Gen Z may be less superstitious, but they’re still not breaking these Hungry Ghost Festival rules

Don’t step on the offerings. Don’t stay out too late. And definitely don’t disturb anything left by the roadside.

For many of us who grew up in Singapore, the Hungry Ghost Festival came with a long list of warnings, often delivered by parents and grandparents without much room for negotiation.

This year, the festival runs from August 13 to September 11, marking the seventh month of the lunar calendar. During the seventh lunar month, when spirits are traditionally believed to roam among the living, suddenly everything from swimming at night to whistling after dark could earn you a warning.

But do these beliefs still hold the same weight with a younger generation?

We spoke to four Gen Zs, aged 23 to 27, about the Hungry Ghost Festival rules they grew up with and whether they still follow them today. While not everyone considers themselves particularly superstitious, one thing became pretty clear: when it comes to the seventh month, they’d rather not take their chances.

Some rules are hard to forget

If there’s one rule everyone seems to know, it’s this: don’t step on the offerings.

All four respondents brought it up, with 26-year-old Ashton saying that many of the Hungry Ghost Festival customs he knows were “quite heavily reinforced” while he was growing up.

Beyond avoiding offerings and joss sticks, he remembers being told not to stay out too late and not to disturb anything that had been placed outside.

“I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily deeply superstitious, but there’s still a certain sense of respect towards these traditions,” he says. “I think part of it is because they’ve been ingrained in us from a young age, while another part is honestly the fear of what might happen if you break them.”

It’s a sentiment shared by 23-year-old Mandy, whose mother would remind her to avoid coming home after midnight, particularly on the first day of the seventh month. She was also told to avoid stepping on grass and entering tunnels late at night.

While coming home early can be difficult “when a night out is getting a bit too fun”, Mandy says she still tries to follow the rules she grew up with.

“Since these beliefs were instilled in me from a young age, it’s a little difficult to shake them off or completely break free from that mindset as an adult,” she says. “It’s always better to be safe than sorry!”

Parents and grandparents are keeping the traditions alive

For 25-year-old Mae, many of the warnings she remembers also came directly from her family.

Her parents taught her not to step on offerings and discouraged her from staying out late during the seventh month. She also remembers being told not to turn around if someone calls out to her at night, although she points out that this was more of a general warning that became particularly emphasised during the Hungry Ghost Festival.

Then there was her grandmother’s rule: no whistling at night.

“My grandma used to scold me when I whistle at night during the ghost month, so I think that’s also a rule or tradition,” she recalls.

Unlike some of the others, Mae says she does believe in some of the superstitions, having heard stories about people becoming seriously ill after accidentally stepping on offerings and failing to apologise.

But belief isn’t the only reason she continues to observe them.

“I also follow it because my parents ask me to do it for my safety, so out of respect for them I do it,” she says.

It suggests that even as attitudes towards superstition change, following these customs can be about more than a fear of spirits. They can also be a way of respecting the people who passed them down.

Sometimes, nobody quite knows where a ‘rule’ came from

Of course, not every Hungry Ghost Festival warning comes directly from family.

Pris, 27, says some rules simply seemed intuitive to her, such as not stepping on or taking offerings. Others, including avoiding staying out late and swimming at night, were picked up from friends and colleagues.

Then there’s one particularly specific warning she remembers from university: if an odd number of people are walking together, the person in the middle is more likely to encounter a ghost.

Even Pris isn’t entirely convinced by that one.

“I don’t think that’s an actual rule,” she admits. “I was just told long ago by a random girl in university.”

It highlights how easily such beliefs can travel beyond the family home. Passed between friends, classmates and colleagues, what counts as a Hungry Ghost Festival “rule” can sometimes become mixed with broader superstitions and stories heard over the years.

Still, Pris follows the basics, including avoiding offerings and swimming at night.

“I don’t have strong personal beliefs around it, but I think it’s worth respecting, especially since it’s related to ancestors,” she says.

If these four Gen Zs are anything to go by, being less superstitious doesn’t necessarily mean leaving Hungry Ghost Festival traditions behind. Whether it comes down to genuine belief, respect for family or simply not wanting to take the risk, the warnings they grew up with clearly still linger.

They might question some of the rules and occasionally bend them, but when it comes to stepping on an offering? That seems to be one rule nobody is particularly keen to test.