As hozuki is written '鬼灯' (ogre's light) in kanji characters, it is offered on the Shoryodana (shelf placed ancestral tablet and altarage in the Obon festival) as a symbol of lights leading ancestors' souls (one of the meaning of '鬼' [ogre]) safely back to their home.
ほおずきは漢字で「鬼灯」と書き、先祖の霊（「鬼」の字義のひとつ）が迷わず帰ってこられるように導く灯りの象徴として、精霊棚に供えられる。