Ghost Festival, also known as Zhongyuan Festival. Zhongyuan is the Christmas Day of the land official, one of the three officials of the Great Emperors of . The priesthood of the earthly officials is to "approve sins" and eliminate "injustices". Therefore, every day, Taiyi saves the suffering and opens up great graces and imparts great forgiveness to hell. The earthly officials are responsible for pardoning sins and resolving sins. The gate of ghosts is opened and wisdom and law are all used.
At this time, people can burn paper for their deceased spirits to sacrifice and recite scriptures to save themselves. Among the people, in addition to sacrificing ancestors and the dead, they also need to prepare some dishes, rice, gold, silver and other items at the intersection to give alms to those lonely souls and wild ghosts who have no one to offer.
Overall people believe that July 14th is the day when the gates of ghosts are wide open, so they rarely go out at night, but the real ghost festival is July 15th! The festival is noon. In many places in Guangdong and Guangxi, ducks are used to worship ancestors. "Duck" and "Press" are homophonic. Eating ducks can suppress evil spirits. In addition, according to legend, ducks are spiritual objects that carry their ancestors' souls across the river. Killing ducks to celebrate the festival is to enable them to fulfill this mission.
"July 14th" highlights the evening "Zhiyou", which means "spun the ghost", or "spun the ghost's daily expenses". That night, every household placed offerings at their doorstep, burned paper money, flower clothes, and put in incense and candles.
These paper money are specially made. Grass paper is dyed with color, stamped with a money seal, rolled into a cylindrical shape or folded into the shape of an ingot; flower clothes represent cloth, clothes, shoes and socks, etc.; burn these things with incense and candles to express your longing for your deceased relatives and let them "enjoy" in the underworld.
These memorial items also mean that they have distributed "money" to the underworld and given alms to those lonely ghosts who have no relatives. The incense candles lit all over the streets are a passage to guide ghosts to enjoy sacrifices and return to the underworld.
Because the customs of the Zhongyuan Festival are similar to the Qingming Festival, in Guizhou and Guangdong, glutinous rice cakes will be made during the Qingming Festival during the Qingming Festival to worship ancestors on the Zhongyuan Festival to commemorate the ancestors.
Generally speaking, southerners celebrate July 14th, while northerners celebrate July 15th. According to Buddhist customs, it is called "Yulan Festival", and according to Taoist customs, it is called "Zhongyuan Festival", but it is called "Ghost Festival". Although festivals are related to ghosts, it is a day to miss ancestors with your loved ones.
Zhongyuan Festival is a traditional festival in China, but some people are very afraid of this festival and list a series of taboos for ghost festivals, such as: hanging wind chimes by the bed, traveling at night, shouting names, looking back easily, staying up late, shoes on the head of the bed, etc. Do you believe these taboos?
