Why does Zhongyuan worship ancestors? Why is the Midyear Festival a great festival for ancestors?

The reason for worshipping ancestors in the midyear festival is that they can't bear to say goodbye and don't want to forget, and the style of worshipping ancestors is also the embodiment of the way of perfect filial piety.

Since the Warring States period, with the logical deduction of the connection between heaven and man, yin and yang sympathy, the new moon (the first day of the new month) and the moon (fifteenth) are important days of yin and yang sympathy. On the day of the New Moon, Yang Qi and Yang God are the Lord; On the day of the moon, the yin qi and the yin god are the masters. Therefore, Yuewang became a day to pay tribute to the dead of the ancestors.

The greatest significance of the Midyear Festival is to remember the deceased ancestors, advocate filial piety, learn to be grateful, grateful, and repay gratitude, so as to cultivate the filial piety and gratitude of future generations, so that the heart and deeds can be corresponded to goodness.

Every Midyear Festival, people will go to the ancestral grave to burn paper and give money to their deceased relatives, which is a Chinese custom and a way to mourn their loved ones with filial piety.

Old people often say: ancestor worship is very important, because after death, the soul will go through another reincarnation. Until then, they have been searching and waiting in a state of ghosts. On this day, they have been hoping that their relatives will be able to send some money.

Even if he re-enters reincarnation, his life and soul are still unchanged, and the incense and sacrifices of the descendants can still be accepted by the life and soul of the ancestors. As a result, there is the most intuitive change, that is, the continuation of incense. The basis for the continuation of incense is to take the lead in enhancing the fortune of the ancestor worshippers.

Therefore, since ancient times, we have attached great importance to ancestor worship.

The time when folk ancestor worship activities are held

In traditional Chinese culture, the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the "ghost month". The first day of the seventh month is the day when the "ghost gate pass" is opened, from the first day of the seventh month when the ghost gate is opened, to the day when the ghost gate is closed on the 30th, when the ghosts of the underworld return to the yang world to reunite with their relatives, there are also many homeless lonely ghosts, and the ownerless and lonely souls of the underworld will flock to the yang world, wandering anywhere they can go to find something to eat. So how much paper money should be given to them, so as not to be too angry.

However, it was only on July 14 that the ghost gate was opened, and one continued until July 15, and then slowly closed until July 30.

Folk ancestor worship activities are generally carried out before July 15 and are not limited to a specific day. Through a certain ritual, the folk take the ghosts of the ancestors home at night, and offer tea and dinner three times every morning, noon and dusk until they are sent back. When it is returned, it is said that it burns the paper and seals it, which is called "coating", or there is also a Dharma (or Buddha or Tao).

In some places (such as Hunan), the Midyear Festival is a more important day to worship ancestors than the Qingming Festival.

Zhongyuan is equivalent to the Ghost Festival, and on this day it is to sacrifice the deceased, so this day is to worship the ancestors.

Folks believe that ancestors will return home to visit their children and grandchildren in the seventh and a half months (mid-year festival), so it is necessary to worship ancestors. This kind of ancestor worship behavior is a manifestation of the traditional ethics of chasing the distance cautiously and thinking about the source, and it is a kind of cultural tradition of the ancestors who are grateful for virtue.

The harvest of crops in autumn is also a good time to share the joy of the harvest with the ancestors, and the worship ceremony is usually held in the evening of mid-July. On ordinary days, we have to worship our ancestors, and we generally do not touch the tablets of our ancestors. When it comes to the "half of July" to worship the ancestors, it is necessary to invite the tablets of the ancestors one by one, respectfully put them on the offering table specially for worship, and then insert incense in front of the tablets of each ancestor, and offer tea and rice three times every morning, afternoon and dusk.

Due to the slight differences in local customs, the way of celebrating the festival is also different, and the time of the festival will also be different.

The custom of worshiping ancestors in the middle of July has existed since ancient times, and it was originally a folk ancestor worship festival, not a "ghost festival" ("ghost festival" is a later saying, which is expected to evolve from the Taoist idea of Yuan Pudu opening the ghost gate). The July Half Ancestor Festival is called the "Zhongyuan Festival", which is derived from the Taoist saying after the Eastern Han Dynasty (about the Northern Wei Dynasty).

The most important thing in the midyear festival is to worship ancestors, and the main purpose of people to worship their ancestors on July 15 is mainly to pray for a good harvest, and this is the beginning of the autumn harvest, when people worship the latest food crops as their ancestors and pray for a good harvest year.

There is a legend that refers to the day of July 15th, when the statistics team wants to pardon some souls' evil deeds.

Therefore, on this day, the ancestors will be worshipped.

First, filial piety, second, remembering the ancestors, dad and grandfather can tell their sons and daughters stories of the past and pass them on.

Third, customs.

