The 1st to 29th/30th day of the 7th month of the Lunar Calendar

Amongst all the Hong Kong traditional festivals, Ullambana Festival (or Ghost Festival) is the one that lasts for the longest period and covers the widest area. Every year in the 7th lunar month, people burned joss paper for the roaming ghosts and many societies held Ullambana Festival for one to five days. The number of these festivals could reach over a hundred every year and the ones held by Chiu Chow community took up the biggest proportion (around 60 per year).The festival had been inscribed onto China's third national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2011.

Setting of the Site

The Chiu Chow people held the Ullambana Festival with Buddhist rituals (while the Canton and Fukien people adopted the Taoist rituals). They pitched temporary sheds for gods worshiping, sutra chanting, deity costumes, Sambhavas’ statues, ghosts’ register, opera shows and offices. The gods they worshipped were “Heaven and Earth Aarents”, “The Southern and Northern Stars Gods” and “All Gods of Fortune and Well-being”. Each one of them was represented by an incense burner.

The “Triangle Harbour”

The Ullambana Festival at the Triangle Harbour has a long history, as many Chiu Chow people used to work there in the past. From the 24th to 26th day of the 7th lunar month, an opera for deities was held for three days at the Harbour. In the beginning the opera showed took place at the seaside. Later they were performed in the King George V Memorial Park in Eastern Street, and later at the West District Park. The park’s name has now been changed into Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park.

On the third day afternoon, the ritual of “handing out food” was conducted. The Buddhist monks would recite The Yoga Flaming Mouth and threw out small flour chubs (also called pomegranate) in the last phase; people would scramble for them as they believed eating them can bring peace and safety. After the ritual, the staff cleared everything at the site related to the ghosts including the flagpole, lantern and the forefather’s register paper. All these were then burnt, symbolizing the farewell to the spirits.

Rice Dispatch

The Ullambana Festival held by Chiu Chow was known for its abundance of sacrifices. Inside the shed of gods, there are cakes, snacks, wine and accessories. Besides the register shed, there were packs of rice and daily necessities. After offering sacrifices to the ghosts, the staff members dispatched rice to the citizens that are waiting in queue. The Chiu Chow people believed that this was the way to help poor people and gain good karma for both themselves and their ancestors, whereas the awaiting citizens believed that the rice carried the blessing for peace and safety. This has made Ullambana Festival a worshipping, praying and charity event of folk culture and custom.

The Completion of the Virtuous Deeds

On the third night, people gathered around the venue and bid for the “fortune items” (wine and accessories). The one who paid the highest price would get the item. The income was used to cover the expense of the Ullambana Festival. By the end, the secular Buddhists conducted a ritual of “flag running”. Led by the “Golden Boy” and “Jade Girl”, the flag holders weaved on the stage to notify the gods of the completion of their virtuous deeds. The seats and sacred robes of the gods would be cremated in the middle of the night.