Every year on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month is the Hungry Ghost Festival, commonly known as Shigu and July Half, and in Buddhism it is called the Bon Festival. Along with New Year's Eve, Qingming Festival and Double Ninth Festival, it is a traditional ancestor worship festival in China. It is also a traditional cultural festival popular in countries in the Chinese cultural circle. The Ghost Festival, or the "Obon Festival" as Buddhists call it, once held a "top" status in China's thousands of years of history.

What are the customs of the Hungry Ghost Festival?

1. Ancestor Worshiping

The Ancestor Worshiping Festival falls on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, so it is referred to as "July 15th". Folks believe that ancestors will return home to visit their descendants at this time, so ancestor worship is necessary. The worship ceremony is usually held in the evening before the end of July and is not limited to a specific day. According to the old custom, during the Hungry Ghost Festival, incense and paper are burned to ancestors to worship the spirits of the dead. The elderly people at home set up tables, chairs, and tea at the door of their homes or in front of their houses, so that returning people can come here to drink and rest free of charge to express their wishes.

2. Place river lanterns

River lanterns are also called "lotus lanterns". River lanterns are usually placed on the base with lamps or candles. They are placed in rivers, lakes and seas on the Ghost Festival Night. , let it drift. The display of river lanterns on the Hungry Ghost Festival is said to have evolved from the custom of displaying lanterns on the Shangyuan Festival (Lantern Festival). Folks believe that Shangyuan is the festival of humans and Zhongyuan is the festival of ghosts. Humans are yang, ghosts are yin, land is yang, and water is yin. Therefore, when Shangyuan lights are on land, Zhongyuan is in the water. The mysterious darkness under the water reminds people of the legendary hell, where ghosts sink. Therefore, the lanterns are lit on land during the Shangyuan period, and the lanterns are lit up on the water during the Zhongyuan period.

3. Dough Sculpture

Before July 15th, dough sculpting activities are popular among folk women, most intensely in northern Shanxi. A family is steaming steamed buns, and neighbors come to help. First, according to the actual number of people in the family, make a big steamed bun for each person. The flower buns given to the younger generation should be kneaded into a flat shape, called noodle sheep, which means the lamb kneels down to suck milk, hoping that the younger generation will not forget the kindness of their parents in raising them; the flower buns given to the elders should be kneaded into a human shape, called noodles. People, it means a house full of children and grandchildren, good fortune and longevity; the steamed buns given to common people should be shaped into fish shapes, called noodle fish, which means more than one year after another.

4. Making eggplant cakes

Folks believe that eggplant cakes can become dry food for deceased ancestors. Every family in Nanjing makes eggplant cakes on the Ghost Festival, which means cutting fresh eggplants into shreds, adding flour and frying them in oil. In fact, eggplant cakes are now a very common home-cooked dish. If you want to eat, you can make a plate to satisfy your craving at any time.

5. Praying for a good harvest

Sacrifices during the Ghost Festival are often associated with praying for a good harvest. The Hungry Ghost Festival is also the harvest season. In addition to offering sacrifices to ghosts, it also undertakes the task of praying for a good harvest. Therefore, on the night of the Ghost Festival, every household will burn incense at the door of their home to pray for a good harvest, and insert incense branches on the ground. This is also called "Bu Tian" (seedling transplanting), and the more you plant, the better, symbolizing a bumper harvest of rice and a bumper autumn harvest.

6. Sacrifice to land and crops

On July 15th, it is also popular among the people to worship land and crops. Scatter the offerings into the field, burn the paper, and then use five-color paper cut into pieces to wrap around the ears of the crops. Legend has it that it can avoid hail attacks and achieve a bumper harvest in autumn. In some places, sacrifices are also performed at Houtu Temple.

The Ghost Festival is the embodiment of traditional Chinese culture. The Ghost Festival contains thousands of years of Chinese traditional virtues - filial piety. The festival is a traditional cultural festival to remember the ancestors, and its cultural core is respect. Filial piety to ancestors.