Legends about the Mid-Autumn Festival 1 There are many legends about the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the most important ones are as follows:
According to folk sayings, it is said that on July 15th, the hell opened wide and ghosts appeared everywhere, and there was a folk song "In July and a half, ghosts scurried around". Those who worship will return to their hometown to accept the worship of their descendants; If there is no sacrifice, some people ask Buddhism and Taoism to do things "Pudu" so as not to make the wandering ghosts and ghosts do harm.
According to Taoism, the 15th day of the seventh lunar month is the birthday of the local officials, and the emperor of the local officials will pray for forgiveness of sins for ghosts, release all the ghost prisoners in prison, free prisoners from hunger and ghosts, and return to the world to enjoy incense and food for a month from the beginning of July, so as to arouse their heart for the Tao. Through the process of sacrificial rites and Taoist practices, believers help local officials to cross over the dead and hungry ghosts, so that they can be freed as soon as possible and avoid making trouble in the world. Therefore, Taoist priests recite scriptures, practice and do things on this day with three sacrifices and five fruits.
Taoism calls heaven, earth and water "three elements"; Yuan is the beginning of everything. Taoism believes that the ternary qi of heaven, earth and water is the foundation for the initial generation of human beings and the long-term cultivation of all things, and it is also called "ternary day" when the ternary qi is placed on the three days of the lunar calendar; On the fifteenth day of the first month of the last Yuan Dynasty, on the fifteenth day of July in the middle Yuan Dynasty, and on the fifteenth day of October in the next Yuan Dynasty; Therefore, the meaning of "Zhongyuan" means July 15th. "Sanyuan Day" is said to be the birthday of the Taoist "Three Officials Emperor"; Shangyuan Day is the birthday of "Shangyuan Yipin heavenly god blesses the people the Great"; Zhongyuan and Xiayuantian are the birthdays of "the Emperor who pardons sins with the second grade officials in Zhongyuan" and "the Emperor who relieves Eritrea with the third grade officials in Xiayuan" respectively. The position of the Three Officials Emperor is second only to that of the Jade Emperor God, who rules all souls. Therefore, Sanyuan Day is an important festival in Daodun, and fasting ceremonies are held on these three days.
On the other hand, Zhongyuan is also a Buddhist "Orchid Festival", and its founder is said to be Xiao Yan, Liang Wudi in the Southern Dynasties. The word "Euglena basin" comes from the Buddhist saying, and it is called "Sanskrit ULLAMBANA", which means "to save the upside down". The pain of life is like a bat hanging upside down on a tree, hanging and miserable. In Indian Buddhist ceremonies, Buddhists held a "Bonbon Meeting" in order to recommend their ancestors. In Buddhist scriptures, the Bonbon Sutra aims to cultivate filial piety and encourage Buddhist disciples. In order to save all living beings from the suffering of hanging upside down, it recites scriptures and distributes food for lonely souls and wild ghosts.
There are also many different kinds of folk festivals, which have the same meaning as the Mid-Yuan Festival, such as Mugu Festival (Hebei), Tianliao Festival (Guangdong), Fresh Fruit Festival (Buyi), Pig Grab Festival (She) and Harvest Festival (Gaoshan).
From this, we can see that such festivals and customs, whether Taoism, Buddhism or folk customs, are all carried out around the same purpose, such as offering sacrifices to ancestors, crossing the dead, celebrating the harvest, praying for good weather, making the country prosperous and the people safe. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, it has been a common belief among the people that Buddhism and Taoism are integrated. Because these activities are basically scheduled for July 15th, the boundaries between them are gradually blurred, and today's custom of "Purdue in Zhongyuan" is formed.
So why do Taoism, Buddhism, and the people set such sacrificial activities around July 15?
