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Fed and clothed — According to tradition, Guan Yin makes sure all spirits have something to eat and wear. COURTESY STELLA KO  Purity and long life — Many traditional papers are printed with lotus leaves symbolizing purity and bamboo, representing long life. courtesy stella ko  Hungry Ghost Festival — Once a year many people in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia shop for elaborate paper creations that will be burned as offering for ancestors during the annual Hungry Ghost festival. courtesy stella ko  Respect for the dead — The Hungry Ghost Festival is held on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month -- in 2016 that's August 17 -- to pay respect to the spirits of the dead. courtesy stella ko  Burning incense — People burn papers and incense and leave food on the street to feed the spirits. Stella Ko  Luxury items — Popular items to burn in recent years include paper iPhones, houses, luxury bags, and accessories. courtesy stella ko  Cars and beer — From paper Lamborghinis to beer six packs, there's seemingly no limit to what people burn for the deceased. Courtesy Stella Ko  Made in China — All the Hungry Ghost-related products for sale in Hong Kong are made in factories in China. COURTESY STELLA KO  Hungry Ghost Festival Items, Hong Kong — In Hong Kong, delicious-looking sets of dim sum in bamboo baskets can also be found -- of course, they're made entirely out of paper. COURTESY STELLA KO  Hungry Ghost roasts — Or how about a paper roasted chicken? courtesy stella ko  Good fortune — Many people believe their ancestors and wandering spirits will bring their family good fortune if they burn gifts for them. courtesy stella ko  Incense and candles — Besides incense, people also burn candles to help the spirits find their way back to where they belong. COURTESY STELLA KO  Clothing — People usually burn clothes for their ancestors. Colorful papers symbolize cloth. courtesy stella ko  Old money — Many people burn fake money -- including representations of vintage notes no longer in circulation. Courtesy Stella Ko  'Hell' banknotes — Among more curious offerings are "hell" banknotes. These have no connection with Western notions of Hell, but simply represent offerings of money. courtesy stella ko  Goddess of generosity — Offerings burned in the street usually include an image of Guan Yin, the Chinese goddess of generosity. courtesy stella ko  Fed and clothed — According to tradition, Guan Yin makes sure all spirits have something to eat and wear. COURTESY STELLA KO  Purity and long life — Many traditional papers are printed with lotus leaves symbolizing purity and bamboo, representing long life. courtesy stella ko  Hungry Ghost Festival — Once a year many people in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia shop for elaborate paper creations that will be burned as offering for ancestors during the annual Hungry Ghost festival. courtesy stella ko  Respect for the dead — The Hungry Ghost Festival is held on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month -- in 2016 that's August 17 -- to pay respect to the spirits of the dead. courtesy stella ko ##### Hungry Ghost Festival gift guide 1 of 16 Prev Next Hong Kong CNN — What do you feed a hungry ghost? If you live in parts of Asia, dim sum, noodles and even iPhones – all carefully constructed from paper – may do the trick. Ad Feedback The [Hungry Ghost Festival](http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/see-do/events-festivals/chinese-festivals/the-hungry-ghost-festival.jsp), a month-long ancient tradition that pays respect to the spirits of the dead, is celebrated across many parts of Chinese Asia on the seventh month of the lunar calendar. Ad Feedback During the festival, ghosts are believed to return to Earth to haunt the living and people burn paper money and food – as well as incense – to pay respect to their ancestors and soothe wandering spirits. Throughout the month, many communities host celebrations, hand out rice to people in need and stage traditional Chinese operas on temporary bamboo stages for people – both the living and the dead – to enjoy. The underworld celebration reaches its peak with the Yu Lan Ji festival held in many parts of China, Singapore and Malaysia on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month – in 2016 that’s August 17.  Houses, cars and other luxury items are increasingly popular offerings. COURTESY STELLA KO On this night, the ghosts that have been roaming the Earth for two weeks are believed to be hungry, so people burn food, money and even luxury goods to make sure their ancestors, and any lonely spirits without a family, are cared for. These paper items are often beautifully presented and constructed in minute detail. Bowls of individual dim sum, crafted from paper of course, are carefully garnished and presented with accompaniments. Luxury goods like iPhones, houses, designer handbags and flashy cars have also become increasingly popular in recent years. [Hong Kong: Insider Travel Guide](http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/29/travel/insider-guide-hong-kong/index.html) CNN spoke to a [Hong Kong](http://www.cnn.com/travel/destinations/hong-kong) resident to find out what the event means to him. Calvin Wong, a university professor, has been celebrating the Hungry Ghost Festival since childhood. **CNN: What are you buying?** I’m buying luxury handbags. I also bought some smartphones, jewelry, and iPhones. **Who are the items for?** They’re for my ancestors – parents – sorry, I mean for my grandparents. My parents are alive. **Can you explain the symbolism behind some of these items?** The lotus means purity, and bamboo means long life. Some of these Chinese objects mean good fortune, and the birds are for longevity as well. They are both for the deceased and for living people. These airplanes, houses, yacht, iPhones are all recent trends. I didn’t have these when I was young. **What do you do during this month of the festival? What other traditions do you practice?