on another lunar 7th month...

well, the chinese lunar calender this year have 13 months in it. The additional month (or intercalary month) is called 閏月 (rùnyuè in Pinyin). Throughout the years, this additional month follows the same month preceding it. So during these times, we may have 2 Januarys, followed by the rest of the calender year in order; or January, followed by 2 February-s, and the rest of the year etc etc. Apparently got order one, but not sure how it works.

anyway, after that long introduction, as I was saying, this year got 13 months. And the intercalary month this year is the 7th lunar month. Now for those of us Chinese practicing Taoism, we believe during this 7th month, the gates of hell will let loose and all the spirits of those deceased will come back to the mortal world and roam around. Sort of an R&R vacation, if you would. So as dutiful progeny and hospitable hosts, we gotta appease our ancestors/friends/enemies by offering food and burnt money to them. Yesh it don't make sense when you put it down in writing, but a lot of things in this world don't, so lets not get started shall we?

As a Christian, I no longer have to follow such customs. Still, I do get affected by it. How not to, when all the smoke from the burnt paper offerings drifts up from the ground floor to my flat at the 11th storey? when walking along the road, you see black ashes floating everywhere? Well, I guess just have to live with it for another 30 days. Plus point is you get to celebrate Chinese Valentine again...  Apart from that, I'm not into the "ge tai" and the ashes, really...

More info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_calendar

http://www.lunarcal.org/index.html