The traditional "Mid-Autumn Festival" is July 15 of the lunar calendar. Originated from Buddhist classics, it is said that Mulian saw her dead mother being pestered by a hungry ghost in the underworld and unable to eat, so she turned to the Buddha for help. The Buddha felt her filial piety and awarded the "Orchid Sutra", allowing her to hold a vegetarian feast for her mother on July 15 every year, which was later passed down and became the tradition of "Orchid Festival".

Buddhism originated in India, but "Mulian saves her mother" is obviously a legend after sinicization, because Mulian's mother's surname is "Liu". The "Orchid Festival" had existed in Liang Wudi for a long time, and it matured in the Song Dynasty.

After this festival was attacked by Taoism, it became the "local official festival" in the festival of three officials (namely, heaven official, land official and water official). The local official was in charge of hell, so people said: This day the leaders had a holiday, and the hell was unguarded, so the dead in the underworld will return to the world along the light of the Milky Way. Therefore, every household puts on river lanterns in order to continue the road of the Milky Way in the world and welcome the ancestors. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called "Ghost Festival".

The Mid-Autumn Festival, commonly known as the Day of the Dead and July 30, is a traditional festival in ancient China, and it is also called the three ghost festivals together with Tomb-Sweeping Day and Hanyi Festival. It has been more than a thousand years since the Mid-Autumn Festival, which started in the Northern Wei Dynasty. On this day, the custom of letting ghosts be reincarnated was inherited by the times and incorporated into the characteristics of the times in the development process.

In Buddhism's view, July and a half is the day to be grateful for the kindness of parents' growth and upbringing. Therefore, on the Mid-Autumn Festival, one's death and one's whole life can not only pin the grief for those who have passed away, but also make people remember the kindness of their parents.