Reciting or sharing ghost stories is believed to bring bad luck or attract misfortune.

Why Telling Ghost Stories Is Considered Bad Luck

Details

In many cultures, especially in East and Southeast Asia, it is believed that telling ghost stories—especially at night or in graveyards—can attract malevolent spirits. It is thought that invoking the memory or imagery of the dead through stories may disturb their rest or summon them unintentionally. During sensitive times of the year, such as the Ghost Festival in China or Obon in Japan, recounting tales about spirits is avoided out of respect and fear. In some communities, ghost stories are only told in controlled, ritualistic settings to minimize harm. Key beliefs include:

– Never tell a ghost story in the dark, especially at midnight.
– Avoid ghost storytelling during important festivals for the dead.
– Wash after telling ghost stories to cleanse spiritual residue.

Practitioners believe this helps avoid spiritual disturbances and misfortune.

Historical Context

The belief likely stems from traditional funerary and ancestor-worship practices, especially in Buddhist and Taoist cultures. In ancient China, the idea of disrupting the peace of the dead was taboo, and calling attention to ghosts was seen as a spiritual provocation. Similarly, in Japan’s Edo period, ghost stories (kaidan) were popular evening entertainment but were linked with misfortune when told outside accepted occasions. These fears reflected a larger spiritual worldview where the boundary between the living and spirit worlds was porous. Invoking ghosts was not seen as harmless entertainment, but rather as a potential gateway to spiritual imbalance.

Modern Relevance

In modern times, ghost stories remain a popular form of entertainment, especially around Halloween or in horror fiction and films. However, in some Asian societies such as Japan, South Korea, and rural parts of China and Thailand, taboos against telling ghost stories late at night or in certain places still persist. The superstition is often passed down within families and remains especially strong among older generations. Some younger people regard the belief as outdated, while others continue to follow it out of cultural respect. On social media, ‘do-not-summon’ warnings are still occasionally shared with scary stories or paranormal videos.

Sources

Tanaka, Fumiko. Ghosts and Spirits in Japanese Culture. University of Tokyo Press, 2007.

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