July 31 (a traditional festival in China)

Five days after the long and romantic Chinese Valentine's Day, our traditional festival-July 31 was ushered in.

Many people regard July 31 as Ghost Festival, so they are reluctant to mention it. Do you know the real July 31?

July 31 is one of the three traditional festivals for ancestor worship in China, which can be traced back to ancestor worship and related festivals in ancient times. In the Book of Changes, seven is a changing number. Repeat the same thing, and return to the sky for seven days. Seventh, after the yang number, the number of days and the yang between heaven and earth are extinct, they can be resurrected after seven days.

This is the way of the operation of heaven and earth, and the way of the ups and downs of Yin and Yang, so the people choose to worship their ancestors on July 14th, 277. (This year's July and a half is August 11, 2122, and it's the third day of Wushen month in Renyin year, and the fourth day of July in the lunar calendar. )

July is auspicious month and filial month, and July 31 is a folk festival to celebrate the harvest and reward the earth in early autumn. People should offer sacrifices to their ancestors, offer sacrifices with new rice, report Qiu Cheng to their ancestors, and express their yearning for their ancestors and relatives. The festival of ancestor worship in July and a half is called Zhongyuan Festival, which originated after the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, in the Tang Dynasty, when the rulers praised Taoism, the Taoist Zhongyuan Festival began to flourish and gradually fixed Zhongyuan as the festival name. Set the time as July 15 of the lunar calendar, and it has been used ever since.

(This year's Mid-Autumn Festival falls on August 2, 2122, and it falls on Ding You Day in Wuyin, Renyin, and on July 15th and Friday in the lunar calendar). Among the Taoist gods, there are Tiangong (heavenly official), Digong (local official) and Shuigong (water official), which are collectively called Sangong Emperor or Sanyuan Emperor. They are the representatives of heaven and earth stationed in the world, and they respectively check the merits and demerits of the heavenly emperor's families on Sanyuan Day. The magistrate is to open the door of hell and let the dead leave the underworld and go home to see.

Since they are coming back from the underground palace, future generations should light an ever-burning lamp to illuminate their way home. Perhaps it is because the underground is too dark that the light will have the warmth of home, or maybe they can't tell the way home. They came back because they were worried about future generations. So we have to show them a beautiful life. Do a general cleaning at home one or two days in advance, and then display the favorite items of ancestors and relatives neatly at home.

In order to respect the elderly, it is also to improve our mental outlook, so that our ancestors will no longer worry about us and can do their things with confidence. This is the unique human flavor of China people. Our ancestors and relatives passed away, but they didn't leave us. They just lived in another world. Of course, people cannot be resurrected after death, and they are not superstitious, so that they can remember their ancestors from generation to generation.

One of the customs is to spend money. To write a baggage list, just like writing a courier list, you usually fill in the names of three generations. If it is clear, you can fill in seven generations, so that future generations can remember the names of their ancestors. This is also the embodiment of filial piety and filial piety that China people talk about, and they should be filial to the elderly before and after their lives.

The core significance of July and a half lies in a cultural embodiment of respecting ancestors and filial piety and cherishing ancestors. When you burn paper for your ancestors, you will also look after your neighbors' ancestors. In the past, we used to sweep graves and repair graves, and the cemeteries in our neighbors symbolically swept and greeted each other. This is also the concept of loving the great, the good and the beautiful, reflecting the old and the old, the young and the young.

There are many customs in July and a half. Here are a few.

first, recommend new ancestors. In ancient times, people relied on the protection of the gods for the harvest of farming. Ancestors are worshipped in spring, summer, autumn and winter, but autumn compensation in early autumn is very important. Autumn is the harvest season, and people hold ceremonies to offer sacrifices to the ancestors. Give the best seasonal products to God first, then taste the fruits of these labors and pray for a good harvest in the coming year.

