Why is the seventh month of the lunar calendar called the "Ghost Month"?
From the first to the twenty-ninth day of the seventh lunar month is the "Ghost Month" when people traditionally worship ghosts. According to Chinese tradition, the seventh month of the lunar calendar is considered the "Ghost Month". The Ghost Gate opens on the first day of July and closes on the 30th. Why is this? July is also called Qiao Yue, Gua Yue, Orchid Autumn, Zhao Qiu, New Autumn, First Autumn, Xiang Yue, Meng Qiu and Early Autumn. Come to Mr. Shui Mo's website to learn more details about the seventh month of the lunar calendar in 2020.About Ghost MonthIt is said that from the first day of the seventh lunar month, the King of Hell orders the gates of hell to be opened wide, allowing the wronged souls and evil ghosts who have suffered in hell all year round to escape, wander for a short period of time, and enjoy the blood and food of the human world. That is why people call July the Ghost Month. People believe that this month is an unlucky month and do not get married or move house. In addition to worshiping their ancestors on this night, people also prepare some dishes, wine, rice, gold and silver paper, etc. and go to the intersection to worship ghosts and gods.Taoism has the so-called Heavenly Official, Earthly Official, and Water Official, collectively known as the Three Great Emperors. Every year the Three Great Emperors inspect the good and evil in the world and report to the heaven. The birthdays of the Three Emperors are the 15th day of the first lunar month, the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, and the 15th day of the tenth lunar month respectively. These three days are also called the Three Yuan. The 15th day of the seventh month is called Zhongyuan, which is the time when the Earth Official reviews the lists and pardons sins. On this day, he would take out a thick roster and make marks on it based on the performance of the gods, mortals, and animals, and pardon sins and exempt from punishment. People hold some sacrificial activities on the day of the Ghost Festival to save the wandering ghosts, which should be related to the forgiveness of sins by the Earth God. The Earth Official is in charge of the gate to hell. From the first day of July, the Earth Official opens the gate to hell. It is also the day when hell opens. The deceased ancestors can return home for reunion, so people set up Taoist temples, put steamed buns for the wandering ghosts to eat, worship their ancestors, visit graves, and light lotus lanterns to light the way home for the deceased. The Taoist temple holds a grand ceremony to forgive sins and pray for the souls of the dead to be reincarnated. The reason behindThe Chinese tried to explain "ghosts" using the traditional theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements very early on.According to the theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, the world is material. The material world grows, develops and changes under the impetus of the two energies of Yin and Yang. The five basic substances of wood, fire, earth, metal and water are the indispensable elements that make up the world. They are mutually generated and restrained, and are in constant motion and change. According to this theory, ghosts are pure yin, corresponding to winter, cold and north, which are also yin. Yin energy is mainly water vapor. According to the theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, all things in the universe correspond to each other in kind, and pure Yin ghosts should be consistent with accumulated Yin water. During a year, the five elements go through a process of birth, prosperity, and end. Shen is the seventh month in the lunar calendar, Zi is the eleventh month in the lunar calendar, and Chen is the third month in the lunar calendar. Water vapor, which is the Yin energy, begins to emerge in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, reaches its peak in the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, and disappears in the third month of the lunar calendar. Similar to other ghosts, the activity cycle of pure yin ghosts in a year is that they become active from the seventh month of the lunar calendar to the peak in November, after which they gradually become calm and hide themselves in silence in March. Therefore, there is a saying that "March and July are the months with the most ghosts". The two major ghost festivals, Qingming and Zhongyuan, are in the third and seventh months of the lunar calendar. In the third month of the lunar calendar, water vapor, or yin energy, enters the "death" stage, and the active period of ghost activities ends here, and they all move into the Yin houses (tombs) to rest. Therefore, folk customs believe that paper money for ancestors must be delivered in time, otherwise the ancestors will be in hibernation or keep the door of their home (tomb) closed and the money will not be received. In the seventh month of the lunar calendar, water vapor, or yin energy, enters the "birth" stage, and ghosts can go out and move around again, so it is called the Ghost Gate Opening. Lighting fires on the roadside, placing lanterns in the river, and providing shoes are all to meet the needs of ghosts to go out and move around, so that they will not be unable to meet even the basic needs and commit crimes in the place where they are. Because the gate of hell has just opened, ghosts come out in droves, and there will be a situation of "ghosts running around" for a while. At this time, the ghosts are already starving because they have just experienced the torment of living in tombs during the three months of summer when their activities were restricted and they could not go out to find food. Therefore, feeding the hungry ghosts becomes a top priority. Also, since ghosts can move around freely at this time, there is no need to go to the tombs to worship ancestors. As long as the ghosts of the ancestors are "received" to the homes of descendants, the spirits of the ancestors can feast on the sacrifices and receive paper money. This is why in folk customs, people visit graves during Qingming Festival, but can offer sacrifices at home during Zhongyuan Festival. The above mentioned things like offering sacrifices and sending ghost money, so no matter which ghost month it is, the ultimate emphasis is on "not forgetting our ancestors." Therefore, Buddhism also says that July is the "filial piety month", because Qingming Festival/Zhongyuan Festival are used to worship our ancestors/family members. Especially for our generation, our ancestors experienced the tragedy/plague/hunger of World War II. We should remember the sufferings of our ancestors and live the present day with a grateful and remembrance heart. This kind of gratitude will be transformed into a kind of energy in the five elements, which can help people ward off evil spirits and avoid misfortune during the two months when water energy (ghost energy) is the strongest. From this perspective, this is the reason why our ancestors passed down to us the two festivals, Qingming Festival and Zhongyuan Festival, in these two months. Modern people are fine with the Qingming Festival, but rarely celebrate the Zhongyuan Festival. Therefore, in July, due to the changes in the five elements, it is inevitable to encounter some energy field shocks and discords. At this time, it is advisable to adopt some appropriate methods to ward off evil spirits and eliminate evil. How should we treat ghosts and the taboos of Ghost Month?During the Ghost Month, if you do not be greedy for money or lust, remain respectful, stay calm, and do not cause trouble, then you will not have any trouble. Even if you see something, don't point fingers at it, try not to point it out, just respectfully move aside.You may not believe in ghosts and gods, but try not to offend them, because whether you believe in them or not, they are there, you just haven’t had the chance to see them yet. Their compassion is limitless. |
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