What does the customs of the midyear festival mean, and what are the customs of the midyear festival

Midyear Festival, also known as July half, July.

Ten. Fourth, the ancestor worship festival, the Bon Festival, and the Diguan Festival are a major traditional festival in China.

Zhongyuan Festival is the name of Taoism, and it is commonly known as July and a half, and July.

Ten. Fourth, the auspicious month, Shi Gu, fasting Gu, Buddhism called the Bon Festival. "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.

The festival customs mainly include worshipping ancestors, releasing river lanterns, worshipping the souls of the dead, burning paper ingots, sacrificing land, etc. Its production can be traced back to the worship of ancestral spirits in ancient times and related time sacrifices. 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.

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 customs of the Midyear Festival are as follows:

1. Worship ancestors. Folklore has it that on the 15th day of the seventh month, the spirits of the ancestors return home to visit their children and grandchildren, so people need to pay homage to their ancestors. There are many rituals to worship ancestors, such as burning paper at the grave, offering sacrifices at home, or putting river lanterns.

In some places, there are also special rituals to take the souls of ancestors home on this night, and offer food to ancestors three times a day in the morning, noon and evening until they are returned at the end of July.

Second, the Central Plains Pudu.

Folklore has it that when people die, they become ghosts and wander between heaven and earth. Central Plains Pudu is to worship those lonely souls and wild ghosts who have no descendants to sacrifice, so that they can also feel the warmth of the world, which is also a form of expression of the idea of "fraternity" in our traditional culture. Between the 1st and 30th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, people will put out various offerings to these ghosts and pray for peace and good luck.

3. Put river lanterns.

Releasing river lanterns, also known as "releasing water lanterns" and "releasing river lanterns", is also a traditional custom of our Chinese nation. The river lamp is also called the lotus lamp, because the base of this lamp is often made of paper, wood in the shape of lotus petals, and sometimes even directly made of lotus leaves. When putting river lanterns, people light the lamps or candles on the lamp holders, and let them float beautifully in the rivers, lakes and seas.

Legend has it that in this way, all the undead can be transcended to the ideal world.

Fourth, the flame vent.

The flame mouth is a Buddhist ritual that is performed according to the Dharani Sutra for the Rescue of Hungry Ghosts. According to Buddhism, giving food to hungry ghosts is called a flame vent. After the ceremony, people will burn incense and worship in front of their homes, hoping that the coming year will be good and the harvest will be abundant.

Fifth, the bidding blessings.

After the end of the Midyear Festival, there is another entertainment activity - bidding for blessings. These blessings are donated by members and enthusiastic people who organize sacrificial activities, and there are many varieties and patterns, such as daily necessities; Children's toys, ingots, rice buckets, etc. Because they believe that "bidding" something can bring good luck to themselves, everyone is very generous, and these bid-opening funds are generally used as charity funds, and can also accumulate funds for the next Midyear Festival.

1. Put river lanterns. The purpose is to purify and pray.

2. Worship ancestors. Sacrifice to ancestors. July is the first harvest of crops, and it is customary for people to offer new cooked rice to their ancestors and share it with them.

3. Burn paper money. Sending money to deceased relatives and relatives, fearing that they will have no money to spend underground; Go to the crossroads and burn them to give some alms to the homeless ghosts, hoping that they will stop robbing them of the money they gave to their ancestors.

4. Burn incense and light cannons. Burning incense and lighting cannons, on the one hand, scare away the lonely ghosts passing by, and on the other hand, provide for them (the living are really contradictory).

5. Sacrificial land. It is also popular among the people to sacrifice to the land and crops, and to scatter offerings into the fields. After burning the paper, the five-colored paper cut into strips is used and wound around the ears of the crop.

Legend has it that you can avoid hail and get a good autumn harvest. In some places, it is also necessary to go to the Houtu Temple for sacrifices. Some local folk customs will hang hemp and valley at the head of the door (such as Dingxiang County).

6. Pray for a good harvest. Families burn incense in front of their homes to pray for a good harvest of rice, and put incense sticks in the ground, which is called "futian" (symbolizing "rice planting"), and the more they are planted, the better, to symbolize the abundant harvest of rice in autumn.

The customs of the midyear festival are as follows:

1. Burning paper: During the Midyear Festival, there will be a custom of burning paper among the people, which is to send money to the deceased.

2. Ancestor worship: There is also the custom of worshipping ancestors during the Midyear Festival, and almost every household will prepare food such as coins, wine, cakes and fruits to worship the ancestors.

3. Release the boat: During the Midyear Festival, there will be activities to release the boat in some areas in the south, and people will leave some wishes on the boat and let the boat float along the river, thinking that this can fulfill the wish.

The origin of the midyear festival

July 15 of the lunar calendar every year is the Midyear Festival, also known as the Ghost Festival or the Yu Lan Festival, which is a big festival to worship lonely souls and wild ghosts. Legend has it that Muren's mother did a lot of bad things, and became a hungry ghost after death, Muren was very sad when he knew, so he used his magic power to bring some food to his mother to eat, but as soon as the rice reached his mouth, it turned into ashes, and the Buddha Shakyamuni told him that he must gather the strength of all people, and put it in the basin in July every year with all kinds of flavors and five fruits, and put them in the basin to pat the monks, and his mother can help him, and Mulian acted according to the will of the Buddha, preventing his mother from finally being liberated.

Later, this legend became a folk custom and gradually evolved from offering monks to making offerings to ghosts. Every year in the seventh lunar month, people will slaughter chickens and ducks, burn incense and clothes, and worship the hungry ghosts from the underworld to resolve their grievances and not cause harm to the world. Over time, there was the festival of Olan.

Midyear FestivalThe festival customs mainly include burning paper, worshipping ancestors, and putting boats.

1. Burning paper:

During the Midyear Festival, there will be a custom of burning paper among the people, which is to send money to the deceased. Wild Void.

2. Worship ancestors.

There is also the custom of worshipping ancestors in the midyear festival, and almost every household will prepare food such as coins, wine, cakes and fruits to worship the ancestors.

3. Put the boat:

During the Midyear Festival, in some areas of the south, there will be a small boat to sing the praises of Kuanburn, and people will leave some wishes on the boat and let the boat float down the river, thinking that this will fulfill the wish.

Main Customs:

Shangyuan and Zhongyuan: Shangyuan Festival is the Lantern Festival in the world, and people put up lanterns to celebrate the Lantern Festival. The coincidental match Zhongyuan comes from Shangyuan.

It is believed that the midyear festival is a ghost festival, and it is also necessary to put up lights to celebrate the festival for ghosts. However, there is a difference between people and ghosts, so Zhongyuan Zhang Deng is different from Shangyuan Zhang Deng.

People are yang, ghosts are yin; Land is yang, water is yin. The darkness of the water is mysteriously dark, reminiscent of the legendary Netherworld Hell, where ghosts sink. Therefore, the Shangyuan lantern is on land, and the Zhongyuan lantern is in the water.