Commonly known as the Ghost Festival and the Bon Festival, it is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. It falls on the 15th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar.
The Qing Dynasty literati Wang Kaitai's poem "Feelings of the Mid-Yuan Festival" describes the customs of the Mid-Yuan Festival in Fujian.
Sense of the Mid-Yuan Festival
The Taoist temple is a place for the souls of the dead, and the ancient meaning of Yu Lan has survived.
But I blame the red paper on the head of the door to celebrate the Mid-Yuan Festival, which is celebrated on a mountain of meat and a sea of wine.
The 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the same is the Buddha and Taoist summary of the criticism of the day, both corresponding to the examination of the activities of the evaluation; the difference is that the Taoist investigation, reporting to the people, that is, the school of the Tatsujin. The Buddha's summarizing and criticizing, on the other hand, is carried out internally. Whether it is the external school registers and the internal criticism meeting, it shows that the two schools of Buddhism and Taoism attach importance to the 15th day of the 7th month. Or it shows the importance of this day in the Buddhist and Taoist festivals. Together with the so-called ghost festivals in folklore, this time of the year is even more colorful and varied. The school registration and self-control day is only a very small part of the festival activities at this time, in addition, there are still ancestor recommended new, put the lights shine in the dark, the bon will be in the year is also an important festival activities.
The Bon Festival is an important ceremony in the Buddhist rituals of the New Year's Eve, which is held on the 15th day of the 7th month of the year, hence the name "Bon Festival".
Despite more than a thousand years of active conformity and passive naturalization, the traces of Buddhism are still clearly left in the general public in the Yuan festival activities. First, there is that name. Bon is the phonetic translation of Sanskrit, which means "upside down", and the combination of bon and basin is a rescue vessel, i.e., "rescue upside down vessel"; in addition, the bon basin can also be interpreted as "rescue upside down basin", highlighting its importance as a means to The characteristics of "put a hundred flavors of rice and food".
The Qing Dynasty poet Pang Kai's poem "Chang'an Miscellany" depicts the scene of children playing with lotus leaf lanterns on the night of the Chinese New Year.
Chang'an Miscellaneous Xingxiao Bamboo Branch Style
Ten thousand trees are cool and frosty, and the nine streets are bright on the moonlight of the Mid-Yuan Festival.
The children are playing with the green lotus leaves, and ten thousand silver flowers are scattered in the city of fire.
According to the Buddhist rituals of the Bon Festival, the release of river lanterns is only a small program, and does not seem to be so important. On the other hand, the release of lanterns is more important in the folk festivals and activities of the Chinese New Year.
River lanterns, also known as "lotus lanterns", river lanterns are generally placed on the base of the lamp or candle, the night of the Mid-Yuan in the rivers, lakes and the sea, let it float. The purpose of the river lanterns is to ferry the ghosts and other ghosts in the water. Modern female writer Xiao Hong "Hulanhe biography" in a paragraph, is the best footnote to this custom: "July 15 is a ghost festival; dead souls and ghosts, not to be born, haunted in hell is very bitter, want to be born, and can not find the way. If there is a dead ghost holding a river lamp on this day, it will be reborn". The road from the underworld to the sun is very dark, and you cannot see the road without a lamp. So the matter of releasing lamps is a good deed. It can be seen that the living righteous people have not forgotten about the dead souls and ghosts.
Midwinter Festival
Commonly known as the Ghost Festival. Folk traditional festival. Time in the lunar calendar on the 15th day of the 7th month, but also in the 14th day of the 7th month. On this day, families worship ancestors, some also hold family feasts, offerings, rituals as rituals. Sprinkle three rounds of wine, said the ancestors after the feast, the family and then sit together, *** into the holiday dinner. Broken black, carrying firecrackers, paper money, incense and candles, find a secluded piece of flat land along the river or pond, with lime to spread a circle, said the forbidden zone. Then splash some water and rice in the circle, burn some paper money, firecrackers, send ancestors on their way, back to the "netherworld". In the past, the folk in the seventh day of the seventh month through certain rituals to pick up the ghosts of ancestors to go home, daily morning, noon and dusk, for 3 times tea and rice, until the fifteenth day of the seventh month to send back so far. Now, gradually remove the superstitious colors, retaining the form of sacrifice, as a remembrance and commemoration of ancestors.
