Zhongyuan Pudu. When it comes to the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the almanac, many people will think that this day is the birthday of the Emperor of the Zhongyuan Festival. " July 2" was originally the ancestor worship festival in ancient times, and it was called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from the statement of Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty . Buddhism calls July half a month the "Ullamban Festival". In a sense, the Ancestor Festival in the middle of July belongs to folk secular world, the Zhongyuan Festival belongs to Taoism, and the Ullambana Festival belongs to Buddhism. The Zhongyuan Festival finally formed a festival where , the three religions combine .
Three Yuan corresponds to the three officials, namely the Three Officials Emperor: the Heavenly Official (Shangyuan), the Earthly Official (Zhongyuan), and the Water Official ( Xiayuan ), also known as " Sanguan ", also known as "Three Yuan", which is a god that Taoism worships earlier. A Taoist scripture says: Heavenly officials give blessings, earthly officials forgive sins, and water officials relieve misfortunes.
Folk customs include Shangyuan Festival, Zhongyuan Festival and Lower Yuan Festival for three days to transfer and replenish the wealth. Although the Zhongyuan Festival is a good day to replenish wealth and eliminate disasters, when it comes to the Zhongyuan Festival, the most well-known custom is the Zhongyuan Pudu.
It is said that the half of July coincides with the alternation of summer and autumn. At this time, it is the node where the yin and yang of heaven and earth alternate. The yang energy is strong and declining, and the yin energy appears. In this Heaven and Earth Palace, the door to hell is opened and ghosts are released, so the activities of sacrificing ghosts are generally carried out. Since ancient times, there have been well-known customs such as "Zhongyuan Pudu", "Sacrificing ancestors and burning paper", " grabbing orphans", "release water lamps", and "jumping Zhong Kui".
Zhongyuan Pudu
Zhongyuan Pudu theory, but if you look closely, you can see that Pudu is divided into two types: "public general" and "private general". The so-called public refers to the activities of rushing to the local temples and uniformly conducting rushing, so it is also called "miao pacific"; private rushing refers to the "walking doorstep" carried out by the people themselves and each bears their own expenses.
Burning paper for ancestor worship
People believe that ancestors will return home to visit their descendants in the middle of July, so they need to worship their ancestors. Among folk customs, the most prominent one is burning paper. This kind of ancestor worship is a reflection of the traditional ethics of being cautious in the end and pursuing the far-reaching situation, and is a kind of cultural tradition of celebrating the ancestors. The worship ceremony is usually held in the evening of mid-July. In daily life, we should worship our ancestors, and we usually do not move our ancestors’ tablets.
to the "mid-day" period of worshiping ancestors, the tablets of ancestors should be invited out one by one, respectfully placed on the altar table for worship, and then incense should be placed in front of each ancestor's tablet, offering tea and meals three times every morning, afternoon and evening.
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water release lamp
water release lamp activity is to inform drowning souls to enjoy the sacrifice. Folk legend Water lamp The farther and faster the drifting ground, the more shelter the caster can obtain.
jump Zhong Kui
jump Zhong Kui is one of the common Taoist activities. This custom is carried out after the end of Zhongyuan Pudu. The main purpose is to eliminate evil spirits and thus maintain peace in life. After the end of the Zhong Kui, the worship of Zhongyuan has officially come to an end.
Jump Zhong Kui in traditional customs is regarded as a ritual full of evil spirits and is not provided to the general public for viewing. Therefore, the elderly, young, weak or poor fortune will be advised to avoid it. Even people at the scene will carry amulets or banyan leaves on their mouths to ward off evil spirits. At the same time, they must not speak, nor can they call out other people's names.
Summary: In terms of cultural connotation, the Zhongyuan Festival in the 19th month of July is also one of the traditional Chinese ancestor worship festivals, and behind its culture is a kind of faith. July 2 is an intangible cultural heritage of China. It is a kind of cultural heritage, a traditional culture that is both ancient and modern, reflecting the ancients' idea of "being cautious in the end and chasing far and wide", and its cultural core is to respect the ancestors and fulfill filial piety.
