The Hungry Ghost Festival is held in China and Vietnam by Buddhists and Taoists on the 15th night of the seventh lunar month (also called Ghost Month). It is also known as the Mid-July Festival, the Ghost Festival, and the Ullambana Festival of Buddhism. Legend has it that on this 15th night of Ghost Month, the gates to hell as well as heaven are left open, permitting the dead into the world to enjoy a delicious meal. Some of the traditions tied to this festival include praying for pain relief for those on the other side, leaving shoes out for the spirits to use, and placing lit lanterns on the river and on the roads to light the way for the spirits to follow.
Most of the Chinese or Vietnamese factory will celebrate this festival, activities during the month would include preparing ritualistic food offerings, burning incense, and burning joss paper, a papier-mâché form of material items such as clothes, gold and other fine goods for the visiting spirits of the ancestors.