Midwinter Festival
The Midwinter Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar, is commonly known as the half of the 7th month. Legend has it that all the ghosts are released from hell on that day, and it is common for people to make sacrifices to the ghosts. Where there is a new mourning family, routine to the new tomb, and generally in the local area to sacrifice the lonely ghosts, so it is the whole of the festival is centered on the ritual ghosts, the Department of China's largest folk ghost festival.
July was originally a small autumn, there are a number of crops ripe, folk routinely worship ancestors, with new rice and other offerings, to the ancestors to report the fall into. Song Meng Yuanlao "Tokyo Dreaming Records," Volume 1, said: "the day before the first day, that is, to buy practice leaves (a plant leaves, has a fragrance), enjoy the rituals when the desktop, and buy hemp grain nest, also tied to the foot of the table, is to tell the ancestors the meaning of the fall into. In July, when the crops ripened in autumn, the Chinese people, who emphasize filial piety, routinely reported to their ancestors and invited them to taste the new crops, so they routinely made sacrifices to their ancestors in July. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Taoism set up three meetings and five days of waxing, of which July 7 was the day of moral waxing, and the day of the middle meeting, i.e., the day on which the fixed Taoist people went to the ruling place to be examined and tested. The main content of the Wulabi is ancestor worship. The date of the ancestor worship in July was later fixed on July 15, when the Taoist Church set the birthday of the Chinese Yuan Di Guan (中元地官) and the corresponding date of the rituals.
The Mid-Yuan Festival of Taoism is not only a religious festival of Taoism, but also a folk festival. In the beginning of Taoism, there was the worship of the three officials. The three Taoist officials, namely the Heavenly Officials, the Earthly Officials, and the Water Officials, were later called the Three Officials of the Great Emperor. Each of them had his own responsibilities. The Heavenly Official bestowed blessings in the upper yuan, the Earthly Official forgave sins in the middle yuan, and the Water Official was said to solve problems in the lower yuan. According to the Taoist book, during these three days, the three officials would examine the merits and sins of the earth to determine the rewards and punishments. Among them, the earth official is in charge of the earth's mansion, and of course, the focus of the inspection is all the ghosts. Therefore, on this day, all the ghosts have to leave the underworld to be examined. Taoist sects routinely set up jiao-festivals on this day to celebrate the birth anniversary of the Earth God, while the faithful also contribute to the fasting of their ancestors to pray for blessings and to ask the Earth God to forgive their sins and ascend to heaven as soon as possible. This is the main reason why the festival has become a folk festival.
July 15 is also the Buddhist Bon Festival. "It is said that the Buddha's disciple, Me Jianlian, who was suffering from his mother's evil deeds during her lifetime and was sentenced to the depths of hell with no way to free herself, went to ask the Buddha for a way to save her. The Buddha told him that fasting on the day of the monks' dissolution (July 15 in China) could save the ghosts from the pain of hell. According to the Buddhist rituals, in mid-April, one starts to sit in the summer, i.e., one goes into the monastery for purification, and one is not allowed to go out during the day, and the day ends on the 15th of July, which is called the day of liberation, and one can come out to receive alms from the believers, so there is such a saying. Chinese Buddhists created the Bon Sutra to publicize the event, and later developed the custom of offering dendro food to ghosts. In this way, the Mid-Yuan Festival is characterized by the blending of the teachings of Taoism and Buddhism, and the routine Mid-Yuan rituals of ancestor worship, sacrificing to lonely souls, overcoming the dead, and setting up food offerings to the ghosts, making it the largest "Ghost Festival" in the folklore.
The folklore of the Mid-Yuan festival revolves around ancestor and ghost sacrifices, with city gods going out to offer sacrifices to the dead, Taoist temples and Buddhist temples organizing pujas to pray for the dead, and many folk visiting new graves. With the arrival of the Chinese in Southeast Asia and other regions, they also brought the customs of the Chinese New Year Festival to those places. In Penang, Malaysia, the activities of Chinese New Year have a very wide mass base and are known far and wide. Liu Zhongyu
Midwinter Festival
The Midwinter Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. Folk custom, on the 15th day of the 7th month to sweep the tomb, sacrificing the ancestors. Some people burn paper money in front of the door or street. In the old society on this day, some people in the city of the City God Temple bedchamber of the wooden frame of the City God carried to the summer three days, which is called "City God traveling". People in the Palace over the temple fair, set up stage Lv opera. At that time, the Palace is located in the present East: corner, the place called Hejiayuanzi.
