On this day, the owner's block and stone drum terrace were set up at the corner and in front of the 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, every household put the whole pig, sheep, chickens, ducks and geese, as well as various cakes, fruits and melons on the stone drum stage. The person in charge inserted a blue, red and green triangular paper flag 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 cook it three times repeatedly. This ceremony is called the opening ceremony.
At night, every household should burn incense at their own door and put it on the ground. The more, the better, symbolizing a bumper harvest. This is called an extended field. 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.