Hungry Ghost Festival, Gates of Hell & Getai

I read from the newspaper today that there was a marathon 14-hour $20,000 Getai in Pandan Crescent from this morning. Wow! can you believe it? But, it's true.
According to Chinese folklore, on the first day of the lunar seventh month that falls on July 25 this year, the gates of hell open and spirits are released into the land of the living. This year, the festival is exceptionally longer – 2 seventh months comprising of the regular seventh month from July 25 to Aug 23 and the leap seventh month from Aug 24 to Sep 21. However, it is believed that the gates of hell only open in the first seventh month.
[ Believe it or not? See results of the recent investigations on the gates of hell by Singapore Paranormal Investigators on their web www.spi.com.sg I read from the media that near midnight, some investigators reported the presence of many spirits emerging from what seemed like doors in the air. Unidentified howling was also heard,… ]
During this period, believers would offer prayers and burn hell money and incense papers for the spirits. Taoists believe that the 15th day of the seventh month is the birthday of the Earth Deity, Ti Kuan Ta-ti, the Taoist deity with the power to pardon human sins.
Interestingly, according to the Buddhist Sanskrit legend, Mu Lian, one of Buddha’s disciples, started offering food to monks in order to save his dead mother from suffering in hell. Unlike Taoists, Buddhists do not burn incense papers and observe the virtue of filial piety inspired by Mu Lian on the auspicious 15th day of the seventh lunar month known as the Ullambana Festival.
In Singapore, Seventh Month festivities are organised by clans, businesses and groups of residents. Beside the prayers and rituals, it is customary to stage performances to entertain the visiting spirits. These days, Getai is the preferred entertainment – a raucous makeshift concert. These Getai (Mandarin words, meaning song stage) pop out all over Singapore during the festival. These 3-hour concerts are permitted from 7.30 p.m. to 10.30. According to the police, around 300 such permits have been granted so far. In good times, the figure can be as high as 1000 getai shows a year.
In Singapore, the religious beliefs have merged with folklore to create a uniquely Singapore experience with its own urban legends and rituals. Mothers would warn children to refrain from swimming and avoid late nights. It is also inauspicious to hold weddings and buy properties. These seventh month rituals are also observed in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and other Asian cities. However, the getai show is uniquely Singaporeans.