The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on July 15th, which is known as Ghost Festival. This statement is too popular. In fact, this day has a foreign scientific name called "". The Mid-Autumn Festival has the same meaning as the "Ghost Festival" as we understand it, that is, the day when the ghost door is wide open and the ancestors are worshipped on earth. What is the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival? Below, I will tell you a story about the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The name "Zhongyuan" originated in the Northern Wei Dynasty and is a Taoist saying. According to ancient records, the fifteenth day of the first month of the Taoist scriptures is "Shangyuan" and heavenly god blesses the people Day; July 15 is "Zhongyuan", which is the day when local officials forgive sins; October 15 is the "Xiayuan", which is the day for the water officials to relieve Eritrea. According to the Book of Practice, "On the Mid-Yuan Day in July, the local officials descended, and the good and evil on earth were determined, so the Taoist priests chanted scriptures at night and the prisoners were freed from hunger." Therefore, on the 15th of July, people will prepare rich sacrificial rites to worship the local officials and their ancestors.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is the product of the combination of Taoism and China traditional folk customs. The two can correspond, mainly based on the same world view: heaven, earth and water, which are deified into three government departments under the jurisdiction of heaven, earth and water officials. The so-called "Three Realms Duke" among the people refers to the three gods with three officials.
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty in China, Tianshi Taoism had integrated the pre-Taoist world view, and the first time it was necessary to put "three official calligraphy" in heaven, earth and water to express repentance to the three officials and pray for peace. After the development of the Six Dynasties, the three-meeting day was combined with the ternary thought. Under the official advocacy of the Tang Dynasty, the ternary days of Shangyuan, Zhongyuan and Xiayuan were stereotyped and became ternary festivals to pray for Naji and worship the ancestors. The emperor led hundreds of officials to participate in the festival ceremony. After the Tang and Song Dynasties, Sanyuan Day became a folk festival.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Taoist temples, such as the Temple of Fire in Di 'anmen and the Baiyun Temple outside Xibianmen, hold the "Dojo for Blessing Good Luck" as usual every year in order to pray for "good weather, peaceful country and people's safety". Because of their fear, people combine Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in their daily lives, and call the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month Ghost Festival.
after the introduction of Buddhism, there was also a ritual of worshipping ancestors in Buddhism, which was called "ULLAMBANA" (Hindi word), that is, "Menglanben meeting". The meaning of Menglan basin is hanging upside down, and the pain of life is like a bat hanging upside down on a tree, hanging and miserable. In order to save all living beings from the suffering of hanging upside down, it is necessary to chant scriptures and give food to ghosts and ghosts. This happens to coincide with China's ghost-moon worship, and Buddhism also holds a prayer meeting on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, so the Mid-Yuan Festival and Menglan Meeting are handed down at the same time.
Summary: Every festival is set up for a reason. Now, many of us only know how to join in the fun with the festival, and we don't understand the connotation and history of the festival at all. This is too superficial. Let's learn more knowledge and improve our connotation.