Blog

By Eleanor Wong

Halloween is quickly becoming a real cause for occasion here in the UK. In my youth we pulled on a bin bag and a black hat and off we went round the cul-de-sac with our plastic bags open yelling ‘Trick or Treat’ at anybody behind a door with a single pumpkin glowing with a menacing smile.

Pumpkins with Menacing Smiles (source: https://cityofharrah.com/tag/trick-or-treat/)

Nowadays my children are accusing me of being a Halloween ba-humbug for not decking out the inside and outside of the house with extravagant fearsome decorations and refusing to order them expensive outfits for the school disco. As we seem to follow the US in our enthusiasm for a night that is supposed to connect us to the afterlife, I start to look at other countries to see who is also following suit.

From what I’ve read Halloween seems to be growing in popularity in lots of countries all over the world. China, however, seems to be less enthused by the excessive decorations and rituals we are seeing grow here.

In China Halloween as we know it is not generally celebrated and trick or treating is not a thing.

The Chinese do have a festival to honour the dead, which takes place on the 15th day of the 7th Lunar month of the year. It is called Zhongyuan Festival or ‘Hungry Ghost Festival’. (This year it was 5th September 2025).

It’s believed that at the beginning of the 7th Lunar month the gates to the world of the dead are open and spirits are free to roam the earth. The gates do not close until the last day of the month. It is important to entertain the spirits with Operas and other performances and to leave offerings to please them. It is also tradition to burn ‘joss paper’; fake money as an offering for the spirits. Pleasing the spirits is of utmost importance, so that they don’t cause trouble for the living. It is also a time to make offerings to family members that have passed over and help any trapped spirits to be free.

Offering Table (source: https://gccmedia.co/culture/dos-and-donts-during-the-hungry-ghost-festival/)

There are, however, some activities that must not be done during this Lunar month. It  is customary to avoid taking photographs at night and to try to avoid wondering the streets at night, as you don’t want to attract angry or bad spirits to you. People are generally very wary about upsetting spirits in any way and try to avoid drawing undue attention to themselves by singing or whistling when out and about.  Be careful where you stand; corners and up against walls is where you may find spirits loitering. You don’t want to risk killing insects, just in case they are your ancestors reincarnated and leaving chopsticks upright in food is not advised, as these can resemble joss sticks, used to attract the dead. Respecting offerings left for the dead is crucial and you would not take anything from an offering.

It is a time for families to think about and honour loved ones who have passed on and show deep respect and kindness to the spirits of the dead. 

If you decide that trick or treating or devouring truckloads of sweets isn’t for you this weekend, but the idea of a fabulous Chinese feast is up your alley, then I  highly recommend treating yourself to a fabulous Chinese meal at Chung Ying Cantonese restaurant. You’ll be spoilt for choice, with the largest Dim Sum menu in the UK and a vast variety of authentic dishes to choose from.

Check out the menu and this link https://www.chungying.co.uk/chung-ying-cantonese-menu