Which month and day of the lunar calendar is the Lower Yuan Festival? What are the customs of the Lower Yuan Festival?

Which month and day of the lunar calendar is the Lower Yuan Festival? What are the customs of the Lower Yuan Festival?
The Lower Yuan Festival is a festival for sacrificial offerings, and there are also the Upper Yuan Festival and the Zhongyuan Festival. So which month and day of the lunar calendar is the Lower Yuan Festival? What are the customs of the Lower Yuan Festival? Let’s take a look at the following content!

Which month and day of the lunar calendar is the Lower Yuan Festival?

The Lower Yuan Festival in 2021 is on the 15th day of the 10th lunar month, which is Friday, November 19, 2021 in the Gregorian calendar, the day of Xinwei in the month of Ji Hai in the Year of the Ox.
The Lower Yuan Festival is on the 15th day of the 10th lunar month every year. It is one of the traditional folk festivals, as famous as the Upper Yuan Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month and the Zhongyuan Festival on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. The main purpose of the Lower Yuan Festival is to worship ancestors and pray for blessings and relief from disasters. Its origin is related to Taoism.

What to do during the Lower Yuan Festival?

① Activities such as burning "gold and silver packages" to worship the souls of ancestors: Folks fold red and green paper into fairy clothes, fold tin foil into silver ingots, put them into a bag covered with white paper, write "A seal of underworld treasure and a piece of colorful clothes presented to so-and-so for acceptance" on the front, and "A hundred bows from so-and-so, descendants" on the bottom, and write "Sincerely sealed on a certain year, month, and day" on the back. It is commonly known as "gold and silver package" and burned after bowing and worshiping. In addition, there are other common activities of ancestor worship.
②Related activities in Taoist special places: On this day, Taoist temples hold ceremonies to help people get rid of their troubles and difficulties. People go to Taoist temples to watch and worship the Lower Yuan Water Official and their ancestors in the temples.
③ Sacrifice to Yu: On the birthday of Yu, the God of Water, there are often sacrificial activities in Yu temples and other Yu memorial sites in various places.
④Food customs such as making glutinous rice cakes: On this day, people make glutinous rice cakes at home and give them to relatives and friends, and steam hemp-fried buns.
⑤ Worship the Water God of Xiayuan Festival at home: Every time the Xiayuan Festival comes, the Water God descends to the mortal world to inspect the good and evil in the world and relieve people of disasters. Every household lights up for three nights, hangs a pair of lanterns in the main hall, and offers fish, meat, fruit, etc. under the lights.
⑥ Outdoor activities such as "water color": water is related to "water official", and color means rich colors. Generally, they make colorful boats and parade them in the river. This is how the water got its name.

Is the Lower Yuan Festival the Ghost Festival?

Strictly speaking, the Lower Yuan Festival is not the Ghost Festival, but the Zhongyuan Festival is. The Zhongyuan Festival, Qingming Festival and Cold Clothes Festival are collectively known as the three major traditional Chinese ghost festivals.
Although both the Xiayuan Festival and the Zhongyuan Festival are festivals for sacrificial offerings, there are still differences between them. The Ghost Festival is mainly for honoring deceased ancestors, such as relatives, friends, and family members. It is also said to be the day when the gates of hell open. However, the Lower Yuan Festival is mainly for offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors. The main sacrifices are to ancestors and the water god to relieve disasters, and prayers for agricultural production are incorporated into it. It is an agricultural festival.

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