What are the customs of the Ghost Festival?

Every year on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month is the traditional Chinese ancestor worship festival - the Ghost Festival, which is also known as July Half, Ghost Festival, Diguan Festival, etc. The most important traditional custom of the Hungry Ghost Festival is to worship ancestors and the souls of the dead. Generally, people burn paper money to commemorate their ancestors and deceased relatives.

What you may not know is that the Hungry Ghost Festival actually evolved from the harvest harvest and ancestor worship in ancient times. At that time, there was no such term as the Hungry Ghost Festival. The first half of July was a folk festival in early autumn to celebrate the harvest and reward the earth. When certain crops mature, people will traditionally worship their ancestors, use new rice as offerings, and report the harvest to their ancestors. Therefore, in the middle of the seventh month, there is only simple worship to ancestors to celebrate the harvest. The main customs on the "Hungry Ghost Festival" include: river lanterns to save people, ancestor worship, sky lantern dancing, offering sacrifices to the land, praying for a good harvest, etc. 1. River lanterns to save people

River lanterns to save people" is also called "he lanterns to save people" "Putting off lotus lanterns" is a traditional custom of the Chinese nation, which first evolved from the custom of lighting up lanterns during the Lantern Festival (Lantern Festival). Lotus lanterns usually place lamps or candles on the base, put them into rivers, lakes and seas, and let them drift. The purpose of putting out lotus lanterns is to pray for blessings, to commemorate deceased relatives, and to bless the living. Every year on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, when night falls, people mourning their deceased relatives come to the river one after another, light up lotus lanterns and throw them into the rivers, lakes and seas, letting them drift with the current, hoping that this will People’s thoughts and good prayers are sent to the deceased ancestors, praying for peace and happiness! 2 Ancestor worship

The folk custom of ancestor worship has a long history and has been passed down for thousands of years. It is a grand folk activity and a tradition of gratitude for the ancestors' culture. It is also a manifestation of the traditional ethics of being prudent in pursuing the past and consolidating the roots.

The custom of worshiping ancestors on the "Hungry Ghost Festival" came about because people believed that their ancestors would return home to visit their descendants in July and a half, so the custom of worshiping ancestors came into being.

In ancient times, folk ancestor worship paid great attention to worship rituals. The worship ceremony on the "Hungry Ghost Festival" was usually held in the evening of mid-July. When worshiping, the head of the family should first enshrine the portrait of the ancestor in the ancestral hall, and then burn incense, candles, and paper. At this time, the whole family must come to the ancestral hall to perform ancestor worship rituals in order of seniority and age.

It just so happens that the ancestor worship ceremony of the "Hungry Ghost Festival" coincides with the harvest of crops in Xiaoqiu, so the sacrifice activity on this day is also called "the ancestor worship of harvest harvest". Share the joy of harvest with your ancestors. 3. The custom of praying for a good harvest

harvest" and the custom of "sacrifice to the land" have similar meanings. They are both because the "Hungry Ghost Festival" coincides with the harvest in the early autumn, and people hope to pray for the fields in this way. The difference between the custom of "praying for a good harvest" and the custom of "sacrifice to the land" is the difference in form. In ancient times, the night of the Ghost Festival was also called the Night of Shigu. Every household burns incense at the door of their house to pray for a good rice harvest, and inserts incense sticks on the ground. This is called "Bu Tian" (seedling transplanting). The more you insert, the better. This symbolizes a good harvest of rice in the autumn.

Everywhere. What folk customs have been passed down? As a Guangxi person, let me introduce to you the customs of my hometown.

As one of the traditional ancestor worship festivals in China, the first custom is of course. It’s time to worship ancestors. We in Guangxi are no exception. We usually kill a duck to eat on this day, so we also call the Ghost Festival “Duck Festival”. Of course, ducks are for eating, but when offering sacrifices. But chickens are used (usually white-cut chickens are used). During the day, they worship the gods and invite the ancestors to come back;

In the evening, they worship the grandfather and invite the ancestors to eat;

Second update. Pu Xiu, Farewell to the Ancestors

Here, I mainly talk about Pu Xiu in the second watch. That is, after dinner, between nine and eleven o'clock, the adults form groups together at the intersection near the village. A table was set up and offerings were made. We children were responsible for lighting incense sticks and fairy incense and inserting them on the roadside. We inserted pillars every one meter until the end of the road, to the edge of another village. From a distance, it looked like fiery snakes swimming. Finally, the adults packed up and went home, while the children ran around and played on the road. It was called a happy July 15th day for us. Does it have practical significance?

The values ??advocated in traditional folk customs, such as honoring parents, remembering ancestors, inheriting culture, promoting neighborhood harmony, and caring for disadvantaged groups, are in line with the values ??of today's society. It has both cultural origin and practical significance.

With positive guidance, the Hungry Ghost Festival can still be a very fruitful one.

These are our folk customs during the Ghost Festival in Guangxi. So what are the customs in your place? Everyone is welcome to leave a message and discuss freely.