BecauseHalf of JulyThe custom of worshipping ancestors has existed since ancient timesOriginally, it was a folk ancestor worship festival, not a "ghost festival", and the core of the July semi-culture is to honor ancestors and fulfill filial piety, and generally do not call the festival of ancestors "ghost festival" ("ghost festival" is a later saying, presumably from Taoism.

Zhongyuan Pudu's idea of opening the ghost gate evolved).

The ancients have attached great importance to sacrifice since ancient times, and this festival originated from folk secular, Taoism, and Buddhism.

The three cultures, their sacrificial culture has been passed down for a long time, and the influence is extensive. "Seven", among the numbers in our country, is an odd number: seven tricks, seven stars and seven times, seven colors, seven laws; I Ching

Repeatedly, seven days back and forth, heaven and earth. ”

Seven is the number of yang, the number of days, after the yang energy between heaven and earth is extinguished, after seven days can be reborn, this is the way of heaven and earth, the principle of yin and yang cycle. However, for a long time, some parts of the country considered July to be a ghost month.

It is an auspicious month, and it is expected to evolve from the Taoist idea of opening the ghost gate in the middle of the Yuan Dynasty.

Because of false rumors, some places regard July as a month of "inappropriate things", such as hail and July, you must not go out, do not go under surgery, do not get married, do not buy a house, do not move, and so on. In fact, July is an auspicious month.

July'sObonReasons to be "Halloween".

Obon, a transliteration of the Sanskrit word ulambana, originally meant "to save the upside down", that is, to save the ghosts suffering in hell. The Buddhist scripture "Bon Sutra" was translated into China during the Western Jin Dynasty, and there is a story of "Mulian saves the mother" in the scripture.

It was in line with the concept of filial piety that still existed at that time, and was later admired as "the three religions are resistant to the same origin of the limbs".

Xiao Yan advocated that it be a folk festival, and its main function at that time was to worship the Buddha. It was only in the Song Dynasty that it changed, and it developed into a ghost who recommended the dead.

I don't know if it's a coincidence, or the Obon Festival attached to Taoism and Buddhism, the Midyear Festival.

Both Obon and Obon are held on July 15. So much so that later generations thought that these two were the two names of the same festival. At the same time, because its meaning and customs have long been difficult to distinguish, the customs of the two festivals began to be mixed.

A careful examination of the ritual and date reveals that the Taoist Zhongyuan Festival is indeed modeled after the Buddhist Bon festival on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is not unrelated to the belief or teaching system of Taoism itself. The Taoist Zhongyuan Festival is actually a religious festival created by combining the elements of Buddhism and Taoism, and it is a typical example of the integration of Buddhism and Taoism in the Middle Ages.

The above content refers to the Encyclopedia in the metasection.

The midyear festival is a traditional festival in our country, but also a sacrificial festival, in the midyear festival, many places will hold large-scale sacrificial activities, but many younger people do not understand what is the meaning of the midyear festival sacrifice? People will burn paper sacrifices to their deceased ancestors in the Midyear Festival, and some will also hold the ritual of chanting excessively, and the tradition of worshipping ancestors has been passed down in China for many years, so people have taken sacrifice as a very important ritual since ancient times. Especially the time of special significance such as the first day of the new year and the fifteenth day of the new year.

The midyear festival is generally in July, and July itself is a small autumn, which is the time when most crops are ripe, so the folk will report to the ancestors that the crops have grown according to the time when the crops are ripe, and ask the ancestors to taste the new rice first to show their filial piety, so it slowly evolved into worshipping the ancestors on the day of July 15. According to the traditional urban pattern of our country, there is a calendar altar in the north of most of each city, which is a belief of people in the past. Because after death, their descendants will come to sacrifice at the time of the New Year's festival.

However, in ancient times, there were many wars, so there was no way for many people to return to their hometowns after they died in battle, so at this time, the local people would place their bodies in a fixed place, and the local people would also go to sacrifice these lonely ghosts by the way when worshipping their ancestors. <>

It is best to go to the time of the midyear festival on the same day, do not postpone or advance, because the midyear festival is a day to worship ancestors and remember the ancestors. So tomorrow there will be many legends, on this day the Yin Cao Difu will release all the ghosts, let them return to the yang world and their relatives in the yang world, so tomorrow on this day to hold a sacrifice event is also to be able to let their deceased relatives feel the filial piety of their descendants. <>

Nowadays, ancestor worship is a traditional activity, and although everyone no longer believes in these folklore, they still retain the idea that they want their deceased relatives to be happy in another world. This is also a different way to express the thoughts of one's relatives, and it is also a kind of sustenance for one's relatives.