Midwinter Festival
July Singing Festival
In Chinese folk tradition, the Midwinter Festival is a major day of ancestor worship, and all living beings are celebrated in a big way in every household.
In the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the Chinese people hold a grand celebration of the Mid-Yuan Festival. All over the country, in both commercial and HDB districts, you can see red bills celebrating the Mid-Yuan Festival, with lanterns and lanterns, altars set up to pay tribute to gods and goddesses. Temples are also building jiao-festivals, and local operas and songs are performed in the streets and lanes, presenting a lively scene.
The "Pudu" ceremony of the Mid-Yuan Festival can be divided into several categories due to differences in organization, such as Street Pu (also known as Hong Pu), City Pu, Temple Pu (or Gong Pu) and so on. The so-called street Pu, refers to the neighborhood-based PuDu; City Pu is the market-based PuDu; Temple Pu is the PuDu hosted by the temple.
Celebration of the Chinese New Year is very common
Locally, the Street Poo is mostly an HDB flat or a street; the Market Poo is dominated by bazaars, hawker centers, shopping malls, and stores; and the Temple Poo is a temple, no doubt about that.
In our country is generally popular, in addition to local factories and industrial buildings, generally have Pudu organization.
In recent years, due to the improvement of the people's living standard, the celebration of the Chinese New Year is also very common, the row is also very elaborate, some private organizations or companies of the Chinese New Year will also be set up, judging from this trend, this traditional Chinese custom, in the local is more and more prevalent every year.
In the sacrificial shed, but also asked the paste store to paste a body length of six, or ten feet two of the Pudu Gong, green face fangs, exceptionally fearful of people, placed in the cloth shed offerings, in front of the burning of three large incense, two large candles, the way of sacrifice or meat or vegetarian, the more the better, there are roasted pigs, chickens, ducks, white rice buns, fruits, canned food, sugar, oil, salt, vegetarian food such as poultry and meat, dried fruits and vegetables, vegetarian food, etc., all served, and all inserted triangular five-colored, colorful, and all of them are very beautiful, and all of them are very beautiful, and they will be very happy to see you. And all inserted triangular colorful flag and incense, colorful piece.
The temple is different, there is an altar in the temple, in the center of which hangs a large mirror of the "Bon" or "Sanguine Emperor", and on the table of the god, there are three lanterns, statues of the god, and an incense burner. Inside the lanterns are white rice, bronze mirrors, ancient swords, small scales, scissors, rulers, umbrellas and lit kerosene lamps, which the ancients believed could ward off evil spirits.
The long table in front of the altar is dedicated to livestock and sweet wine, and the use of flour as a material, kneaded into birds and animals, fish, crabs and aquatic species and other supplies, very sumptuous.
Bidding for blessings in a variety of ways
In addition to the offerings, these local organizations of the Pudu meeting, but also the blessings, blessings, some of which are members of the organization of the Chinese Yuan Association and the donation of enthusiastic people, a variety of ways, there are statues of gods, commonly known as the "wujin" charcoal, rice buckets, pouncing on the Yuanbao, the big lottery tickets, hair cake, wine, The company's products include electrical appliances and children's toys.
After paying homage, it is inevitable to bid for blessings, which is also one of the characteristics of the local Mid-Yuan Pudu.
The bidding is mostly done by the owner of the stove, who shouts out the bidder's price in a voice like a bell, and you can always hear the voices here and there at the banquet, shouting out the price of the blessed objects, which is more lively than the other, and the bidders are also very generous, because people believe that "bidding" for a thing can bring in some money, so everyone is very generous with their offers, especially the businessmen, who are very generous with their offers. The company's business is a very generous bidder, especially among the business community.
Usually, the responsible members of the Association will use this considerable amount of money from the opening of the bidding for charitable funds or members' welfare funds, and at the same time, it can also be used as a reserve for the next year's activities of the Association, such as inviting singers to sing on the stage or in local theaters to cheer up the event.
Mid-Yuan Festival
The so-called "Three Elements" of the Chinese New Year Festival refers to the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, the 15th day of the seventh month of the Chinese New Year, and the 15th day of the tenth month of the Chinese New Year.
