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Is the next Yuan Festival a ghost festival? Six highlights of the next Yuan Festival

November 11 this year is China's traditional festival Xiayuan Festival. Now many people are familiar with the Zhongyuan Festival and unfamiliar with the Xiayuan Festival. Some people think that the Xiayuan Festival is a ghost festival, while others think that the Xiayuan Festival is a sacrificial Festival. Is the next Yuan Festival a ghost festival? This article will tell you whether the next Yuan Festival is a ghost festival and the six stresses of the next Yuan Festival.

is Xiayuan Festival Ghost Festival: No

In legend, Shangyuan Festival, Zhongyuan Festival and Xiayuan Festival are called Sanyuan Festival. Sanyuan is also the three elements of biochemical things, 'heaven', 'earth' and 'water'. These three festivals are the birthday of Tianguan, diguan and Shuiguan respectively.

However, from the origin of Xiayuan Festival, we can see that Xiayuan Festival originates from the birthday of Shuiguan, one of the three officials. The festival customs are mainly to practice fasting, set up Jiaojiao, pray to the gods, pray for a good harvest and ward off evil spirits. The custom of sacrifice evolved gradually with the passage of the sun and the moon. There are no ghost legends related to Xiayuan Festival, so Xiayuan Festival does not belong to the traditional Ghost Festival.

Six highlights of the next Yuan Festival

1: Time is fastidious

To commemorate our ancestors and dead relatives at home on the next Yuan Festival, we should pay attention to cleaning the home in advance, wearing appropriate clothes and preparing sacrificial items after bathing. In addition to fish, fruit and other sacrificial items, we also need to prepare sacrificial wine. Finally, on the night of the next Yuan Festival, it is better to burn incense and offer wine after the moon rises.

2: Prepare etiquette

According to the traditional folk custom, on the day of the next Yuan Festival, the water officials of the next Yuan Dynasty should be sacrificed to pray for relief. In addition to preparing relevant sacrifices, lanterns should be hung under the main hall and next to several cases. In this process, you can sit on the mat without paying homage and other etiquette.

3: Sacrificial attention

Xiayuan Festival is a day of ancestor worship, which reflects the mourning and respect of the living for the dead, which belongs to a kind of spiritual hope. However, all clothes, ghost money and other things for the dead must be burned clean, so that they can be truly conveyed to the dead.

4: Temple etiquette

Xiayuan Festival is also one of the fasting days. If you plan to go to a temple to worship, you must abide by certain rituals and taboos. For example, we must dress simply, solemnly and cleanly. We should not dress too strangely or expose too much.

5: Water color activity

On the next Yuan Festival, many places will carry out 'water color' and other activities, that is, offering sacrifices to Xiayuan water officials outdoors. In ancient times, people would wear Hanfu and cruise in colorful boats. Generally, sacrifices, musical instruments and lanterns would be placed on the boats. When the moon comes out, sacrifice to the Yuan water official in turn, and tell the Yuan water official about the hardships and troubles of life.

6: Main object

Yu, the great water official, is the book of ghosts and gods in charge of dead souls and records the merits and demerits of all living beings. It is said that the next Yuan Festival is the birthday of Yu, the great water official. On this day, he will go down to earth to solve the problems for the people. Therefore, the main objects of sacrifice in the next Yuan Festival are: those who are physically unfit (who can travel), those who encounter changes, relatives and friends who encounter changes, and so on.