The Ultimate Guide to the Hungry Ghost Festival: A Step-by-Step Ritual for Venerating Wandering Souls on the Fifteenth Day of the Seventh Lunar Month

The Ghost Month: A Traditional Vietnamese Belief

The seventh lunar month is known in Vietnamese folk culture as the “Ghost Month” or the “Month of Pardoning the Deceased.” It is a unique time in the spiritual consciousness of the Vietnamese people. According to folk beliefs, this is the time when wandering spirits are allowed to return to the living world, and the damned in hell are temporarily released. Families offer rituals to their deceased loved ones, praying for their souls’ peace and dedicating merit to those they believe have not yet attained liberation. Simultaneously, they also perform rituals to feed homeless and wandering ghosts with no place to go.

While the Ghost Festival is typically held on the 15th of the seventh lunar month, many families perform the rituals before that date, from the 2nd to the 14th. These rituals are not limited to temples, communal houses, and shrines but are also commonly practiced in family homes.

The incantations used during the rituals are of utmost importance, reflecting the solemnity and reverence of the ritual performers.

Incantations for the Ghost Festival on the 15th of the Seventh Lunar Month

Homage to Amitābha Buddha! (3 times)

I bow to the Nine Heavens, the Ten Directions, and the Buddhas of the Ten Directions.

I respectfully bow to Buddha Amitābha.

I respectfully bow to Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha.

I respectfully bow to the Current Year’s Tai Sui, the most virtuous and honorable deity.

I respectfully bow to the City God and the various kings of the underworld.

I respectfully bow to the local deities and the God of the Land.

I respectfully bow to the deities of the Five Directions, the Five Elements, the Dragon Veins, the God of Wealth, and the Stove Gods of the household, along with other honorable deities.

I respectfully bow to the wandering spirits and all beings without refuge.

Today, on the 15th day of the seventh month of the year…….., coinciding with the Ullambana Festival – a time for filial piety, we, the descendants, gather together, respectfully preparing incense, flowers, and offerings, lighting a heartwarming incense stick, and sincerely performing the rituals.

We invite the honorable deities, the Gods of the Land, the God of Wealth, the Five Directions and Five Elements, the Dragon Veins, the Stove Gods of the household, and other deities to witness our sincerity and enjoy the offerings.

We invite the wandering spirits, the beings without refuge, the lost souls, the victims of unjust deaths, the homeless, and those without relatives to come and partake in the offerings. We pray that they may find peace and liberation in the Pure Land.

We also invite our ancestors, grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters, and other relatives of the extended family, along with the previous and current owners of this land, to come and enjoy the offerings.

We sincerely ask the sacred spirits to bless and protect us, granting us peace, good fortune, and prosperity. May our family thrive, and may all things go well.

Homage to Amitābha Buddha! (3 times)

For the rituals, you can prepare incense, flowers, fruits, rice, salt, water, and other dishes according to local customs.