Month of the Hungry Ghost
Many Taoist Chinese believe that in the 7th lunar month the gates of hell open allowing the spirits of the dead to roam around the earth with the living. Some of these spirits are good but many have malicious intent and must be appeased.
You can see burn bins like this all over the city. I watched this group burn a paper replica of a 24 pack of Chinese beer and millions of dollars of paper money!
During the month of the hungry ghost people make offerings of food and burnt prayer money to the souls of the dead to appease them. They also burn paper replicas of cars, houses and even iPhones.
"Hell money" which are fakes bills with lucky serial numbers are burnt in such huge quantities that burn bins have been set up all over Singapore to contain the blaze.
"Hell money" which are fakes bills with lucky serial numbers are burnt in such huge quantities that burn bins have been set up all over Singapore to contain the blaze. 
The month of the hungry ghost is in general a bad time to do anything. Many Singaporeans avoid any significant milestones during this time believing that it will bring bad luck. People also avoid flying in planes, buying property, moving, and getting married. Swimming is also avoided and many children are told that the hungry ghost will pull them under so they will have a soul to take their place in hell. Maybe that's why Kingsley and I were the only one's in the pool this last weekend...
You can see burn bins like this all over the city. I watched this group burn a paper replica of a 24 pack of Chinese beer and millions of dollars of paper money!The video shows a good overview of the festival.
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Living in Singapore
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