Have you heard of the ghost festival on July half? Why is it called ghost festival? It is commonly known as ghost festival and July half. It was originally a Taoist festival. In Buddhism, it is called Yulan basin Festival. The three festivals, new year's Eve, Qingming Festival and Chongyang Festival, are traditional ancestor worship festivals in China. So when is the 2018 Zhongyuan Festival and when is it?
Q: when is the 2018 Zhongyuan Festival?
A: the 2018 Zhongyuan Festival is August 25, 2018, Saturday, July 15 of the lunar calendar.
Zhongyuan Festival, on July 15 of the lunar calendar, is commonly known as July half. It is said that all ghosts were released from the local government on that day, and people generally carried out the activities of offering sacrifices to ghosts. For those who have new mourning, they usually go to a new grave, and generally sacrifice ghosts. Therefore, it is a ghost worship centered Festival, which has become the largest ghost festival in Chinese folk.
The origin and origin of Yuan Jie in
The origin of Zhongyuan Festival should be related to the popular land ancestor worship in ancient China. It is said that Tianguan's birthday is on the 15th of the first month, which is called Shangyuan Festival. Its main responsibility is to bless the world. Diguan's birthday is on July 15, which is called Zhongyuan Festival. Its main duty is to forgive sins for human beings. The birthday of Shuiguan is on October 15, which is called next Yuan Festival. Its main responsibility is to solve the problem for the world.
It is said that the underground palace is in charge of the gate of hell. On the day of the Zhongyuan Festival, the underground palace opens the gate of hell, which is also the day when the hell opens. The deceased ancestors can come home for reunion, so it's also the ghost festival. Therefore, the people should set up a Daochang, put the steamed bread for the ghosts to eat. On this day, they should sacrifice the ancestors, go to the grave, and light the lantern to show the way home for the dead. The Taoist temple held a grand ceremony to pray for blessings and auspiciousness.
In the middle of the festival, the folk ancestor worship is usually carried out at noon. Families prepare rich dishes, wine and rice. On the big eight immortals table in their respective halls, there are 24 full seats, seven pairs of chopsticks, a pot of wine and seven cups. In the middle of the table, there are also fruit boxes and plates. The fruit boxes are generally six prism solid wood carvings and flower decorations. The plates are also carved into rectangles with solid wood. The top six boxes are filled with mushrooms and fungus Six vegetable dishes, such as pine mushroom, cauliflower, dried bamboo shoots and red dates, are commonly known as "liuweizhai". When the banquet was ready, the host ordered three incense sticks, red candles, incense, kneeling as the instrument, invited the ancestors to enjoy the feast, and hoped to protect the health and safety of the bereaved children and grandchildren, the family scene developed, etc. after a pause, the square divination cup was approved, the gold and silver Styx coins were burned, and the banquet could be cancelled only when the gold paper was burnt out.
On the same day, three animals are offered to the gods and Buddhas in the hall. The so-called three animals are one main animal with two kinds of side animals. The main animal is usually five Jin cooked pig feet with hoofs. The side animals are usually cooked fish, squid, eyefish and chicken. For example, there are Guanyin Buddha in the hall. Because Guanyin mother doesn't eat meat, she often uses fresh fruit for offering. Because the level of God and Buddha is higher than that of their ancestors, they can only offer 'gold paper', silver clothes and other less valuable things, which can not reflect the sincerity of good men and faithful women, so they are not included in the list of dedication.
In addition to worshiping gods and Buddhas before worshiping ancestors in the festival, the master also pays homage to the house owner, the foundation owner, the kitchen god, the mother of the bed, and even the gods such as the cowshed, the stable, the sheepfold and the pigsty, and then serves them with five dishes and silver.