"Ghost Festival", commonly known as "July and a half" (13th or 14th in some areas). It is said that the dead ancestors were released by Yan for half a month at the beginning of July, so there is a custom of receiving their ancestors at the beginning of July and seeing them off at the end of July. When I sent it to my ancestors, I burned a lot of paper money for "ancestors to enjoy". At the same time, put the money paper in a paper envelope with the owner's name written on it and burn it at the time of sacrifice. This is the so-called "burning bag". Burn new bags that died within the year, and burn old bags that died more than one year.
No matter rich or poor, we should prepare food, wine and paper money to pay homage to the deceased to show our memory of the deceased ancestors. The Mid-Autumn Festival is usually seven days, and there are old and new people. Those who die within three years are called new deaths, and those who died three years ago are called old deaths. Superstition is that the old and the new will go home to visit during this period, and the old and the new will come back at different times. The new one will come back first, and the old one will come back after the meeting. So it is necessary to visit the shrine alone. The time to burn paper money is in the dead of night. Sprinkle a few circles of lime in the yard first, saying that the paper money is burned in the circle and the ghosts dare not rob it, and then burn it in piles. When burning, I kept chanting: "So-and-so will get the money." Finally, we have to burn a pile outside the circle, saying it is for ghosts. On the day when the deceased goes back, both rich and poor people should cook a good meal to commemorate the deceased, which is also called "seeing the deceased off".
In Indian Buddhist ceremonies, Buddhists hold "Bonbon meetings" to recommend their ancestors. Bonism in Buddhist scriptures is used to cultivate filial piety and encourage Buddhist disciples, which is in line with the popular belief of seeking first and then going far in China, so it is becoming more and more popular. The story of Manglietia chrysantha saving agaric is widely circulated among the people: "People with Manglietia chrysantha monks are powerful. His mother fell into the hungry ghost road, and the food mouth turned into flames. Hunger was too bitter. Unable to save her mother, Manglietia asked the Buddha for advice. In order to talk about the Lanpen Sutra, he taught July 15 to be a Lanpen to save his mother. "
China followed this practice from the Liang Dynasty and became the Mid-Yuan Festival. But later, in addition to setting a fast for monks, activities such as repentance and setting fire to burners were added.
On this day, the master platform and the stone drum platform were set up in front of Jiekou Village in advance. There is a bodhisattva in front of the mage's seat, and the earth treasure king passes through the underworld. Here is a dish of peach rice. Shigu stood on the stage, holding three spiritual cards and evocative complex items in his hand. After noon, families put whole pigs, whole sheep, chickens, ducks and geese and various cakes, fruits and melons on the stone drum stage. The person in charge inserted a triangular paper flag of blue, red and green on each sacrifice, and wrote the words "Yulan Festival" and "Manna Gate Open". The ceremony began with solemn temple music. Then, the mage rang the bell and led the monks in the seat to recite various spells and mantras. Then feed, sprinkle a plate of peaches and rice in all directions and repeat three times. This ceremony is called "the opening of the flame".
At night, every household should burn incense in front of their own house and put the incense on the ground. The more, the better, symbolizing a bumper harvest. This is the so-called "field expansion". In some places, there are water lanterns.
The so-called water lamp is a kind of lamp tied to a small board, mostly in the shape of lotus made of colored paper. According to tradition, water lamp is to guide those who are unjust and dead. When the lights went out, the water lights had completed the task of attracting ghosts to cross the Naihe Bridge. The shops were closed that day and the streets were haunted. In the middle of the street, there is an incense table every hundred steps. There are fresh melons and fruits and a kind of "ghost steamed stuffed bun" on the incense table, and Taoist priests sing ghost songs that people can't understand. This kind of ceremony is called "giving" ceremony.
Shangyuan Festival is the Lantern Festival on earth, and people decorate lanterns to celebrate it. The Central Plains came from Shangyuan. People think that the Mid-Autumn Festival is a ghost festival, and lanterns should also be put on to celebrate the festival for ghosts. But people and ghosts are different, so the lanterns in the Central Plains are different from those in Shangyuan. People are yang, ghosts are yin; The earth is yang and the water is yin. The mysterious darkness underwater reminds people of the legendary hell and the place where ghosts sink. So Shangyuan lanterns are on land and Zhongyuan lanterns are in water.
The story of Mulian's saving mother's ear is widely circulated among the people:
"There are even monks, powerful. His mother fell into the hungry ghost road, and the food mouth turned into flames. Hunger was too bitter. Unable to save her mother, Manglietia asked the Buddha for advice. In order to talk about the Lanpen Sutra, he taught July 15 to be a Lanpen to save his mother. "
Mid-Autumn Festival customs all over the country
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Hebei Province
Nanpi County took fruit, bacon, wine and money to the ancestral grave on July 15. And holding the hemp valley to the field stalk is called "recommending something new." The Mid-Autumn Festival in Guangping County is called "sending sheep" by offering fresh food to ancestors and preparing fruits, vegetables and steamed sheep for grandchildren. On July 15, Qinghe County went to the grave to pay a sacrifice and offer steamed sheep to her daughter.
[Shanxi Province]
On this day, scholars in Yonghe County offered sacrifices to Kuixing. The shepherd family in Zhangzi County slaughtered sheep in the Mid-Autumn Festival, competing with the gods. It is said that this can increase the output of sheep. Meat is also given to relatives, while those who are poor and have no sheep use steamed noodles in the shape of sheep instead. Farmers in Yangcheng county make cats, tigers and grains from wheat crumbs and offer sacrifices in the fields, which is called "going to the fields". In Mayi County, the Mid-Autumn Festival takes wheat flour as a child's shape, which is called "dough figurine" and is given to children by relatives. Farmers in Xinxian County hang colored paper on the stalks of fields on the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Henan Province
When the Central Plains paid homage to the local officials in Shangqiu County, a paper flag was hung at the door, which is said to be insect-proof. Flying kites during Mid-Autumn Festival in Mengjin County. On July 15, the magistrate of a county drew a gray circle in front of the door and burned paper gongs in the circle to worship the ancestors.
