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Real
Hungry Ghost Month Taboos And Ghost
Photos
Lee Rault sends us
this photo of what she says is a photo
of a Hungry Ghost. This she says is
her long dead maternal Grandfather's
ghosts taken during Hungry Ghost Month
August 5, 2008
Wed
Aug 13, 5:53 AM ET
BEIXIAOYING TOWN, China - Three Chinese
were critically injured Wednesday
in an accident involving a bus from
the athletes' village and a van on
the way to the Olympic rowing park,
the Australian Olympic Committee said.
The accident happened near the Shunyi
Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park. Could
it be the curse of Hungry Ghosts?
By
Chase Mason
According to tradition,
the Hungry Ghost Month - which began
August 1 in the western calendar -
sees the gates of the underworld open,
allowing real Spooks, specters and
real ghosts to enter the world of
mortals. At the end of the month,
tradition holds the ghosts return
to the underworld and the gates are
slammed shut. One old tradition still
observed in New Orleans today was
to search for Secret Voodoo Cemetery
Gates Of Guinee, They are said to
be found more frequently in the month
of August then any other.
For all of us in the
know the seventh-lunar-month Hungry
Ghost Festival is a real time to hunt
and communicate with the dead openly.
An array of foods being offered to
the deceased this is done mostly in
this calendar month. Except in New
Orleans when it is also practiced
on November 1st and 2nd.
If you want to take
as many photos of ghosts this is the
month to do it. Many paranormal People
around the world claim the month of
August as the most haunted Dangerous
month of the year. More people die
in August then any other or so it
is believed. Why You might ask? Because
it is Hungry ghost Month and if you
break the rules and many Taboo's you
are truly doomed!
Don't
Look For The Secret Voodoo Cemetery
Gates Of Guinee... They Might Find
You!
Some say All Seven Gates
of Hell located in Rome, New Jersey,
Central Africa, New York, Stull, Kansas,
Paris, France or in even on the land
of Voodoo, New Orleans. To think of
the gate or actually try to find out
where the dead enter into this world
it is the biggest Taboo for Hungry
Ghost Month. If you follow the dead
back to the gate at the end of the
month you will surely live in the
land of the dead alive for eternity.
At least that's what
Voodoo Queen Bianca tells me. "The
Gates to the underworld are very real
States Bianca, " They are the
portal to the great dark world of
beyond." Some call them the Gates
of Guinea, or the Door To The Damned."
Says Bianca.
Bianca The current Voodoo
Queen Of New Orleans is the highest
ranking Voodoo Officiate in the haunted
city. She has sat on her voodoo throne
for over 28 years. Bianca tells of
how as a young girl of 15 she found
the gates to the other side. Many
voodoos say it is one of the seven
gates to hell. Please
also see: The
7 Gates of Hell "ABANDON ALL
HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE"
The exact location of
the haunted cemetery gates isn't really
ever told to outsiders of the Secret
Societies. New Orleans Tour Guides
and Haunted Cemetery or ghost tours
will skirt around the issue, or just
look at you like they don't know what
your talking about, so never mention
it (seriously). They say just to talk
about the accursed cemetery gates
spells doom to those that ask or search
for it or speak of it openly to anyone.
Many believe that the gates to the
other world or portal is actually
a large white mausoleum. Once upon
entering it you will be forever trapped
in the unholy world of the voodoo
spirits and the dead. Those who know
... feel it is inviting them , "The
Ghede" to take you away. Only
someone pure of heart with only one
burning question to be answered by
the dead is ever told the whole truth.
If you are so unlucky to cross the
threshold of these gates legend tells,
then you are taken alive to the otherworld
forever trapped but you do not die
you become immortal. You then become
one of the truly undead! Many say
this is what happened to Marie Laveau
I, Sanite Dede, Dr. John and many
notable Voodoo leaders that just simply
disappeared off of the face of the
earth. (They passed unseen to the
other side whole in body and mind
to live immortal.)
A unnamed New Orleans Voodoo priestess
says quite bluntly, search and you
shall find them rusted shut, or worse
they will certainly find you and be
wide and opened. Its primary goal
is to both enlighten and bridge the
worlds of the dead and the living,
considered the most sacred and the
profane. The gates she says are sometimes
those to a large Mausoleum that you
enter. Inside you will see stairs
leading up and down. No one who has
gone and further then that has ever
come back to tell what is above or
below on the other side. Marie Laveau
the first is the only person who is
said to be able to cross over back
and forth between the two world because
she was so powerfully a Voodoo Queen.
