The Month of the Ghosts

This year, the Ghost Month will last from August 14 to September 12. During this period, there are many taboos that are supposed to be followed.

Supposedly,  this is not an auspicious time to start a new business or make a new investment or even to decide whether or not it is advisable to join a new venture. This is also the month to avoid getting married and celebrating birthdays at night. It is said that birthdays should be celebrated only at night. This is also not a good time to move to a new residence.

For persons who are true believers, there are many other minor taboos. Do not swim because evil ghosts are looking for people to drown to find victims for them to rebirth or reincarnate. Do not hang clothes outside at night or pick up money found on the street. Do not wear red because ghosts are supposedly attracted to the color red. Do not sing or whistle because these sounds may attract ghosts.

These may all sound like superstitions. However, just like belief in feng shui, I know many people in the Philippines who follow the Ghost Month taboos. During this period, many businessmen refuse to start new ventures and investors even avoid the stock market. Inauguration of buildings are also postponed. Formal opening of restaurants and shops are also delayed. Even the purchase of major items like cars, major appliances and jewelry are considered taboo by some believers.

The festival of the Ghost Month is said to be of Buddhist origin. While  certain aspects are Buddhist, many of the visible aspects originate from Chinese folk religion predating the Buddhist era. Since the origin of Buddhism is from India, there are also aspects of Indian culture. However, over the centuries, the Ghost Month festival has become a predominantly Chinese ritual.

The Ghost Month Festival is also called the Hungry Ghost Festival. In the Chinese calendar, the festival is on the 15th night of the seventh month now commonly known as the Ghost Month. This is the month when ghosts and spirits, including deceased ancestors, are believed to come out from the lower realm.

For those truly interested in learning about the origin of the Ghost Month, I would recommend the book “Ghost Month Festival in Medieval China” by Stephen Teiser. He writes that the festival is actually part of the interaction between Chinese forms of social life and the Indian tradition of Buddhism. He narrates that the festivities of the seventh month, in the Chinese calendar, was originally the time for laypeople to present offerings to Buddhist monks to gain salvation for their ancestors. The symbolism, rituals mythology of the ghost festival actually pervaded the social landscape of medieval China.

All these stories may sound like simple folklore. However, when I hear major politicians say they will wait until the second half of September to decide who to support in the coming elections, I wonder if they  are  waiting for the results of the next survey on the popularity ranking of candidates – or are they waiting for the end of the Ghost Month before they make such a major political decision?

The Chinese Mestizo and Filipino nationality

The belief in feng shui and the Ghost Month are only two Chinese beliefs that are sometimes practiced in Philippine society. This may seem surprising to some observers considering that less than two percent of the population are of Chinese ethnicity.

Perhaps the answer to the question of the widespread belief in certain Chinese customs may be answered by a monograph recently written by Dr. Antonio S. Tan on “The Chinese Mestizos and the Formation of the Filipino Nationality.”

The Chinese mestizos were originally  the children  of the Chinese migrants during the First wave of Chinese migration  and the local Filipinas. During this first wave of migration  — 19th century and earlier – the Chinese migrants were overwhelmingly male. Interracial marriages then became the rule during this period.

In the monograph, published by KAISA,  Dr. Tan writes in the introduction: “The recorded history of the Philippines would be incomplete as a basis for understanding contemporary society unless it takes into account the Chinese mestizos’ contribution to our development as a nation.

The Chinese mestizos were an important element of Philippine society in the 19th century. They played a significant role in the formation of the Filipino middle class, in the agitation for reforms, in the 1898 revolution and in the formation of what is now known as the Filipino nationality. In contemporary times, their role in nation building continues.

Until 1740, the inhabitants of the Philippines were divided into three classes: Spaniards, Indios, and Chinese. In 1741, the whole population was reclassified for purpose of tax payment into four classes: Spaniards and Spanish mestizos, Indios, Chinese mestizos and Chinese. According to Dr. Tan, by the end of the 19th century there were already half a million Chinese mestizos. Also, by the end of the 19th century, the Chinese mestizo had become nationalistic and preferred to be called Filipinos.

Philippine history has so many heroes and leaders who were Chinese mestizos. Some of the greatest were Fathers Gomez, Burgos, Zamora; Jose Rizal and Emilio Aguinaldo. In more recent times, among the most prominent descendants of Chinese mestizos were Sergio Osmena, Jose P. Laurel, Elpidio Quirino and Ramon Magsaysay. In the judiciary there were names like Claudio Teehankee and Jose Abad Santos. In the military there was General Vicente Lim. Other names include St. Lorenzo Ruiz, Jaime Cardinal Sin,and Mother Ignacia de Espiritu Santo.

Dr. Antonio Tan also listed names of Chinese mestizos in specific localities. For example, in my hometown of Bacolod City, an 1853 baranggay record listed as Chinese mestizos the following family names: Cayetano, Villanueva, Segobia, Gonzaga, Rodriguez and Quijano.

This monograph is now available as a publication, thanks to the sponsorship of prominent Chinese Filipino business and community leader John Kaw. My own middle name is Sicangco and I know that I am also a descendant of a Chinese mestizo. It is  gratifying to be able to read that my ancestors played such an important role in the formation of the Filipino nationality.

Has war with China begun?

History records that the Second World War begun in December 1941 with the Japanese surprise raid of Pearl Harbor. However, geopolitical experts now point out that Japan actually laid the groundwork for the outbreak of hostilities years before the surprise raid by building a network of bases and expanding its military capability especially its naval fleet. Immediately after that raid, the Japanese launched an attack on the Philippines starting with the bombing of Clark Field.  Until the time of the attacks, the Japanese were still conducting peace negotiations.

China has now publicly claimed that it owns “three million square kilometers of blue water” including practically the whole West Philippine Sea. It is building bases and expanding its military and naval capability. There seems to be similarities between the period before the Pearl harbour and Clark Field attacks and the present situation. The question now is – has the war with China already begun?

Where the Write Things Are’s  Classes for Kids and Teens

Young Writers’ Hangout on  September 5 (11 am-12:30 pm) at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street. Classes are every first Saturday of the month. 

Write Away! Weekend: Getting started on your comic book on September 26 (1-4pm) with Manix Abrera at the Canadian American School Alphaland Makati Place.

For registration and fee details contact 0917-6240196 / [email protected].

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Email: [email protected]