Empty seats for the hungry ghosts: a month for the forgotten dead
An article on the Hungry Ghost Festival in East and South-East Asia (its Buddhist and Taoist roots, offerings, getai shows with an empty front row, and its cautions) and why it is not simply an 'Asian Halloween'; students read for detail and argument.
C1Adults55 minArticle
About this lesson
A C1 reading lesson (article). Graded texts with key words, comprehension questions and printable versions.
- Level
- C1
- Skill
- Reading
- Type
- Article
- Students
- Adults
- Time
- About 55 minutes
- Topic
- Halloween
- Activities
- Key words, Speaking / writing task, Reading text, Multiple choice, True / False, Gap-fill
- Key words
- lunar calendar, underworld, descendants, offering, joss paper, obligation, merit
- Access
- Premium
By the end, students can
- Read a cultural article for detail, inference and the writer's argument
- Use advanced vocabulary from the text: neglected, elaborate, albeit, courtesy
- Compare festivals of the dead and write about one from your own culture