Why do we burn dumplings during the Ghost Festival? What are the customs behind it?
Legend has it that every year on the Ghost Festival the gates of hell will open and all the ghosts will come out from the underworld, so people often burn dumplings. So, why do we burn dumplings during the Ghost Festival? What are the customs behind burning dumplings? The seventh month of the lunar calendar is the beginning of the second half of the year, so we also call it the first autumn. To find out what the seventh lunar month of 2019 will be like, come to Shuimoxiansheng.com to find out!Why do we burn dumplings during the Zhongyuan Festival?A package, also called a bundle, is made by dividing paper money into stacks about one centimeter thick and wrapping them in a cover.Yuan Mei's "Xin Qixie·Shao Bao" said: "On the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, the Cantonese people often wrap paper money and burn it, which is called Shao Bao, and they worship their ancestors." The 15th day of the seventh lunar month every year is Japan's "Obon Festival", also known as the "Nakagatsu Festival" (in a certain sense, the Nakagatsu Festival belongs to Taoism, and the Obon Festival belongs to Buddhism). In some places it is commonly known as the "Ghost Festival", "Shigu Festival", also known as the Dead Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. "Ghost Festival", commonly known as "Mid-July" (in some areas it is the 13th or 14th). It is said that the deceased ancestors are released by the King of Hell for half a month at the beginning of July, so there is a custom of welcoming the ancestors at the beginning of July and sending them off at the middle of July. When sending off the ancestors, a lot of paper money and other ghostly offerings are burned so that the "ancestors can enjoy them". At the same time, money and paper are put into a paper envelope with the name of the beneficiary written on it and burned during the sacrifice, which is called "burning the envelope". For those who passed away within this year, new dumplings are burned with great fanfare; for those who passed away more than a year ago, old dumplings are burned. What are the requirements for eating Shao Bao?1. BalingThe first step in burning packages is to bundle them, that is, to put two written packages into one load and tie them up with string for shipment. 2. Feed the Horse Feeding the horses means feeding the paper horses that undertake the consignment task, that is, finding some food, grass and water and putting them in the place where the horses are piled so that they can eat enough; 3. Provide grooms To offer food to horsemen is to invite the paper figures who drive the horses to a meal and burn paper money for them as driving expenses. 4. Get on the pack To put on the pack is to lift the bundle onto the horse's back, which is actually to put the paper horse clip between two bundles. 5. Draw the Shao Bao Circle Draw a circle for burning dumplings, that is, use white lime to draw a circle with an exit at the place where you plan to burn dumplings (usually in the courtyard at the entrance), with a diameter of about one meter, and the exit facing the main road; 6. Light incense sticks Inserting guide incense means burning a bunch of incense sticks along the way from the exit of the circle to the main road, inserting a stick of incense every 2-3 meters to act as a street lamp to guide the horse team to set off; 7. Bag making Building bags means piling the bags to be burned in the burning bag circle into a shape with a certain space (usually a hollow tower shape) for combustion and incineration. 8. Shao Bao Burning the bags means lighting and burning the stacked bags with paper money, chanting the names of the ancestors while burning them and asking them to claim their own money. When the incineration is halfway through, the offerings of gold and silver, incense, flowers, paper flowers and other offerings in the house are burned at the same time. At the same time, some scattered paper money is burned in addition to the burning circle. While burning, chanting is done to invite the lonely ghosts who have no one to serve them to come and receive them. Different people have different destinies. As the saying goes, "A good fate is not as good as good luck." We cannot change our destiny, but we can change our fortune. Want to know your fortune in 2019? Then click on the [Premium Calculation] below to find out! |
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