When the seventh lunar month comes 'round,
Hong Kong's backstreets fill with stands
selling offerings for the Festival of Hungry Ghosts.
Errant spirits are wandering the streets,
and they must be fed.
And entertained.
But apparently, what the ghosts are most partial to
is traditional Chinese opera.
Humans, especially older ones,
are also fans.
And they're hungry too.
They know the coming performance is five hours long.
The actors are already hard at work.
Makeup is an essential part of the show.
In fact it’s something of a secret cheat-sheet.
To help you understand what's going on.
The colors symbolize the characters' health,
emotional state,
and sometimes, their fate.
Every detail matters.
Even the shape of the eyebrows is layered with meaning.
Headgear and clothing tells you age,
social status,
and most importantly, the character’s marital situation.
And beards can get really complicated.
Both audience and actors pay homage to the ghosts and ancestors,
and the play begins.
There are two kinds of Cantonese opera.
martial,
with lots of warriors and battle scenes,
and scholarly,
more focused on poetry and elegance.
Everything is choreographed:
how you wave your sleeves around,
walk,
hold your hands,
and laugh.
Aspiring actors start around age 10
and take decades to master their roles.
But if you want to run the show,
don't be the hero.
Learn to play the drums instead.
Actors move and sing on beat.
Percussion even indicates a change of mood.
Or a horse that isn’t there.
It’s a heavy responsibility.
The ghosts are pleased,
and will return peacefully to their spirit world.
And the actors have a year to recover.
And choose their next play.