PRAYING FOR THE “UNCLAIMED SOULS

Why the need to:

Believer believe that after a person passed on, his soul still exists. However, some souls are “trap” in-between the netherworld and human world as no one pay respect to these souls. Thus, they will become “unclaimed souls”.

A person may have unintentionally offended these souls, (example accidentally kicked on an urn, stepped on prayers offering, etc.) resulting the person to fall sick.

Hence, believer will need to engage a Taoist priest to conduct ritual to give offering to these souls to appease their anger and to send them to the netherworld.

During the Chinese 7th Month festival, some believers will engage Taoist priest to conduct ritual for these “unclaimed souls” to enable them to enter into reincarnation. This is also one of the rituals that the Chinese place great importance to.

Video- Ritual conduct during the Hungry Ghost Festival.

普济孤幽

为何需要：

信徒相信，在一个人去世后，他的灵魂仍然存在。然而，有些灵魂因为没有后人拜祭，因此只能逗留在地狱与人类世界之间。他们将成为无人拜祭的“孤魂野鬼”，无法进入轮回。

当一个人无意中冒犯了这些“孤魂野鬼”(例如不小心踢了一个香炉或踩到拜祭品等等)，就会导致这个人生病。

因此，信徒需要聘请一位道长来进行普济孤幽仪式，向这些“孤魂野鬼”献祭，以平息他们的愤怒并将他们送到地狱世界。

在农历七月节期间，有些信徒会礼请道长为这些“无人认领的孤魂野鬼”进行普济孤幽仪式，让他们能够进入轮回，投胎转世。这也是中国人非常重视的仪式之一。