Secondly, in some places, there is a custom that grandmothers send sheep to their grandchildren. In the past, it was to send real live sheep, but later it was changed to send sheep. Sending sheep is to let children know filial piety to their mothers from an early age, just like crows feeding back and lambs kneeling and nursing.

thirdly, the custom of putting out river lanterns. Generally, lotus leaf lanterns are placed, and there are also mussels that put lanterns. In order to light up their way home and lead them to find their own home, fireworks and lights are of special significance to China people. It symbolizes the prosperity of people and successors.

fourthly, the custom of giving birth to a child. It was a custom that began in the Song Dynasty. In July, neighbors gave dolls to each other, wishing families without children early birth and continuing the incense. People who receive gifts should express their gratitude and send gifts in return, which inherits the custom of reciprocity in China and develops a beautiful and harmonious neighborhood relationship.

fifth, entertaining the gods. In the festival of apoptosis, this is a very important cultural and recreational activity for local communities. In the past, every time a sacrificial ceremony was held in Shanghai, Lord Chenghuang would be carried out, accompanied by dragon dancing and walking on stilts.

Of course, there are sacrificial customs in different places, so here is a general description. Suddenly I don't need to say so much, and I feel that I may not use it in the future. Think about it, too. While carrying forward and inheriting China culture, will we also lose our culture? Of course, it is very important to protect and maintain environmental sanitation, which is understandable. What is worth pondering is, will we lose our 5,111-year-old culture and etiquette in China after we have fulfilled the task of maintaining the environment?

If we go on like this, will there be no difference between China people and foreigners? We should know that our 5,111-year-old culture and etiquette are the etiquette passed down by ancestors' sacrifices and ancestor worship for thousands of years, so that we have a set of standard etiquette and a culture that we can inherit. It really feels sad. I can't help crying because China people can't protect their etiquette and culture. But I believe everything will be all right.

Although some changes have taken place in the way of offering sacrifices, we can still offer sacrifices to our ancestors in a civilized and traditional way. We can worship our ancestors with chicken, fish, pigs, wine, rice, etc., then bow down and talk to them more.

Filial piety is a behavior that is respected by families, schools, religious places, society and even the whole world. Filial piety should be a natural behavior. Crows know how to feed back, and lambs know how to kneel and nurse, not to mention people. China's filial piety culture for thousands of years goes far beyond filial piety to parents. China is talking about blood culture, so ancestors are very important in the concept of China people. They are not only family pioneers, but also spiritual carriers. It was the ancestors of the family that gave birth to my grandfather, father and mother, and I was born.

The so-called eighteen generations of ancestors refer to the clan members of their own nine generations, from small to large: Er Sun, Yun Sun, Still Sun, Xi Sun, Lai Sun, Great Sun, Great Sun, Son, Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather, Great Grandfather, Tianzu, Liezu, Taizu, Distant Grandfather and originator. It is especially important to note that when filling out the baggage list for ancestors, all ancestors' names must be written correctly, and you can't make a mistake or write homophones, and you can't leave out your first name and only leave your surname as a surname.

the names of ancestors must be made clear, otherwise it is unfilial to ancestors. Moreover, the names of ancestors should be known from an early age, so that you can't forget your ancestors and forget your roots when you are young. Our ancestors left a lot of experience, so we need to learn from them and revise ourselves constantly. Only in this way can we not be conceited, follow the crowd and get lost. Ancestors, like a patron saint, have always lived in our hearts, guarded us and told us to strive for goodness and live.

There is no such thing as Mother's Day and Father's Day in China's traditional culture. These are all from the United States. China's filial piety culture is reflected in daily life. There are not only sacrifices to ancestors, filial piety to parents, but also respect for the elders at home, and more importantly, respect for the elders in society. Therefore, filial piety is a long-term behavior for each of us, not a product of appearing in a circle of friends at a specific time.

It should be an instinctive behavior to respect the elderly. Perhaps it is to put down the mobile phone and headphones to talk to them, eat or cook a table of their favorite food, or just make a video call with the elderly at home. Filial piety culture is so natural. Parents are getting old, so we should also give sacrifices to our ancestors. Maybe you have spent a lot of time and energy, or maybe you are not understood or taken for granted by your relatives.

What's the harm? I'm just doing my job, learning to take good care of everyone and arranging my life.

From this, I can also improve my ability: communicate seriously and effectively, and understand and tolerate everyone. Now I am more confident, more willing to learn from others, and my family is more dependent on me.