The Chinese give offerings to ghosts every seventh month of the lunar calendar to seek general well-being. This type of activity, which originates from Chinese folk customs, is known as “Hungry Ghost Festival” in Singapore. Activities for the Hungry Ghost Festival is extremely common in Singapore because of the significant role played by groups that organise such activities (中元会). These groups can be found everywhere in Singapore, and fall into four categories:
- Groups comprising merchants in shopping malls or neighbourhood centres;
- Groups comprising stall owners in wet markets or hawker centres;
- Groups comprising factory workers;
- Groups comprising residents of housing estates or streets.