On the first night of the Hungry Ghost Festival, Xiao Ming, a Chinese zombie wandered around looking for his favourite red bean bao, but in the end, he found something more.
Author / Artist : Joelle Ong
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A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR / ARTIST
"Boo Appétit is a story that shows everyone that despite looking different from one another, we can all come together and celebrate our love for food with a twist of spookiness, featuring different types of ghosts to represent the different races; JiāngShī Zombie (Chinese), Toyol (Malay) and Bhoota (Indian). It is a story that both kids and parents can enjoy." - Joelle Ong
ACTIVITIES TIME
Fun Facts about the Hungry Ghost Festival
1. The Hungry Ghost Festival, also called 'Zhong Yuan Jie 中元节', is a celebrated event in the seventh month of the Lunar (Chinese ) calendar.
2. It’s an event practiced by Taoists and Chinese Buddhists where they believe the Gates of Hell or the Ghost Gate open, letting hungry ghosts roam around freely.
3. For the Chinese, the Hungry Ghost Festival is a sacred celebration to reconnect to those we lost, with offerings of food and incense.
4. In Singapore, the Hungry Ghost Festival was already being celebrated as early as the 1800s.
5. Since Taoism and Buddhism are widely practiced in Asia, many other countries like China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka also celebrate this Festival.
Watch this video to learn more about the History of the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival.
Using the template(s) below, draw lots of delicious food to give Xiao Ming, Daya, and Arif a BIG treat!
