Ghost Festival: What It Is, When Is It and Why It’s Still Observed Today

There’s a time in the Chinese calendar when the boundary between the living and the dead is believed to be at its thinnest. Known as the Ghost Festival, it’s one of the most culturally significant observances in the lunar year and deeply rooted in centuries-old tradition. While it’s sometimes overshadowed by more familiar festivals like Lunar New Year or Mid-Autumn Festival, the Ghost Festival still holds meaning for many Chinese families today.

Rather than being something frightening, it’s a reflective time - a period to honour our ancestors, respect the spiritual world, and make sure good fortune continues to flow. Whether you’re familiar with it or hearing about it for the first time, this tradition offers a glimpse into a side of Chinese culture that’s thoughtful, respectful, and full of symbolic meaning. In the UK, it’s becoming more recognised, especially within communities where the seventh lunar month still carries spiritual significance.

When is Ghost Festival in 2025?

In 2025, the Ghost Festival will fall on Sunday, 10 August. The date changes each year because it follows the 15th day of the seventh month in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, sometimes called Ghost Month. During this entire month, it’s believed that the spirits of ancestors - and even wandering ghosts - roam the world of the living. The main day of the festival is when families perform rituals, burn offerings, and prepare symbolic foods to honour those who have passed.

While the date itself is important, the entire lunar month is considered a spiritual time, so traditions and taboos often span several weeks. People may choose to avoid travelling, moving house, or holding big celebrations like weddings during this period, as a way of respecting the unseen world.

The Origins and Meaning Behind Ghost Festival

Ghost Festival, also known as Zhongyuan Festival (中元节), has roots in both Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. The core idea is that during Ghost Month, the gates of the afterlife open and spirits are allowed to return to visit the living. Some of these spirits are ancestors who are welcomed with food, incense, and remembrance. Others are believed to be restless souls who didn’t receive a proper burial or were forgotten over time.

To ease their suffering and protect the living from bad luck, families burn paper offerings - sometimes called ‘joss paper’ - in the form of clothes, money, and even more modern symbols like paper mobile phones or houses. These are meant to be used in the spirit world. Incense is lit, candles are burned, and small altars may be set up at home or outside.

Unlike New Year festivities, which are joyous and social, Ghost Festival is quieter and more personal. It’s about respect, humility, and ensuring that no spirit is left behind or ignored. In Chinese tradition, maintaining this connection between generations is part of what keeps harmony in life.

Traditional Foods and Ritual Offerings

Food plays an important role during Ghost Festival. Dishes are placed out as offerings to both ancestors and wandering spirits. These meals are often rich and generous, as a sign of reverence. You might see bowls of rice, plates of meat, and seasonal fruits placed on tables outside homes or temples. There’s a long-standing belief that by preparing a good meal, you’re looking after the comfort of your ancestors in the afterlife.

One symbolic offering you’ll often see is rice cakes or buns, sometimes dyed red, which are believed to bring protection and blessings. Some people also place small cups of tea or rice wine alongside food offerings, as a traditional gesture of hospitality to the visiting spirits.

While we don’t prepare ritual offerings, many of the dishes associated with this festival can be found on our menu. Hearty plates like roast duck, char siu pork, and warming noodle dishes feel especially fitting during this reflective time.

Taboos and Traditions During Ghost Month

Ghost Month isn’t just about what you do—it’s also about what you avoid. Across Chinese communities, there are long-standing customs designed to keep bad luck at bay while the spirit world is active.

Some of the most common taboos include:

• Avoiding late-night outings, especially near water or forests

  
  

• Not picking up coins or items found on the ground, as they might be offerings to spirits

  
  

• Delaying home renovations, weddings, or major business decisions, which are thought to attract negative attention during this period

  
  

Children are often told to behave respectfully and avoid whistling at night. Even things like hanging laundry after dark or leaving chopsticks standing upright in bowls can be seen as inviting unwanted spirits.

While these customs might not be followed as strictly in modern times, many people still observe them as a sign of cultural respect.

Why the Festival Still Matters

There’s something quietly powerful about making space for remembrance. Ghost Festival isn’t about superstition - it’s about maintaining bonds with those who came before us. In Chinese tradition, that connection doesn’t end with death. Instead, it continues through rituals, food, and moments of quiet thought.

For those of us who grew up with this festival, the experience of seeing incense curl into the air or placing bowls of rice on the table isn’t just habit. It’s memory. It’s family. And it’s a way of keeping our culture alive across generations.

Even if you’re new to the tradition, understanding Ghost Festival offers insight into how food, respect, and belief come together in Chinese life. And if you're in the mood for a comforting meal that feels connected to that spirit of generosity, you’ll find plenty of familiar dishes waiting for you on our menu.

Whether you’re observing the festival or just interested in its meaning, it’s one of the many rich traditions that continue to shape Chinese food and culture today.