Why did the Zhongyuan Festival become the Ghost Festival? What are the customs?
The Zhongyuan Festival is known as one of the four major traditional Chinese festivals for ancestor worship, along with New Year's Eve, Qingming Festival and Double Ninth Festival. The Zhongyuan Festival is generally regarded as a ghost festival and is labeled as feudal and superstitious. This undoubtedly creates an illusion that many young people think that the Zhongyuan Festival is a superstition of their elders. In fact, this is not the case. The Ghost Festival is the embodiment of China's traditional filial piety culture and carries thousands of years of Chinese culture and spirit. So why did the Ghost Festival become the Ghost Festival? What are the customs? The seventh month of the lunar calendar is the beginning of the second half of the year. How auspicious or inauspicious will the days of the seventh month of the lunar calendar be in 2020? Shui Mo Xiansheng website has prepared relevant articles for you, come and have a look.Why did the Zhongyuan Festival become the Ghost Festival?This day in Buddhism was originally just a day for monks to indulge themselves and a day for the Buddha to be happy. The Taoist Zhongyuan Festival is also the day when the Earth God forgives sins and has nothing to do with ghosts. Only the folk beliefs of worshipping the dead and ancestors can be slightly related to ghosts. Because the Earth God pardons sins and people worship their ancestors, and because it is believed that most people do not turn into ghosts after death, since the Earth God pardons sins on this day, then their ancestors are probably ghosts and are pardoned on this day. Of course, no one would admit that their ancestors would become ghosts.Subsequently, the pantheon was perfected and the three realms were established, namely the system of gods in heaven, the system of mortal immortals on earth, and the system of ghosts and immortals in the underground palace. If a person does not become a god after death, he will become a ghost. If he has done evil and committed sins that cannot be reincarnated, and happens to meet the Earth Official who forgives his sins during the Zhongyuan Festival, then he will be released from the underworld on that day. To ordinary people, the Earth Official is the chief official of the underworld. Since sins are pardoned on this day, then if any of their ancestors have committed sins, they will be pardoned on this day. Their descendants on earth will then offer sacrifices to their ancestors on this day, hoping to comfort the dead souls and free them from suffering as soon as possible. Although no one admits that their ancestors were unforgivable, there is still the possibility that if someone accidentally made a mistake and was sent to hell and could not be reborn, would their descendants offer sacrifices to them? Wouldn't that mean you're just a wandering ghost? Over time, this originally good wish became a custom, and the Zhongyuan Festival, which had nothing to do with ghosts, gradually became the Zhongyuan Festival, which is to save the souls of the dead. What are the customs of the Ghost Festival?】Ancestor worship <br /> According to Chinese customs, the Zhongyuan Festival is the most important festival in a year to commemorate the dead. When there is a recent death in the family, the grief is still deep, especially for the closest relatives and friends. Offerings should be prepared on July 15th of the first year after the death of the deceased and sent to the deceased's home as a sign of mourning.】Release river lanterns <br /> River lanterns are also called "lotus lanterns". On the evening of the 15th day of the seventh lunar month every year, people make lanterns and release them into the water. Legend has it that these lanterns can guide the souls of the unjustly killed. 】Burning paper <br /> During festivals, the most prominent folk belief of the Han nationality is burning paper. According to superstitious legends, paper in the world of the living is money in the underworld, and people burn paper to send money to their deceased ancestors and relatives. Usually when burning paper at the grave, people would leave a few sheets and burn them at the crossroads. The purpose was to give some alms to the wild ghosts that could return to their homes, so that they would not rob the money given to their ancestors. |
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