Folklore

Folklore

Introduction

In Chinese thought, the world is populated by a vast number of spirits, both good and evil. Such spirits include nature demons, evil spirits or devils, and ghosts. Evil spirits are believed to avoid light and many rituals involving fire and light have developed, such as the use of bonfires, firecrackers, and torches. Evil spirits are also traditionally believed to travel in straight line, which explains many curvy roads throughout China. If a spirit is not kept happy, perhaps because it had a bad death, an improper burial or has no descendents to perform the proper rituals, it becomes a ghost (sometimes called a "hungry ghost," a term with Buddhist origins). Ghosts may attack human beings to prompt them to meet the ghosts' needs or at least to draw attention to their plight. Ghosts receive the most attentions during Ghost Month, the seventh month in the Chinese lunar year, and especially during the Ghost Festival on the fifteenth day (Hoffman, 1965).

The Hungry Ghost Festival has its roots in the Buddhist festival Ullambana, and also in Daoist culture. In the Tang Dynasty, the Buddhist festival Ullambana and its traditional festivities were mixed and celebrated on one day. Thus, the Ghost Festival has a special meaning for all Buddhists. The Chinese believe that the dead become ghosts who roam between Heaven and Earth on the day of their death. Spirits without descendants to make offerings to them are fed during the ghost festival, so that they may not cause trouble to the living. This custom, an extension of the traditional Chinese notion of 'universal love', was started after the legend "Mulien Saving his Mother from Hades", giving Ghost festival a dimension of filial piety.

Discussion

There are many different types of spirits in the Chinese folklore such as Diao Si Gui, Ba Jiao Gui, You Hun Ye Gui, Gui Po, Nui Gui, Yuan Gui, Shui Gui, Wu Tou gui, Er Gui, Jiang Shi, Ying Ling, Hei Ba Wu Chang, and Niu Tou Ma Mia. Diao Si Gui is the ghost of someone who has been hanged, either in execution or suicide. They are usually shown with long red tongues sticking out. Ba Jiao Gui is a female ghost which dwells in a banana tree and appears wailing under the tree at night, sometimes carrying a baby. In some folk tales from Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, some greedy people ask for lottery numbers from the ghost in hope of winning money. They tie a red string around the tree trunk and stick sharp needles into it and then tie the other end of the string to his/her bed. At night, the ghost appears and begs the person to set her free in return for winning lottery numbers. If the person does not full fill his/her promise to set the ghost free after winning the lottery, he/she will meet with a horrifying death. This ghost is often likened to the Pontianak from Malay folklore. You Hun Gui is the wandering spirits of the dead (Oring, ...