Regina Troy Barrios

Master Hanz Reveals The Surprising Foods You Should Avoid This Ghost Month

Article (news)

Ghost Month does not mean giving up pork, chicken, steak, or your favorite foods. According to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/masterhanzcua/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">feng shui master Hanz Cua</a>, the list of foods traditionally avoided during this period is much shorter than the internet might have you believe.Ghost Month 2026 begins August 13 and ends on September 10, with the Hungry Ghost Festival falling on August 27.For Filipino-Chinese families who observe the tradition—and for anyone who has ever wondered whether that plate of lechon suddenly became unlucky—Cua&#x27;s advice is surprisingly straightforward.Most ordinary foods are fine.“Any kind of food can be prepared,” Cua says.That includes pork, chicken, steak, and fruit, particularly if these were foods enjoyed by a deceased family member. If you are preparing food as an offering, he says it can be meaningful to serve something that the person loved when they were alive.The bigger concern, according to Cua, is not meat at all. It is food that may be difficult for the hungry ghosts to eat.His first category to avoid: canned food.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1786780200128pexels-magda-ehlers-pexels-35285854.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Avoid food from tins during Ghost Month, according to Master Hanz | Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels</div>Cua explains that canned food is traditionally discouraged because it is sealed and difficult to access. In the belief system, hungry ghosts may become frustrated because they cannot actually eat what has been offered.The second is more unexpected: food with hard shells, such as crabs and snails<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1786780230969Workbench Thumbnail.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Hard-shell seafood like crabs is best avoided during Ghost Month | Photo: Chang C C on Pexels.</div>The reasoning is similarly practical within the tradition: the shells make the food difficult for spirits to open and eat.So if you were planning a crab feast, perhaps save it for another time.Master Hanz Cua is a Filipino feng shui practitioner and Chinese astrology expert who has appeared on Philippine television and has studied feng shui disciplines in several Asian countries.

Master Hanz Cua reveals the surprising foods traditionally avoided during Ghost Month 2026, including canned food and hard-shell seafood, while explaining which familiar Filipino favorites remain acceptable

Master Hanz Cua reveals the surprising foods traditionally avoided during Ghost Month 2026, including canned food and hard-shell seafood, while explaining which familiar Filipino favorites remain acceptable

Master Hanz Reveals The Surprising Foods You Should Avoid This Ghost Month

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Master Hanz Reveals The Surprising Foods You Should Avoid This Ghost Month

Metro.Style

Published August 12, 2026 04:00 PM PHT

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Updated August 15, 2026 03:55 PM PHT

Read More:

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master hanz cua

filipino chinese traditions

hungry ghost festival 2026

chinese food beliefs

ghost month offerings

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