Hungry Ghost Festival

Last Monday was “All Soul’s Day”, or so my mom tells me, and is also otherwise known as the “Hungry Ghost” festival. Early in the morning (and even the days before) both my mom and grandma were making preparations for the day. My mom went shopping for specific types of food as my grandma stipulated. “Don’t buy pork, ah gong doesn’t like the fatty parts…” or so she would say in that similar fashion. My grandfather or “ah gong” as grandma was referring to, had been deceased for a good thirty years now. But it was not uncommon for my family members to make food offerings to the dead on several occasions.
This is the background from which I grew up in. Not Buddhism, and not quite Taoist either, these were certain rituals of the local Chinese beliefs. My mom complains that such practices are lost to the younger generation. She has already conceded that even with her own self, such practices hardly carry meaning. “I’m only doing it as my duty, ok!” she exclaims when I pestered her for a reason. Unclear about the day’s festivities, I sought to clarify with my mom. The gist of what I gathered was as follows: (note: I do not claim accuracy, I am merely stating what I understand from my mom’s descriptions).
All Soul’s Day is the one day of the whole year that the gates of hell are opened for the spirits or souls to wander. It is the day that the ancestors will return to their family homes and feast together with the family. Paper money or “hell notes” are also burnt as offerings, and sometimes even paper homes, cars and even cellphones for the deceased to use. All offered just to make the deceased happy... but for ONE day.
Call it a revelation or whatever you want, I was shocked, surprised, astounded! “MOM!!!”... “once... a... year...?” I asked. “So where do they spend their time the rest of the year?” From the look on her face and perhaps even from the slight giggle she let out after, I could tell that she was about to betray her beliefs. Quite frankly, it sounds ridiculous. Who would want to spend all of their time in hell and only be let out a single day of their (deceased/after) life?
As if that wasn’t bad enough, I asked next, “And then what happens to those spirits who have no families? What happens to them? They don’t get out at all?” Well, they do, and that was why besides preparing food before the altar, my grandma was also laying some food and burnt offerings out by the roadside. Homeless spirits wander the streets to look for token offerings. Thus, the name, “Hungry Ghost”.
I could’ve cried. Not that I believed or accepted such beliefs, but for the fact that my mom, my grandma, and all those who have gone before me do. It was a fate they were willing to accept. They would rather spend eternity (save for a day a year) in hell. They would rather be hungry ghosts. They would rather be called faithful descendents of ancestors past they have not met, than be called faithful to the Lord of heaven. Mom! Mom! Jesus offers an eternity in heaven! Mom, Jesus offers us mansions to live in, in cities of glory, where the streets are paved with gold because they are the cheapest commodity! Mom, that means you never need to worry about going hungry. That means you never need to wander the streets lonely. Mom, can you hear me? Mom, can you hear Jesus tugging at your heart? Mom...
And then it struck me that she was not the only one. Statistically, there are at least 30 percent of the population who practiced. That’s about a good 7 million. What is the church doing? What are we doing? Why do we make such a tremendous fuss over Christmas and Easter (important dates, granted) when we make no efforts whatsoever on occasions like All Soul’s Day? I am not comparing their importance, but rather the time and efforts spent on each. Can we not do something for them? Will a church be branded heretical if she organises an event for All Soul’s Day? My parents have tried Christmas, they have tried Easter. But All Soul’s Day still matters more. Can we change?