But she is only allowed to be in our
world on 5 or 6 days of the year.
Those days being -- Christmas Day,
New Year's Day, Fat Tuesday, Carnival
or New Orleans Mardi Gras day, All
Saints' Day, or All Souls' Day, St.
Johns Eve and her birthday.
"Real Voodoo Immortality has
it's price." " You never
die but you are no longer in the world
of the living." Says Reese Smith.
"To find the voodoo gates for
eternal life one needs only to listen."
"Inside or behind the gates there
can be heard a strange sound, the
rhythmic deep beat drums beckoning
you to come to the threshold of a
large old mausoleum."
Well known psychic William Reese
Smith Knocks on a Mausoleum door.
Could be this is the Secret Voodoo
Cemetery Gates Of Guinee? Smith believes
that the gates to the other side are
in no one set location and may shift
from cemetery to cemetery. Also
see: Voodoo
Cemetery Gates Of Guinee
This Ghost Photo was
sent to us from Megan Garner from
her recent Ghost hunting trip to New
Orleans. Gainer a Avid Nicholas Cage
Fan and Lalaurie Ghost Haunted House
buff says she thinks she can see more
then just clouds in this photo . She
believes it is Delphine Lalaries Ghost
walking the haunted house's Catwalk.
Photo taken August 11th, 2008.
Ghost Photos Happen More in the month
Of August And that is the truth. "Ghost
Tours across the United States and
the world have sent us more ghost
photos then any other time in 2006
-2007. " Says Karen Beals secretary
for HauntedAmericaTours.com.
"I get more emails from people
who want a serious response right
away then any other month."
Gina
Lanier Paranormal Investigator
from Harvey, Louisiana states. "
Ghost like people seem to get very
active in the months of June - December."
" But in my observations I think
August is the best time to experience
seeing and getting evidence that ghost
are real." " I suggest if
your a ghost hunter of any ilk try
ghost hunting on Ghost Tours or even
your own home in August."
Also on a perstenage Lanier believes
that more Seances go on because more
kids or off of school and bored and
their minds turn to ghosts and paranormal
conjuring up of the dead."
Real Hungry Ghost
Month Taboos!
The Ghost Festival is a traditional
Chinese festival and holiday, which
is celebrated by Chinese in many countries.
In the Chinese calendar (a lunisolar
calendar), the Ghost Festival is on
the 15th night of the seventh lunar
month.
In Chinese tradition, the thirteenth
day of the seventh month in the lunar
calendar is called Ghost Day and the
seventh month in general is regarded
as the Ghost Month , in which ghosts
and spirits, including those of the
deceased ancestors, come out from
the lower realm. During the Qingming
Festival the living descendants pay
homage to their ancestors and on Ghost
Day, the deceased visit the living.
On the thirteenth day the three realms
of Heaven, Hell and the realm of the
living are open and both Taoists and
Buddhists would perform rituals to
transmute and absolve the sufferings
of the deceased. Intrinsic to the
Ghost Month is ancestor worship, where
traditionally the filial piety of
descendants extends to their ancestors
even after their deaths. Activities
during the month would include preparing
ritualistic food offerings, burning
incense, and burning joss paper, a
papier-mache form of material items
such as clothes, gold and other fine
goods for the visiting spirits of
the ancestors. Elaborate meals would
be served with empty seats for each
of the deceased in the family treating
the deceased as if they are still
living. Ancestor worship is what distinguishes
Qingming Festival from Ghost Festival
because the former includes paying
respects to all deceased, including
the same and younger generations,
while the latter only includes older
generations. Other festivities may
include, burying and releasing miniature
paper boats and lanterns on water,
which signifies giving directions
to the lost ghosts and spirits of
the ancestors and other deities.
The Ghost Festival shares some similarities
with the predominantly Mexican observance
of El Día de los Muertos. Due
to theme of ghosts and spirits, the
festival is sometimes also known as
the Chinese Halloween, though many
have debated the difference between
the two.
Most interested in the beliefs and
taboos that many awful bad things
may and can happen to people who give
birth, renovate their homes, take
trips, go swimming, buy real estate
or get a haircut during the most cursed
month of the year.
Never look into a mirror this month
of the year during the hours of 8:Pm
to 8:am. Do not where borrowed clothes,
or those items that belonged to the
deceased in any way. They say they
will come and claim you. Avoid looking
into water that the moon reflects
upon. if you see the moons reflection
your first born child will be struck
down.
