How to counter bad luck this month of Hungry Ghosts

Do you need to travel but are afraid to because August is the month of Hungry Ghosts? Counter the bad luck that it brings with these charms and tips from feng shui experts.

The Chinese in Malaysia and across the region believe that during the seventh lunar month the gates of Hell are opened and souls are left to wander Earth. That lunar month is the equivalent of August—a month that Chinese folklore says is the time of year when myriad spirits roam around the Earth trying to fulfill past needs, wants, and desires.

These spirits are called Hungry Ghosts by the Chinese, and are often held responsible for tragedies and disasters that happen in August. For the Chinese, these Hungry Ghosts need to be satisfied in order that fortune instead of bad luck will come to them.

One tradition that Chinese in Malaysia do to appease the spirits during the Hungry Ghosts Month is to prepare a lavish meal for the wandering spirits. Some say prayers to their deceased relatives and burn joss (luck) sticks. At the Chinatown district in Malaysia, the Chinese stage street operas and paper effigies of daily items are burned for the spirits to use in the afterlife.

The Chinatown in Malaysia is located at the city of Georgetown in Pulau Penang. A resort island northwest of capital Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Penang in Malaysia is a favorite destination among tourists because of its storied cultural heritage sites, beaches, and architectural gems.

Despite the supposed dangers that the Hungry Ghosts Month brings, however, there remains tourists that visit Pulau Penang and locals that instead try to counter bad luck with charms and tips from feng shui experts.

Accommodation providers in Malaysia, from budget to five-star hotels, often enjoin their guests to do certain practices meant to counter the bad luck of the Hungry Ghosts Month. When staying at a hotel in Malaysia like the Century Bay Service Suites, Chinese guests place a bowl of rock salt beside their bed. Others believed that wearing bright-hued clothing will help fend off the negative energy.

Old practices, on the other hand, include wearing sandalwood and using pomelo as incense and perfume during the Hungry Ghost Month. Nowadays, these scents are readily available in spray bottles. Charms are also believed to be effective, like ruby with Kwan Yin and cinnabar charm, dragon crystal quartz with the No. 8, and lotus with mantra dzi beads.

Instead of shutting in the house or living a normal life for the whole month of August, the Chinese in Malaysia use these charms and tips to counter the bad luck of August. A lot more are put into practice in the Chinatown district during the Hungry Ghosts Festival.

Most hotels in Malaysia, especially in this part of Pulau Penang where the Chinatown is located, practice a keen observance of the Hungry Ghosts Month. Century Bay, a hotel in Malaysia located in Georgetown, Pulau Penang, is 30 minutes away from Chinatown provide a convenient jump-off point to the annual Hungry Ghosts Festival.