In addition to the Mid-Yuan and Bon festivals, the 15th of July is also known as the Ghost Festival, which together with the Ching Ming and the 1st of October are the Three Ghost Festivals. The folk festival of ghosts is closely related to the Buddhist Mid-Yuan and Bon festivals, and has its own unique color. In this way, the three streams of monks, Taoists and laymen are united, constituting a rich variety of festivals and customs on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.
The Qing Dynasty literati Wang Kaitai's poem "Feelings of the Mid-Yuan Festival" describes the customs of the Mid-Yuan Festival in Fujian.
Sense of the Mid-Yuan Festival
Dojo Pudu is a place for the souls of the ghosts of the past, and the ancient meaning of Yu Lan exists.
But I blame the red paper on the head of the door to celebrate the Mid-Yuan Festival, which is celebrated on a mountain of meat and a sea of wine.
The 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the same is the Buddha and Taoist summary of the criticism of the day, the two are corresponding to the assessment of the activities of the examination; the difference is that the Taoist investigation, reporting to the people, that is, the school book of Chen. The Buddha's summarizing and criticizing, on the other hand, is carried out internally. Whether it is the external school registers and the internal criticism meeting, it shows that the two schools of Buddhism and Taoism attach importance to the 15th day of the 7th month. Or it shows the importance of this day in the Buddhist and Taoist festivals. Together with the so-called ghost festivals in folklore, this time of the year is even more colorful and varied. The school registration and self-control day is only a very small part of the festival activities at this time, in addition, there are still ancestor recommending new, put the lights to illuminate the darkness, bon and other important festivals and activities in the year. The Bon Festival is an important ceremony in the rituals of the Buddhist New Year's Day and is held on the 15th day of the 7th month of the year, which is why the Mid-Yuan Festival is also known as the "Bon Festival".
Despite more than a thousand years of active conformity and passive naturalization, the traces of Buddhism are still clearly left in the general public in the Yuan festival activities. First, there is that name. Yu Lan is the phonetic translation of Sanskrit, is "upside down" meaning, Yu Lan and basin together is a rescue device, that is, "rescue upside down device"; in addition, Yu Lan basin can also be interpreted as "rescue upside down basin. Highlighting the characteristics of its "put a hundred flavors of rice and food".
The Qing Dynasty poet Pang Kai's poem "Chang'an Miscellaneous Xingxu Bamboo Branch Body" depicts the scene of children playing with lotus leaf lamps on the night of the Chinese New Year.
Chang'an Miscellaneous Xingxiao Bamboo Branch Style
Ten thousand trees are cool and the frosty air is clear, and the nine streets are bright on the moonlight of the Mid-Yuan Festival.
The children are playing with the green lotus leaves, and ten thousand silver flowers are scattered in the city of fire.
According to the Buddhist rituals of the Bon Festival, the release of river lanterns is only a small program, and does not seem to be so important. On the other hand, the release of lanterns is more important in the folk festival activities of the Chinese New Year.
River lanterns, also known as "lotus lanterns", river lanterns are generally placed on the base of the lamp or candle, the night of the Mid-Yuan in the rivers, lakes and the sea, let it float. The purpose of the river lanterns is to ferry the ghosts and other ghosts in the water. Modern female writer Xiao Hong "Hulanhe biography" in a paragraph, is the best footnote to this custom: "July 15 is a ghost festival; dead souls and ghosts, not to be born, haunted in hell is very bitter, want to be born, and can not find the way. If there is a dead ghost holding a river lamp on this day, it will be reborn." The road from the underworld to the sun is very dark, and you cannot see the road without a lamp. So the matter of releasing lamps is a good deed. It can be seen that the living righteous people have not forgotten about the dead souls and ghosts.
Mid-Yuan Festival
July 15, the Taoist called Mid-Yuan Festival, the Buddhist called Yu Lan Festival, the folk old saying Ghost Festival. For the sake of good luck, today the people of Shanxi, especially the people of Jinbei, and renamed it as the festival of face molding. Cultural connotation, very rich.