** Well, we burn incense on the street. And there are basically two reasons: For the ancestors who passed away, and also for anonymous spirits who had no siblings or children. That’s why Chinese people burn things for them to give comfort to the wandering spirits.  For many in Hong Kong, it's about keeping old traditions alive. courtesy stella ko In my family, we also get fresh leaves, like Lotus leaves, to wash our body to purify ourselves after visiting spiritual ceremonies and funerals. We don’t want those wandering spirits to follow us back home. **What’s the meaning of this festival? What traditions are usually practiced? What’s your earliest memory?** The first reason \[we celebrate this festival\] is to pay respect to the ancestors and another reason is to provide charity for wandering spirits. I guess I’ve been doing this since I was a child, 5 to 6 years old. I used to do this with my grandparents. They passed away 10 years ago. There are lots of interesting memories about the Hungry Ghost Festival. For example, I remember going to see lots of Chinese operas and they usually serve free congee \[a type of rice porridge\] and fruit as charity. And my parents used to buy candies for me. You are actually supposed to leave the first row empty on the first night of the opera performance because that’s for the ghosts. **What would you like in the afterlife?** A pint of beer would be nice. And they really should burn me a bank. The entire bank. HSBC headquarters would be wonderful\! 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##### Hungry Ghost Festival gift guide 1 of 16 Hong Kong CNN — What do you feed a hungry ghost? If you live in parts of Asia, dim sum, noodles and even iPhones – all carefully constructed from paper – may do the trick. Ad Feedback The [Hungry Ghost Festival](http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/see-do/events-festivals/chinese-festivals/the-hungry-ghost-festival.jsp), a month-long ancient tradition that pays respect to the spirits of the dead, is celebrated across many parts of Chinese Asia on the seventh month of the lunar calendar. Ad Feedback During the festival, ghosts are believed to return to Earth to haunt the living and people burn paper money and food – as well as incense – to pay respect to their ancestors and soothe wandering spirits. Throughout the month, many communities host celebrations, hand out rice to people in need and stage traditional Chinese operas on temporary bamboo stages for people – both the living and the dead – to enjoy. The underworld celebration reaches its peak with the Yu Lan Ji festival held in many parts of China, Singapore and Malaysia on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month – in 2016 that’s August 17. On this night, the ghosts that have been roaming the Earth for two weeks are believed to be hungry, so people burn food, money and even luxury goods to make sure their ancestors, and any lonely spirits without a family, are cared for. These paper items are often beautifully presented and constructed in minute detail. Bowls of individual dim sum, crafted from paper of course, are carefully garnished and presented with accompaniments. Luxury goods like iPhones, houses, designer handbags and flashy cars have also become increasingly popular in recent years. [Hong Kong: Insider Travel Guide](http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/29/travel/insider-guide-hong-kong/index.html) CNN spoke to a [Hong Kong](http://www.cnn.com/travel/destinations/hong-kong) resident to find out what the event means to him. Calvin Wong, a university professor, has been celebrating the Hungry Ghost Festival since childhood. **CNN: What are you buying?** I’m buying luxury handbags. I also bought some smartphones, jewelry, and iPhones. **Who are the items for?** They’re for my ancestors – parents – sorry, I mean for my grandparents. My parents are alive. **Can you explain the symbolism behind some of these items?** The lotus means purity, and bamboo means long life. Some of these Chinese objects mean good fortune, and the birds are for longevity as well. They are both for the deceased and for living people. These airplanes, houses, yacht, iPhones are all recent trends. I didn’t have these when I was young. **What do you do during this month of the festival? What other traditions do you practice?** Well, we burn incense on the street. And there are basically two reasons: For the ancestors who passed away, and also for anonymous spirits who had no siblings or children. That’s why Chinese people burn things for them to give comfort to the wandering spirits. In my family, we also get fresh leaves, like Lotus leaves, to wash our body to purify ourselves after visiting spiritual ceremonies and funerals. We don’t want those wandering spirits to follow us back home. **What’s the meaning of this festival? What traditions are usually practiced? What’s your earliest memory?** The first reason \[we celebrate this festival\] is to pay respect to the ancestors and another reason is to provide charity for wandering spirits. I guess I’ve been doing this since I was a child, 5 to 6 years old. I used to do this with my grandparents. They passed away 10 years ago. There are lots of interesting memories about the Hungry Ghost Festival. For example, I remember going to see lots of Chinese operas and they usually serve free congee \[a type of rice porridge\] and fruit as charity. And my parents used to buy candies for me. You are actually supposed to leave the first row empty on the first night of the opera performance because that’s for the ghosts. **What would you like in the afterlife?** A pint of beer would be nice. And they really should burn me a bank. The entire bank. HSBC headquarters would be wonderful\! [Hong Kong’s best dim sum: How to yum cha like a Cantonese](http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/05/foodanddrink/best-hong-kong-dim-sum/) [How to be a Hong Kong local: 10 tips](http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/30/travel/10-tips-hong-kong-local/index.html)