What the Heck Is a "Water Ghost"?

My first encounter with the Hungry Ghosts Festival was in 1993. I was in Taiwan and had been invited to dinner at my aunt's mother-in-law's house. We sat before the table set with boiled chicken and vinegar cucumber and other delectable Taiwanese dishes and then someone mentioned these were "ghost leftovers."

"What does that mean?" The food suddenly seemed to have a suspicious cast, like it had been doused in ash (so much for being an open-minded budding anthropologist).

My mom explained that the ghosts had had time to nibble on it and now we'd eat it. I think she delighted in the look of horror on my face.

I was sixteen and old enough to know this was all symbolic, but I couldn't shake the creepy feeling that ghosts actually *had* nibbled on it, and now there might be ghost saliva on my food, or I could maybe get ghost cold sores from the Supao can.

This year, Ghost Month starts August 10. On that day, the gates to the underworld open and ghosts are free to roam among the living. The living must be careful because unhappy ghosts will try to claim their lives. Especially dangerous are the Hungry Ghosts (Lisa See's book, Peony in Love, I was surprised to find out, features a hungry ghost), who have been forgotten by their descendants. No one honors them, or puts out offerings, which is why they are hungry and looking for revenge. Which is why one had better put out a table of food and burn some incense and dead-money as protection!

Among the most dangerous of ghosts are water ghosts. They've died especially unlucky deaths and are primed for being Hungry Ghosts. During Ghost Month, it's best to stay away from bodies of water and to not swim at all, because Water Ghosts will be waiting for an unfortunate person whose life they can take.

Today, my novel WATER GHOSTS comes out in paperback. So far, these particular Water Ghosts have been good to me--but I'll be burning money for them on August 10 nonetheless.