Why do we burn paper money during the Ghost Festival? When is the best time to start burning paper money?
On the day of the Ghost Festival, many people will burn some paper money to commemorate their deceased relatives. Speaking of burning paper, it is very particular among the people. So why do people burn paper money on the Ghost Festival? When is the best time to start burning paper money? Let’s take a look at the following content!Why do we burn paper money during the Ghost Festival?It is a long-standing traditional custom. According to Volume 9 of Gao Cheng's "Shiwu Jiyuan", "Since the Han Dynasty, people have buried money at all funerals." There is also a record about paper money in "Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Cruel Officials": "Some people stole the buried money in Emperor Xiaowen's Garden." From this we can know that the custom of paper money existed as early as the Han Dynasty.According to legend, after Cai Lun of the Eastern Han Dynasty improved the papermaking technique, his business flourished and he made a lot of money. His brother Cai Mo and sister-in-law Hui Niang were very envious when they saw this. Hui Niang asked Cai Mo to learn papermaking from Cai Lun. But Cai Mo lacked perseverance, and he hastily opened a papermaking shop before he had mastered the skills. As a result, the paper they produced was of poor quality and no one was interested in it. The couple was left worried about the room full of paper. Finally, Hui Niang came up with a clever plan and whispered it to Cai Mo. That night, the neighbors suddenly heard loud crying coming from Cai Mo's house. When everyone rushed over to ask, they found out that Hui Niang had died suddenly last night. The next morning, Cai Mo cried bitterly in front of Hui Niang's coffin in front of his neighbors. Crying and burning paper. As the fire was burning, I suddenly heard a noise coming from the coffin. After a while, Hui Niang's voice was heard again, "Open the door, open the door quickly, I'm back." Everyone was stunned, and finally they mustered up the courage to open the coffin lid. Hui Niang jumped out and told her neighbors that after her death she went to the underworld, where the King of Hell made her suffer by turning a millstone. Because Cai Mo burned a lot of paper money for her, the little ghosts all vied to turn the mill for her. She gave the money to the King of Hell again, and he let her go. Cai Mo deliberately asked, "Didn't I give you any money?" Hui Niang pointed to the burning fire and said, "That's money! Paper is used as money in the underworld." When Cai Mo heard this, he immediately went to get two large bundles of paper to burn, saying that it would make his parents in the underworld suffer less. When the neighbors saw this, they realized that paper money was so useful, so they all paid money to buy the paper made by Cai Mo. After the news spread, within a few days, all of Cai Mo's paper was sold out. Whenever there was a funeral, people would buy the paper made by Cai Xin. Later, this kind of paper was also called "paper money". Because it was mostly used in the Mid-Autumn Festival to worship ancestors, it was also called "burning paper money". What are the rules for burning paper money during the Zhongyuan Festival?The amount of paper money burned is not important, what matters most is the number of coins printed on the paper money. The Chinese character "money" is composed of three characters "jin ge ge", so the amount of money on the paper money should also be calculated using "gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin". One is gold, two is silver, three is copper, four is iron, five is tin, six is gold, seven is silver, eight is copper, nine is iron, ten is tin, and ten is gold. "Seven gods and eight ghosts". - Generally, when you pray to God, fulfill a vow, relieve disasters, celebrate festivals, or burn old blessing paper, it is best to use paper with six holes (six coins) or ten holes (ten coins). It is best to use seven eyes (seven coins in a row) when offering sacrifices to gods or making fasts for spirits. Send a flower plate to ghosts, burn it for seven and a half minutes, and it is best to use one with eight holes (eight coins) in a row. When burning paper, if it does not burn, do not scatter the paper money in disorder, otherwise it will be difficult for ghosts and gods to align them all, and they will come to claim the paper money. This will make the family of the person who burned the paper money uneasy.How to burn paper money during the Ghost Festival1. Use paper bags: If you use paper bags to burn paper money, first write the recipient's address on the paper bag, and then write the ancestor's name, such as "relative XXX's name", so that your ancestors and relatives can receive it directly.2. Use the ordinary method of burning paper money: Generally, paper money is burned directly. When burning paper money, you should first recite the name of your relatives, and the ancestors or relatives will also receive it. 3. Believe and it will work: As long as your heart is sincere, your relatives will naturally accept the paper money you burn. 4. Give alms to wild ghosts: When preparing to burn paper money, first give some paper money to the wandering ghosts. This is called giving alms of wealth. Because those wandering ghosts are also living beings, and they are homeless, their lives are helpless, and they also need money. If you don't give these wild ghosts some money, some of them will come and steal the paper money of your relatives. |
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