Tri (in white shirt), made offerings to the ghosts at his house at the corner of Phung Hung Street and Tran Hung Dao B Street on Wednesday afternoon. He said this is an annual ritual for his family.
"Hoa ethnic people, especially those who run businesses, consider the Ghost Festival an important occasion."
He said the purpose of the festival is to propitiate ghosts so that they do not to cause trouble for the family.
The Hoa people, or Vietnamese of Chinese origin, number about 500,000 in HCMC. Around 40% of them live in District 5.
The first Han Chinese Ming dynasty refugees came to southern Vietnam at the end of the Ming Dynasty in 1644.
The offerings include incense, rice, salt, alcohol, fruits, sugarcane, sweet potato, joss paper, and foods such as grilled pork, boiled chicken and seafood. The offerings must be put outside the house or in the hallway.
Tri said Hoa people often make offerings to ghosts every month, normally on the first or 15th day of the lunar month.
But the Ghost Festival on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, which was on Wednesday, is the biggest and most important event.
Many young men gather at the front door of Tri's house to wait for the offerings and cash.
According to traditional belief, if people scramble to lay their hands on the offerings and cash put out by the household, the family will be able to avoid bad luck.
Tri starts burning incense to begin the celebration of the festival at 3:30 p.m.
It is believed that the best time to begin the celebrations is in the late afternoon in order for the ghosts to easily take the offerings as daylight begins to fade.
Tri's family threw the money out on the street once the incense is burned. They prepared VND10 million in cash this year for the ritual. Around 100 people must have gathered outside Tri's house to fight for the cash for around 20 minutes.
His family then burned joss paper. The burning must be done outdoors so that stray ghosts cannot follow the family into the house.
Tri’s family also distributed 500 gift packs containing instant noodles, rice and sweets to poor people.
Originating in China, the celebration of the Ghost Festival is based on the belief that the gates of the underworld are opened on the second day and closed on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month.
Families present their offerings to the ghosts during this period as a way to commemorate the deceased and protect themselves from bad luck.
People fight for money tossed out on the street during the celebration of the Ghost Festival in HCMC, Aug. 30, 2023. Video by Nguyen Diep, Tuan Viet