To Buddhists, the seventh lunar month
is a month of joy. This is because
the fifteenth day of the seventh month
is often known as the Buddha's joyful
day and the day of rejoice for monks.
The origins of the Buddha's joyful
day can be found in various scriptures.
When the Buddha was alive, his disciples
meditated in the forests of India
during the rainy season of summer.
Three months later, on the fifteen
day of the seventh month, they would
emerge from the forests to celebrate
the completion of their meditation
and report their progress to the Buddha.
In the Ullambana Sutra, the Buddha
instructs his disciple Maudgalyayana
on how to obtain liberation for his
mother, who had been reborn into a
lower realm, by making food offerings
to the sangha on the fifteenth day
of the seventh month. Because the
number of monks who attained enlightenment
during that period was high, the Buddha
was very pleased.
The Buddhist origins of the festival
can be traced back to a story that
originally came from India, but later
took on culturally Chinese overtones.
In the Ullambana Sutra, there is a
descriptive account of a Buddhist
monk named Mahamaudgalyayana, originally
a brahmin youth who later ordained,
and later becoming one of the Buddha's
chief disciples. Mahamaudgalyayana
was also known for having clairvoyant
powers, an uncommon trait amongst
monks.
After he attained arhatship, he began
to think deeply of his parents, and
wondered what happened to them. He
used his clairvoyance to see where
they were reborn and found his father
in the heavenly realms i.e the realm
of the gods. However, his mother had
been reborn in a lower realm, known
as the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. His
mother took on the form of a hungry
ghost--- so called because it could
not eat due to its highly thin &
fragile throat in which no food could
pass through, yet it was always hungry
because it had a fat belly. His mother
had been greedy with the money he
left her. He had instructed her to
kindly host any Buddhist monks that
ever came her way, but instead she
withheld her kindness and her money.
It was for this reason she was reborn
in the realm of hungry ghosts.
Mahamaudgalyayana eased his mother's
suffering by receiving the instructions
of feeding pretas from the Buddha.
The Buddha instructed Mahamaudgalyayana
to place pieces of food on a clean
plate, reciting a mantra seven times,
snap his fingers then tip the food
on clean ground. By doing so, the
preta's hunger was relieved and through
these merits, his mother was reborn
as a dog under the care of a noble
family.
Mahamaudgalyayana also sought the
Buddha's advice to help his mother
gain a human birth. The Buddha established
a day after the traditional summer
retreat (the 15th day of the seventh
month in the lunar calendar, usually
mid-to-late August) on which Mahamaudgalyayana
was to offer food and robes to 500
bhikkhus. Through the merits created,
Mahamaudgalyayana's mother finally
gained a human birth.
Due to Confucian influence, the offering
became directed towards ancestors
rather than the Sangha and ancestor
worship has replaced the simple ritual
of relieving the hunger of pretas.
However, most Buddhist temples still
continue the ancient practice of donating
to the Sangha as well as to perform
rituals for the hungry ghosts.
Chinese Buddhists often say that
there is a difference between Ullambana
and the traditional Chinese Zhongyuan
Jie, usually saying people have mixed
superstitions (such as burning joss
paper items) and delusional thoughts,
rather than think that Ullambana is
actually a time of happiness.
O-bon, or simply Bon, is the Japanese
version of the Ghost Festival. It
has since been transformed over time
into a family reunion holiday during
which people from the big cities return
to their home towns and visit and
clean their ancestors' graves.
Traditionally including a dance festival,
it has existed in Japan for more than
500 years. It is held from 13th of
July to the 16th ("Welcoming
Obon" and "Farewell Obon"
respectively) in the eastern part
of Japan (Kanto), and in August in
the western part (Kansai).
This reported real
photo is aid to be of a mans Father's
very Hungry Ghosts. The photo was
taken August 2005 in Chinatown New
York. The face of this Hungry Ghost
was said to be seen clearly on the
ceiling of a restaurant. Photo sent
to us by Brad Chen.
This festival is the chance for pardoning
guilty ghosts which are homeless and
not be taken care of. People worship
ghosts and liberate animals, such
as birds or fish.
Influenced by Buddhism, this holiday
is also the Vu Lan festival, the Vietnamese
transliteration for Ullambana. The
festival is also considered Mother's
Day. People with living mothers would
be thankful, while people with dead
mothers would pray for their souls.
Though also the city of New Orleans
with it's population of Vietnamese
has also incorporated this into it's
Hoodoo Voodoo Traditions.