The origin of the Festival of the Middle Ages should be related to the ancient popular land ancestor worship in China. After the prevalence of Taoism, the tradition was attached and the three gods and goddesses of heaven, earth and water were created. It is said that the birthday of the Heavenly Officials is on the 15th day of the first month, which is called the Shangyuan Festival. Its main duty is to bestow blessings on earth. The birthday of the Earth God is on the 15th day of the 7th month, which is called the Mid-Yuan Festival. Its main duty is to forgive sins on earth. The birthday of the Water Official is on October 15, known as the Wan Yuan Festival. Its main duty is to relieve the bad luck on earth.
Countering Taoism, Buddhism identifies July 15 as the Bon Festival. Buddhism promotes compassion for good. During the three months of the rainy season in ancient India, Buddhist rituals forbade monks and nuns to go out, saying that going out would easily harm the grass, trees, insects and ants, and required them to sit in the monastery to meditate and study and receive offerings. This period of time is called the period of tranquility. After Buddhism was introduced to China, according to the seasonal changes in our country, the period of peaceful residence was stipulated to be from April 16th to July 15th. Later on, the Buddhist legend of "Megiddo saving his mother" was created based on the scriptures. The general idea is that Buddha Shakyamuni's disciple, Meganula, saw his dead mother suffering in hell, miserable. He tried every means to save her, but failed and had to turn to Buddha for help. Shakyamuni explained that his mother's sins in life are quite large, not one person's power can be saved, and told Meghalayan to be on the 15th day of the 7th month, the end of the monks living in peace, prepared a hundred flavors of food and drink, offerings to the monks of the ten directions, with the help of the power of the monks, to enable his mother to be free from the suffering. Megiddo followed the instructions and it worked. This kind of Buddhist activity is called Bon. Bon is the transliteration of the ancient Indian Sanskrit word for upside down, describing the suffering of the dead. Bon is the Chinese word for a vessel that holds offerings. Bon refers to such a Buddhist activity, which can relieve the suffering of the deceased of their inverted suspension.
China's Buddhism has evolved July 15 into a "filial piety festival" to promote Buddhism, with the help of the traditional Confucian ritual of filial piety. It is not only recognized by the traditional culture of China, but also generally welcomed by the official and civil society, and thus has the greatest influence on the folk activities of the 15th day of the 7th month.
Wutai Mountain Buddhist community, in the July 15 will be held as usual Bon, chanting the dead souls. Some of the surrounding religious people will go to the temple to set up offerings, ringing guns, prayers, atonement for the sins of the ancestors, wishing the dead to be relieved.
In folklore, families go to their graves to honor their ancestors.
It is customary in southern Jinan to make lamps out of paper and burn them in front of the graves to symbolize the bright future of the deceased. Buns are used as food to honor the ancestors. If the deceased for three years, children should take off their mourning clothes on this day and wear regular clothes instead, commonly known as changing mourning.
Jinbei region on the grave to pay tribute to their ancestors, like buns, flour production, round, center point a red dot. After the offerings, burned paper, go home from the ground to pull a few grains and hemp, with green paper wrapped around, standing in front of the window, offering the face of a man. After the festival moved to the roof of the house, the root facing inward, the ears of the grain exposed outside, known as picking hemp valley. The popular saying is that it blesses a good harvest. However, the rituals of enshrining the face, analyzed, seems to be a remnant of the early custom of human martyrdom.
July 15 to pay tribute to the dead, the most solemn to release the river lamp. Folks used to use wooden boards with colorful paper, made into colorful lanterns, in which candles are lit. Some people have to write the name of the deceased on the lamp. Merchants and other units, it is customary to do a colorful water bottom paper boat, known as the Dafa boat. Legend has it that all the spirits of the dead can be transported to the ideal other side of the world. Boat to do a person holding a Zen staff, symbolizing the Gandharan. Some of them are also made into the Bodhisattva Guanyin. At night, the paper boat and paper lanterns are placed in the river and allowed to float downstream. People rely on the floating condition of the lamps to determine whether the souls of the dead have been saved. If the lanterns are spinning in the water, it is believed that the ghosts are dragging them down. If the lamp sinks in the water, it is believed that the dead soul has been saved and has been reborn. If the lamp floats far away or comes ashore, it is believed that the soul has reached the other side of the world and is in the heavenly realm. In short, everything is a good wish.
River lanterns, especially in the Yellow River lanterns spectacular. Hequ County in northwestern Jin Dynasty, close to the Yellow River. The river is wide open and the water flows gently. Every July 15 night, the whole city men, women and children gathered on the banks of the Yellow River in front of the square, competing to see the river lights. The colorful lanterns drift along the water, and the children keep a close eye on how far their own lanterns can float. The old woman's mouth chanting, constantly praying. Today, the release of river lanterns has become a joyful activity.
