophobia, back cats, Jack-o-lantern, and well-calculated-costume-candy shopping bills comprise an exciting season for parents and children. (But, this year of 2020, the atmosphere can be a little bit different.)
Halloween, the eve of All Saints’ Day or Hallowmas, originated from the Celtic Feast of Samhain. The festival marked the beginning of winter and the New Year. The observance dating from the sixth or seventh centuries has long been associated with welcoming the spirits of the dead and assuaging supernatural powers. It was introduced to the US by Scots and Irish immigrants.
The ultimate questions of why and how we exist, succeed, or fail and die drive us to seek out the beliefs and practices associated with divinity. Anthropological evidence suggests that human species has long been preoccupied with spiritual concerns at least for 100,000 years.
And it is fascinating to observe from a sacred and secular aspect of this cultural universal about Halloween of the west and the “Ghost Month (鬼月) or Chung Yuan Festival (中元節)” of the East.
In some part of Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Korea, and my native country-Taiwan, the Ghost Festival is one of the important seasonal celebrations among a variety of special events.
This phenomenon of respecting and honoring the dead can be traced back to an influential dynasty- Shang (2183-1715 B.C.E,) when the well-known theory of Ying-Yang was developed, and after Buddhism was introduced from India around 200 C.E.
One of the cultural essences of that dynasty was consolidating the concept of familism. The family was organized around the idea of Hsiao (孝) or filial piety (like the combination of respect and loyalty.) Children (particularly, the boys) were taught to glorify the family, to carry on the family name, and to take care of the ancestors. If not, the ancestors would become “unhappy wandering ghosts” that would cause unpleasant conditions.
Later, the concept and practice of Hsiao, or filial piety was elaborated by Confucius. He stressed that Hsiao is the basis of all human virtues. For having the habits of love, respect, and responsibility to parents and siblings in the family, one could not but extend this mentality toward other people’s parents and brothers and sisters, and to the state. We can look at it as an important network of informal social control from a sociological perspective.
Thus, the family became the most important agent of socialization to pass on the heritage of Hsiao in most Asian countries.
After Jing dynasty (265-420 C.E.), Buddhism was assimilated into local cultures, which enriched Confucianism in many aspects, particularly in familism, arts , and poetry. The Ullambhana (盂蘭盆, in Sanskrit, means deliverance) echoed the needs of the ancestor worship of the local people. The Ullambhana is the Buddhist name for the Ghost Festival on the 15th day of the seventh moon.
According to the legend, the souls of the dead are released from purgatory to roam over the Earth during this month. Many of them are aggrieved spirits. During this time, all the dead are supposed to visit their living kin. Special cares are offered for those ghosts who have no living relatives and must wander in seeking food. So, on the 15th day, a variety of delicious food, fruits, and flowers are prepared for honoring the ancestors and placating the wandering souls.
Certainly, some superstitions are similar between these two festivals. The black cats are the scapegoat to be blamed for, no matter how innocent and graceful they are in the past of some Western societies. In the Far East, unless extremely necessary, extra traveling or risk-taking events during the ghost month are discouraged to avoid the disturbance of diabolism.
In my family, my mother presided over the religious rituals by burning incenses and praying and talking to my ancestors as if they all were alive. Bundling of paper figurines with clothing and paper money is set afire for the wandering souls. Trays of food and wine are provided. To assure that wandering ones will find the food, paper lanterns are strung up to light the way.
The Ghost Festival does not serve for merry-making, commercial creativities, and thrilling fun between children and parents as in the American society. Rather, it evinces more sacred meanings than secular enjoyment. They both present different aspects of folklore and family feasting that enrich our ways of life.