Ghost Festival in Malaysia is modernized
by the 'concert-like' live performing,
it has its own characteristic and
is not similar to other Ghost Festivals
in other countries. The live show
is popularly known as 'Koh-tai' by
the Hokkien-speaking peoples, it was
performed by a group of singers, dancers
and entertainers, on a temporary stage
that setup within the residential
district. The festival is funded by
the residents of each individual residential
districts. All this is performed in
front of several empty red seats reserved
just for the dead. And do not sit
in the chair for you will be cursed
for life and haunted.
Hungry Ghost Month
Practices And World Taboo's
In New Orleans: Always set up a special
table in your house to seat the dead.
Feed them specially prepared dishes
of Red Beans and Rice each Monday
of the month. The Recipe for Ghost
Month Red Beans and rice differs from
the norm.
The quintessential
New Orleans dish for the dead:
Ingredients
4 1/3 cups water, divided
1 1/2 cups brown basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans or
pink beans, rinsed
6 ounces sliced Canadian bacon, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery plus 1 tablespoon
finely chopped celery leaves
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/4-1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
(see Note) or cayenne pepper
1 cup of read wine
A real Catholic blessed rosary cross
or crucifix
Cooking Instructions
1. Combine Cross, and 3 1/3 cups water,
rice and salt in a large saucepan.
Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to
low, cover and cook until all the
water has been absorbed, about 45
minutes.
2. About 10 minutes before the rice
is ready, heat oil in a large skillet
over medium-high heat. Add onion and
garlic and cook, stirring, until the
onion is lightly colored and tender,
about 3 minutes.
3. Place 1 cup beans in a small bowl
and mash with a fork. Add the mashed
and whole beans, the remaining 1 cup
water, Canadian bacon, celery, celery
leaves, bell pepper and ground chipotle
(or cayenne) to the pan. Simmer, stirring
occasionally, until the liquid has
thickened into a gravy and the vegetables
are crisp-tender, about 6 minutes.
Serve in shallow bowls, spooned over
the rice.
Note: Chipotle peppers are dried,
smoked jalapeno peppers. They are
often used to add heat and a smoky
flavor to foods. Ground chipotle can
be found in the specialty spice section
of most supermarkets.
This is not recommended to be eaten
by the living. This is only for the
dead. They say if you eat it you too
will leave for the other world when
the ghost leave at the end of the
month. This should then be brought
in a new pot to the cemetery on September
first and left at your families graves.
The face of a man
who was killed by this car. His ghost
face can be seen in the windshield
says Ghost hunter Jonathan Parks.
This photo from Spokane, Washington
taken on 08-08-08.
Other Hungry Ghost
Month Taboos From around the World:
Never wash your clothes at night
or your grand children will suffer
there whole life's long.
Do not allow small pets into your
bedroom at night to do so will make
the ghosts that come to visit annoyed
with you. (Some Pets warn of ghosts
in homes) They the ghosts will often
strike you with serious illness that
will last one year to the day.
Do not under any circumstances comb
or brush your hair with anything but
your hands and fingers. To do this
spells real trouble. The hungry ghosts
are said to make men impotent and
women sterile for 5 years if you do
not follow this dire warning.
Only take a full bath on Wednesday
of each week. Wipe your body down
with a damp cold rag each night steeped
in green tea and rose petals. If you
do not heed this you will suffer from
great headaches and loss of being
able to speak for one year or more.
Do not bare your shoulder or bare
arm except on Tuesdays of the month.
Do not get any tattoo's or piercing
this month they will never heal and
you may die from it.
Only wash your hair with clear water
and vinegar the entire month. to not
do this spells loss of control of
your bowels for the rest of your life.
Do not wear perfume or deodorant.
Do not cry this month. Hold back
your many tears. If a ghost see's
you cry then it will take your soul
or possess you. If a child cries though
their s no effect if they are under
the age of 10.
If anyone dies this month have them
immediately cremated and do not morn
them until December. Pretend it never
happened or their soul will go to
hell forever for your misdeed.
Do not put trash out of your house
to be picked up the entire month .
One should wait until the month is
over to throw something out of your
house. This spells disaster that your
children will not find happy marriage
or wealth.
If a young girl does not pray each
night from 7:PM until 10:pm she will
surly never conceive a child of her
own.
Young Boys and all men up to the
age of 50 should not masturbate the
entire month. To do so means the hungry
Ghost will curse you to never father
a son.
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