Most of you are probably familiar with what ghost month is, but for those who have only heard the term being passed around ominously without knowing what it means, ghost month basically happens every 7th month of the lunar year. During this time, it is said that the gates of hell are opened to allow restless spirits to wander among us in search of food and entertainment, so there are understandably many rituals you have to follow to ward off the ghosts. The list of dos and don’ts is extensive, but here’s a crash course on what NOT to do during ghost month.
1. Move into a new house
Don’t be like those people in horror movies who move into a house that has a tragic backstory and wonder why it’s haunted. But during ghost month, it doesn’t matter if your new house is haunted or not. You shouldn’t be moving anywhere at all because it’s basically a way of inviting wandering ghosts to move in with you. In addition, you shouldn’t move furniture around or conduct renovations because it generates a lot of noise that attracts ghosts. If you do that, then don’t be surprised if you find things moving around on their own.
2. Hang your clothes outside at night
Given the rainy weather these past few weeks, it might be tempting to leave your clothes outside overnight to let them dry, but don’t do this during ghost month because you’re basically telling the ghosts to wear your clothes. We know you miss going to the mall and trying on clothes with your friends, but just because you can’t do that during lockdown doesn’t mean you should resort to socializing with ghosts.
3. Stay out late
Photo from My Neighbor Totoro
This is something you would hear even when it’s not ghost month. Don’t stay out too late at night to avoid bad things happening to you, but if you really have to, be sure to have a companion with you. However, during ghost month, you might always have a companion because the ghosts would happily escort you back to your home and even become your new roommate. So as much as possible, don’t stay outside after sunset.
4. Swim in large bodies of water
Photo from Pinterest
Now is not the time to be competing with ghosts for a spot in the Olympics. Vengeful spirits are said to be lurking in bodies of water during ghost month, and they will drag you down to make you their replacements so they can finally be reincarnated. It doesn’t matter how good you are at swimming, just stay away from bodies of water. The ghosts can always hold an Olympics among themselves.
5. Whistle at night
As mentioned in the previous point, ghosts are attracted to noise, so whistling is basically equivalent to holding a sign with big bold letters that say “notice me!” Why would you even be whistling at night anyway? You wouldn’t want to end up catcalling a ghost, right?
6. Wear black or red
Photo from Pinterest
Ghosts have no originality apparently. They all have the same favorite color, which is red or black, so it’s best to avoid wearing these colors to keep them from possessing you. It doesn’t matter if black and red are part of your aesthetic. It’s only for one month anyway, so let yourself loose and wear the most obnoxiously-colored clothes you can find. If the colors don’t blind the ghosts, then they would surely be too appalled by your fashion choices to come near you.
7. Take pictures at night
Photo from Stardust 2007
This pandemic has kept us from meeting up with our friends, hanging out with them, and taking selfies to commemorate our trips. You might also miss meeting new people, and the quickest way to do that now is to take pictures at night during ghost month because you might see a few unfamiliar faces. If you don’t want that, then please don’t take pictures after dark because it might trap spirits and allow them to associate with you.
8. Push through with major events
If you have any major events such as business openings, house warmings, or weddings, you might want to postpone it until ghost month is over. Pushing through with these events might result in bad luck, and let’s just say you might also end up with a few unseen party-crashers who think the event is meant for them.
