What to Avoid Doing on the Day of the Zhongyuan Festival
1. Avoid Moving HouseIt is taboo to move house on the day of the Zhongyuan Festival, and it is also not advisable to move house throughout the entire seventh lunar month. From the first day of the seventh lunar month to the twenty-ninth day, it is traditionally known as the "Ghost Month," when the gates of the underworld are opened, allowing spirits of ancestors, teachers, relatives, and friends, as well as various karmic debts, to return to the human world to enjoy offerings. Therefore, during this time, it is best to avoid moving house, opening a business, or getting married.
2. Avoid Slapping Others' Shoulders Randomly
It is taboo to slap others' shoulders randomly on the day of the Zhongyuan Festival. According to folk beliefs, everyone has three fires on their body, gathering on their shoulders and head, which prevent ghosts from approaching. Therefore, slapping someone's shoulder randomly on the day when ghosts are most numerous might extinguish their fire, leading to trouble from the ghosts.
What Clothes to Avoid Wearing
1. Red ClothesIt is not suitable to wear red clothes on the Zhongyuan Festival because this color is said to attract ghosts. It is said that people who die wearing red clothes turn into particularly fierce spirits. Therefore, there is a folklore that people who wear this color during the Ghost Festival may be mistaken for other powerful forces or even pursued by ghost officials.
2. Black Clothes
It is also not suitable to wear black clothes on the Zhongyuan Festival, because in traditional Chinese social concepts, black is associated with bad luck and disaster. People who can see the spiritual light on others' bodies find black especially unsettling and frightening. Therefore, if on the Ghost Festival, especially at night, one wears black from head to toe, including undergarments, there is a chance of absorbing negative energy, leading to misfortune or even serious illness.
