22 AUGUST 2017 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Women look at a prayer scroll during a ceremony on the first day of Hungry Ghost Month at the Poh Teck Tung Shrine in Bangkok's Chinatown. The seventh lunar month (August - September) is when many Chinese believe Hell’s gate will open to allow spirits to roam freely in the human world. Many households and temples hold prayer ceremonies throughout the month-long Hungry Ghost Festival (Phor Thor) to appease the spirits. During the festival, believers will also worship the Tai Su Yeah (King of Hades) in the form of paper effigies which will be “sent back” to hell after the effigies are burnt. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