[Shandong Province]
Fishermen in Long Island made boats out of wooden boards, put "for XXX" notes on them, or set up a memorial tablet for people drowned in the sea, put food, clothes, shoes and socks on it, and then light candles. The married man put the boat into the sea. In Zhanhua County, every household collects Kyle and fresh grass leaves to build a shed, which is called "Horse House" and asks ancestors to put it in for sacrifice. Ling Du county calls the Mid-Autumn Festival "pinch festival", and every family eats humble meals.
Shanxi(Province)
Lintong county burned paper to worship Magu on July 15. Farmers in Chenggu County will drink alcohol on the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is called "hanging hoes". Yannong went to the field on the morning of Mid-Autumn Festival, picked the highest and densest ear of rice, hung a five-color paper flag and named it "Tian Zan".
Jiangsu Province
Residents of Wuxian County fold gold ingots with tin foil during the Mid-Autumn Festival and burn them along the road, which is called "ghost fate". There is still a kind of paper ghost circulating in Yizheng county, which contains bowl lamps, gamblers, drunkards and senior officials. There are four boats in the Zhongyuan Festival River in Yixing County, one is the flame mouth, the other is the Buddha chanting, the other is the tin foil ingot burning, and the other is the river lantern. On this day, villagers in Dong Xian eat flat food, which is a dustpan-shaped food made of flour and sugar. When releasing river lanterns in Shanghai, the stern is decorated with red and green paper lanterns, which is called "Dugu".
Sichuan Province
In Sichuan province, there is a custom of burning paper to worship ancestors in the Central Plains. That is, a stack of banknotes is sealed in a small envelope, and the name and title of the recipient, the number of envelopes received, and the name and time of the silk changer are written on the envelope. It is said that the Gate of Ghost was closed on July 15, and all families had to "send their children to Shigu". Chengdu people tied the "flower tray" with paper, put paper money and fruit offerings, and walked around the house, saying, "Dear friends, neighbors, former residents, ghosts who don't want to go back, please put them on the flower tray and send you back!" After that, the back end incinerates the outside of the house.
[Zhejiang Province]
Jiashan county regards the rain of Mid-Autumn Festival as a sign of rice harvest. In Tonglu County, people sing gongs and scatter rice in the wild on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, which is called "giving food". The Lanshe Society in eastern Zhejiang invited 24 old ladies to recite the scriptures and "walk eight knots". Eating "jiaozi Cake" on the rooftop during Mid-Autumn Festival is similar to spring rolls. There is also the custom of putting up street lamps. There are six able-bodied men as a group: one who knocks gongs, one who banges, one who carries lanterns, one who scatters salty rice along the way, one who makes incense along the way (inserted on a sweet potato or taro), and one who makes tofu and rice balls along the way (placed on a big tree), with a sacrifice about every hundred steps.
[Jiangxi Province]
People in Ji 'an burn paper for the New Year, and pregnant women are forbidden to fold paper ingots. It is said that the paper ingots folded by pregnant women cannot be carried by ghosts after being burned, and it is also impossible to send them to the underworld. When releasing the flame, the mage threw buns and fruits at the audience. Legend has it that a woman grabbed a steamed stuffed bun and had a child the next year. A child who robs steamed stuffed buns will never be afraid in his life. Ancestor worship in Anyuan County began on July 12, and incense and tea were burned in the morning and evening. On the fifteenth night, burn clothes and give paper money.
[Fujian Province]
On the Mid-Autumn Festival in Yongfu County, married women must go home to worship their ancestors. Fuzhou dialect calls the Central Plains "Paper Burning Festival". The married daughter prepared her parents' clothes and robes and put them in a box called a gauze box, which was sent to her parents' home. There was a custom of Pudu in the middle of Yuan Dynasty in central Fujian, which was held in both urban and rural areas, and its funds were raised by people along the gate. Even the poorest families will try their best to raise money to cope. There is a proverb: "Pudu does not pay, and the plague is in front of us." Purdue does not contribute, and the dwarf will pick it up. " There are also children's bands performing in Purdue.
[Guangdong Province]
On July 15, people surnamed Lin in Qujiang County offered sacrifices to their ancestors and the king of the head of a dog, and gave them to the little boys and girls who sang and danced in colorful clothes. People in Guishan County regard July 14 as the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is said that because Yuan soldiers went south in those days, in order to avoid chaos, the festival was celebrated one day in advance. In Chenghai county, ancestor worship and kitchen god are held on the Mid-Yuan Festival. People in the central plains of Deqing made cakes with winter leaves wrapped in powder, which were called "bridges" to worship their ancestors. In ancient Shigu, Chaoyang County, wealthy families would buy plows, waterwheels and even girls from poor families, write them on paper and scatter them when giving food. If you can't afford farm tools or a wife, you can get a voucher.
[Guangxi Province]
Yangshan people take July 14th as the festival to connect eyes, killing ducks to worship their ancestors, and there were no pedestrians on the road that day, which is called "hiding from ghosts".
[Yunnan Province]
After the Tengyue people offered sacrifices to their ancestors, they burned a bag and carved a cucumber into a boat shape, which was called a "cucumber boat" and incinerated it with the bag.