On July 15, folk worship of the land and crops is also prevalent. Offerings are scattered into the fields. After burning the paper, it is then wrapped around the ears of crops with colorful paper cut into strips. Legend has it that it can avoid hailstorms and get a good harvest in the fall. In some places, sacrifices are also made to the Houtu Temple at the same time. In Dingxiang County, the folk custom is to hang hemp and grain at the head of the door.
July 15 before the festival, folk women prevailed in the face molding activities, the northern region of the Jinbei most intense. A family steamed buns, four neighbors to help. First of all, according to the actual number of family (including married daughters and son-in-law, grandson, another son and daughter-in-law, grandson, etc.), to each person first pinch a large flower bun. To give the younger generation of the flower bun to pinch into a flat type, known as the face of the sheep, taking the meaning of the lamb to eat milk on both knees, I hope that the younger generation do not forget the parents of the grace of upbringing; to give the old generation of the flower bun to pinch into a human type, known as the face of the people, meaning that the children and grandchildren, longevity; to give the generation of the flower bun to pinch into a fish type, known as the face of the fish, meaning that even the year has more than one. Now is not so strict about it, based entirely on the owner's interest, sheep, tiger, cow, fish, rabbit, people all kinds of shape of the bun. Per capita a beast of the flower bun after pinching, and then pinch many melons, fruits, peaches, plums, lotus, chrysanthemums, plums and other stylized flower buns, embellished with flowers, birds, butterflies, dragons, squirrels. The size of the buns is smaller than before, and they are used as gifts for visiting relatives and friends. After being steamed and colored, these dough figurines look so lifelike that each one of them can be called an excellent handicraft. On the 15th of July, it has become a program for peasant women to show their dexterity and craftsmanship.
Midwinter Festival and Wine
Midwinter Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar. In ancient China, the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar was the first Yuan Festival, the 15th day of the seventh month was the Middle Yuan Festival, and the 15th day of the tenth month was the Lower Yuan Festival. After the emergence of Taoism, the worship of the gods are heavenly officials, earthly officials, water officials, and will be "three yuan" and "three officials" to match, said the upper yuan heavenly officials birthday for the first month of the fifteenth, in the middle of the yuan earthly officials for the fifteenth of July, the lower yuan water officials for the fifteenth day of October. Therefore, Taoism should set up a jiao festival on July 15th. Taoism and Buddhism, the activities on this day, are specific regulations and practices. Folk sacrifices, it is relatively free, offerings lest not enough ancestors and lonely souls and ghosts to enjoy, those offerings. By is formed a folk festival. In the Northern Qi Dynasty, Yan's Family Tradition, in the Southern Dynasty, Jingchu Youshi Ji, in the Song Dynasty, Tokyo Menghua Lu, Mengliang Lu, and in the Qing Dynasty, Dijing Youshi Jisheng and other books, the Zhongyuan Festival and the Bon Festival are all mentioned. Some books say that a few days before the Mid-Yuan Festival, the market is full of colorful and loud vendors selling plutonium, seasonal fruits and gourds, and oil cakes, cream cakes, and plump cakes. There is also the custom of placing lamps on the water, meaning to invite the water to enjoy the sacrifice of the lonely ghosts. Children play with the paper lotus lanterns, large seven or eight feet, striking. To the outside of the city to the tomb, a steady stream of people, compared to the Qingming Festival is particularly good.
Midwinter Festival
I knew there was a Midwinter Festival, having read about it in literature, and thought it was a popular folk custom in the Yellow River basin. In my feeling that night should always be foggy, in the haze of the family's ancestral meal in the candlelight and incense under the light looks very attractive, in the mist in the children's river lamps in the sinking before it disappeared, sailing to heaven. What the adults are doing is not mentioned in the works, I think they are mostly tying the river lanterns for the ancestors and the children and then cooking for them, which is a kind of rounded scene, and the ghost festival should be a happy one.
It was after I arrived in Singapore that I really learned about the customs of the Mid-Yuan Festival, but of course I learned nothing more than the Mid-Yuan Festival in Singapore, one that has nothing to do with river lanterns.