The festival falls on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, and partly on the 14th day of the seventh month. It was originally a small autumn, and a number of crops were ripe, and the people routinely wanted to worship their ancestors, and use new rice and other sacrifices to report the autumn to their ancestors. Therefore, every mid-year festival, every family worships their ancestors, and when they make offerings, they perform rituals.

On July 15, go to the grave to sweep the grave and worship the ancestors.

This is done to express longing, to commemorate the meaning of ancestors, but also to reunite, and the family can be together.

Because the midyear festival is the ancient "ghost festival", you need to remember your ancestors.

Because it is a traditional custom, on this day we have to pay tribute to our deceased loved ones.

Because the Zhongyuan Festival ancestor worship is a traditional festival that has been handed down since ancient times in China, it is mainly a festival to commemorate ancestors. There is no story.

It is believed that ancestors come home to visit their children and grandchildren in the middle of July, so they need to pay homage to their ancestors. This kind of ancestor worship is a reflection of traditional ethics and a cultural tradition of ancestral morality.

When the crops are harvested in autumn, it is also a time to share the joy of harvest with our ancestors. The service is usually held in the evening in mid-July. On the days of ancestor worship in ordinary times, the tablets of ancestor worship are generally not moved.

To worship the ancestors in the "Tanabata half" is to invite the ancestors out one by one, respectfully use the table to make a special ancestor worship, and then insert incense in front of the tablet of each ancestor, and carry out three times every morning, afternoon, and dizziness. Due to the nuances of customs, the festival is celebrated in different ways, and the timing of the celebration will vary.

We all know that the number "7" has been a special existence since ancient times! Many idioms are also related to "7", such as seven emotions and six desires, seven beans and smoke, and seven stars. For example, there are "seven colors" for colors, "seven tones" for **, and so on.

In the Book of Changes, there is a proverb: "The way of repetition is repeated in seven days, and the heavens are also". The number "7" also has the expression of "number resurrection"!

Therefore, in the rural funeral customs, there is a saying of "burning seven", and in Taoist culture, there is a saying of "local officials forgiving sins", the underground palace was opened on July 15, and the spirits of the dead wandering everywhere also have the saying of "Ghost Festival"! Therefore, with the saying "Qixi Festival and a half, the ghosts are scattered", in many places in the countryside, the elders will still teach the children that the Hungry Ghost Festival is coming, how to go home, and not to go to the river and dark places to stay, which is also a traditional custom!

Zhongyuan Festival is the name of Taoism, and the folk secular is called the seventh half and the 14th of July, the festival of worshiping ancestors, and Buddhism is called the Yu Lan Festival. The festival customs mainly include ancestor worship, river lanterns, sacrifice to the dead, burning paper ingots, sacrificing land, etc. Its birth can be traced back to ancient ancestor worship and related time offerings.

July is an auspicious month, the month of filial piety, and the half of July is a festival for the folk to celebrate the harvest in early autumn and return to the earth. This festival is a traditional cultural festival that commemorates ancestors, and its cultural core is filial piety.

Because the Zhongyuan Festival is a day for the ancients to worship their ancestors, it has been passed down in the long history that followed, so it has evolved into us also worshipping our ancestors. The story is that at the beginning, the Zhongyuan Festival was only respected by the Taoist church, and it was a Taoist ancestor worship festival, and later evolved in the process of development.

Zhongyuan, the folk "Ghost Festival", every year on this day, everyone has to go home early, because in addition to the souls of relatives, there are many lonely souls and wild ghosts wandering around. Kind Chinese, in addition to family sacrifices, will also burn incense for unworshipped souls. In my hometown, when I worship my ancestors, I will draw a circle with plant ashes next to it, burn some paper money and clothes, and give it to passing ghosts.

It means that it is a good thing for ancestors to go home to visit their children and grandchildren.

Zhongyuan Festival is the name of Taoism, and the folk secular name is July and a half, and the seventh month.

Ten. Fourth, the ancestor worship festival, Buddhism is called the Bon Festival. The festival customs mainly include worshipping ancestors, releasing river lanterns, worshipping the souls of the dead, burning paper ingots, sacrificing land, etc. The festival is a kind of cultural traditional festival to remember the ancestors, and its cultural core is to respect the ancestors and fulfill filial piety.

The birth of the seventh and a half months can be traced back to the ancestral spirit worship and related time sacrifices in ancient times. July is the auspicious month, filial piety month, July and a half is the folk early autumn celebration of the harvest, reward the earth of the festival, there are a number of crops ripe, the folk according to the routine to worship the ancestors, with new rice and other sacrifices, to the ancestors to report the autumn success.

"July and a half" was originally a folk ancestor worship festival in ancient times, and it was called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty. Buddhism calls the seventh half of the month "Obon". The July Half-Ancestor Festival belongs to the folk secular, the Midyear Festival belongs to Taoism, and the Obon Festival belongs to Buddhism.