The festival is commonly known as the Ghost Festival in Singapore. Normally, the Mid-Yuan Festival should be on the 15th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar, because the 15th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar is the Mid-Yuan of the yearly festivals, so the festival on this day is called the Mid-Yuan Festival. Because the Buddhist Bon Festival is also held on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, some places also call this day the "Bon Festival". Buddhists attach great importance to the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, and hold many activities on that day. "Releasing lanterns to illuminate the darkness of the underworld" is one of the small rituals in the beginning, which has spread to the folklore and become the mysterious and romantic River Lantern Release. The purpose of releasing river lanterns, although there are different opinions, is always associated with ghosts, such as Xiao Hong mentioned in the article "Hulanhezhuan" 'July 15 is the Ghost Festival, the dead souls of the ghosts, not to be reborn, haunted by the hell of a very bitter, and want to be reborn but can not find the way! If there is a dead ghost with a river lamp on this day, it will be able to get out of life'
The same way that the Buddhist practice of 'releasing lamps to illuminate the underworld' was absorbed by the people according to their own pure and simple desires and improved into the folk practice of releasing river lamps, the festival of the Chinese New Year crosses over the boundaries of the underworld and the country, and comes to Singapore, and it also brings about a great deal of change. You won't find any river lanterns in Singapore's Mid-Yuan Festival, and the celebration of Mid-Yuan has expanded from the 15th day of the 7th lunar month to the whole month of the 7th lunar month. During this month, people try not to move their land, not to buy property, and also try not to travel. Airline tickets during this month are also low throughout the year, and some unbelievers use this opportunity to travel abroad. Of course, people who believe in evil still account for the majority, the seventh month of the lunar calendar in Singapore is the hot season, but no matter how hot the weather, the pool is always sparse, people will add one or two pieces of gold jewelry to avoid evil in this month, they will also pay attention to speak, try to avoid saying unlucky words. Children are especially miserable. It is said that children's eyes are particularly sensitive and can see things they shouldn't, and many parents keep their children at home as soon as seven o'clock has passed in order to prevent them from being frightened.
Singaporeans believe that the first day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the day of the opening of the door of the ghosts, ghosts can freely come and go in and out of the realm of the yin and yang in the following month, in the latter part of the day, believe that the family will be inserted in front of their own home in front of the lawn with two candles, and next to the candles inserted on the three sevens and twenty-one joss sticks, the pre-prepared Yin coin, Buddha's mantra, sugar and tea and other offerings placed in front of the candles, and then light the candles! Then light the candles, burn the incense and worship three times, and after the worship is finished, take the yin coins and mantras to the burning barrel to be burned. This burning barrel is a gasoline barrel to remove the top cover, and then punch a few holes in the side made in recent years, the emergence of fresh play. The reason for the emergence of burning barrels is that the government believes that burning paper directly in front of the candles inserted in the house as in the past is too hygienic and difficult to clean up, so every year in July the government will put some burning barrels in front of the HDB flats for people to burn paper with. Some people could not agree with the idea of mixing their own paper with that of others, so they had to go to the grocery store to buy small paper buckets for their own use. More people seem to suddenly can't stand the smoke and fire of burning paper, especially on the first, fifteenth and twenty-ninth days, the air is filled with the smell of burning paper, and the sky is filled with the ashes of burning paper. Many people complained to the government about this, and the government had to persuade people to burn less, saying that it was called a light gift. A company has seized this business opportunity and researched a new type of burning bucket for people to try out, and the response is said to be good. Perhaps next year we will be using a new type of burning bucket valued at S$1,500, and I heard that the new product is in the shape of a box, so it should be called a burning box.
While every household celebrates the Chinese New Year, some Chinese companies also celebrate it collectively. The company's celebration is bigger than that of a small family, with a lot of tributes, including bags of rice, canned food, cookies and fruits, and a golden pig as a finishing touch for the more sophisticated ones. These tributes are placed on a wooden table, in front of the table stood a few bowls of thick and thin with the height of the candles and incense. Let the employees feel excited is that the boss light candles burning incense in addition to ghost brothers to bless business prosperity in addition to them to ask for four lucky number to buy lottery tickets. These four numbers are the whole company **** enjoy, buy also have a learning experience, the most common is to buy, to buy and eat, said the chance of winning is very big, perhaps the ghost brothers really some psychic right.
The most powerful Zhongyuan Qingzan is the one organized by the community or hawker centers, which not only has worship rituals such as setting up tributes and lighting candles and burning incense, but also has activities such as singing platforms and Zhongyuan Festival shouting tags. The main purpose of the Singing Stage is to entertain the ghost brothers. It is said that in the early days, the Singing Stage was for singing opera, but now it has been changed to singing, and most of them are popular songs. Most of the singers on the singing stage at the Mid-Yuan Festival are not very famous, and the competition is fierce because of the appearance fees. In order to attract people to go to see them, the female singers are often dressed in revealing clothes, and a few of them even shave their heads, while the male singers have long hair and tight pants with mesh shirts. Despite the singers' best efforts, fewer and fewer people attended the stage, and not counting the first few rows reserved for the Ghost Brothers, the rest of the seats were not filled, and it seemed that people were becoming increasingly unable to accept the somewhat crude culture of the stage. Of course, there is also a group of opera house enthusiasts who try hard to sing the opposite, these people are mostly older, they will look up the newspaper every day to check the information of the opera house, and follow the opera house to run. I don't know if there are any ghosts following the opera, and I don't know if they like the change from opera to pop songs, but I think there are fewer and fewer ghosts entertaining the opera, and more and more pandering to the people.
Besides the opera stage, another activity worth mentioning is the Mid-Year Festival Shouting of Standards. It takes place at the end of the worship ceremony and halfway through the Mid-Yuan banquet. The organizers will try to find some famous people in the entertainment industry to shout, their shouting is mostly voluntary, mainly to do some good deeds, and incidentally also publicize their own. Most of the lucky objects used for bidding are plated into gold folklore with good luck lucky objects, the most common is the golden dragon and yellow pear, there are also unique, such as flying golden horse carrying a golden pear called 'immediately Wanglai'. Fortune itself has no value, the bidder is a good luck, the fortune placed in the home is the same as the good fortune to bring home; fortune on the more sticky on some lucky number, bidding for the fortune of people can buy lottery tickets to gamble on luck. As for the money from the bidding, part of it is used to cover the cost of the second year's Zhongyuan Qingzan, and part of it is donated to welfare organizations such as the Mercy Hospital, which is a big human ghost ****du meaning.
In recent years, Zhongyuan Qingzan has faced a lot of problems. Firstly, the younger generation, who are influenced by Western culture, are unable to accept this culture, which has a national flavor despite its rusticity, and there are no successors to Zhongyuan Qingzan. Secondly, some people suddenly can't stand the smoke of burning paper and the noise of singing platforms and shouting labels, and frequently complain to the government. It seems that the Government has been very receptive to these people's complaints. While continuously improving the incineration barrels, this year it has also made it clear that the Celebration of Praise must end half an hour earlier than in previous years, at half past ten o'clock. Due to the early ending of the activity, the fans of kodai could not enjoy themselves, and the proceeds from the bidding were also greatly reduced, and after deducting the money required for the celebration of the Chinese New Year in the following year, not much was left to be donated to the welfare organizations. It makes one feel a bit less human than a ghost, but with July being their festival, the living have to back off.
I have spent five Mid-Yuan festivals in Singapore. I was curious and even a bit scared at the beginning, but gradually I have come to love this festival, and I have even learned to burn paper in worship as Singaporeans do, in the hope that my father, who has passed away, will come to Singapore to celebrate this festival. Ghosts are not really scary, what is scary is the parting, especially the parting between the yin and yang.
Midwinter Festival
Midwinter Festival - July 15 on the lunar calendar The traditional festival of the Chinese folk "Midwinter Festival". In the south, it is also known as the "Ghost Festival". However, the traditional Chinese New Year's Day falls on July 14th. It is said that at the end of the Song Dynasty, when people were preparing to celebrate the festival, the Yuan soldiers suddenly invaded, so they had to pay tribute to their ancestors one day earlier, and the festival was thus brought forward.
On the day of the festival, people bring offerings and go to the graves to pay tribute to their ancestors, similar to visiting the graves on the Qingming Festival. In the feudal era, the local government also ordered monks and Taoist priests in temples to set up orphan soul dojos to honor fallen soldiers and soldiers, and people burned a lot of paper money on the Mid-Yuan Festival.