There is a record in the Book of Rites and the Moon Order: "It is a woman (July), and the farmer is going to the valley, and the son of heaven tastes the new, and recommends the sleeping temple first." This contains two meanings: first, July is the harvest season; Secondly, according to China's law of choosing a day, July 15th is the first day to look at the sun in the second half of the year, and it is also often the first full moon after beginning of autumn. Therefore, in the folk, it is not necessary to worship ancestors strictly according to this time, but due to the influence of the first reason, they often choose to worship ancestors around July 15; On the other hand, the son of heaven will definitely choose to symbolically sacrifice the new valley to the ancestral temple on this day to express his respect for his ancestors. Because ancestor worship occupies a very important position in China people's beliefs, the custom of "recommending new things" has survived for thousands of years. Even after it has disappeared from national festivals, the people still maintain the custom of "recommending new things" and it is held on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. This is the original origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Legend about the Mid-Autumn Festival 3 "Mid-Autumn Festival" originated in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and "Mid-Autumn Festival" is a Taoist saying. Taoist classics call the 15th day of the first month Shang Yuan, the 15th day of July Zhong Yuan and the 15th day of October Xia Yuan. He also matched "three yuan" with "three officials", saying that Tianguan was blessed by God and was born on the fifteenth day of the first month.
Taoism regards the 15th day of the seventh lunar month as the day when the local officials in the Middle Yuan Dynasty forgive sins. At that time, the local officials will check and test the performances of immortals, mortals and animals in heaven and earth, so as to be convicted and exempted from punishment. Laozi's Zhang Sentences in the Eastern Han Dynasty quoted Tao Jing: "On the 15th of July, the day of the Mid-Yuan Dynasty, the local officials and schools searched for people to distinguish between good and evil ..... and recited them day and night. Ten Great Sages, Qi Yongling. The prisoner was hungry, and he was relieved at that time. "
"The Book of Practice" also said: "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 hungry prisoners were also freed."
Therefore, on the 15th of July, Taoism will hold a "Mid-Yuan Purdue", in which three sacrifices and five fruits will be used to purdue ten ghosts and ghosts, and by the way, we will pray for good weather, peace and prosperity. The people will prepare rich sacrificial rites to worship the emperor and his ancestors.
Legends about the Mid-Autumn Festival 4 The Mid-Autumn Festival on July 15th is called Ghost Festival.
In fact, from the first day of the seventh lunar month to the 30th of July, the ghost gate is wide open. Folklore believes that there will be many lonely souls wandering in the dead during this period of time.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a day that Chinese people attach great importance to. Every year, there will be many grand ceremonies to worship Purdue on the Mid-Autumn Festival.
This Ghost Festival is also the largest and most expensive festival among many Chinese festivals.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is also the "Yulan Festival" of Buddhism. The story about the Yulan Festival has always been circulated among the people. In other words, Mulian's mother Liu Qingjie was sent to hell.
Mulian used her magical power to see his mother fall into the evil spirit path, with a big stomach and a small throat, unable to eat and very hungry. When he saw this, he took the rice to feed his mother, but as soon as it was imported, it burned to ashes.
Mulian was so sad that she asked Sakyamuni for help. Sakyamuni told him: His mother's sin is too deep, and it is necessary to list all kinds of flavors in pots and offer them to all the monks, so as to solve his mother's suffering.
Finally, he helped his mother out of the misery of hanging upside down. Therefore, future generations should remember that on the 15th of July every year, they should repay their parents' kindness by offering Buddha and monks in a basin.
Chinese society will begin to worship in this month, and some places will hold Purdue Bye-bye. The Yulan Festival is the second largest festival for Chinese besides the Lunar New Year.
On the Ghost Festival in July, it is not difficult for you to see altars in the open spaces and temples in the streets and lanes. Some big sacrifices will be offered to worship the ghost king. The Ghost King, also known as Purdue King, is said to be the incarnation of Guanyin.
Different regions have different ways of worship. Private worship is a personal worship at home. Jiepu is an individual day to worship. Shi Pu is a big Pu Du with the market as the main body.
On July 30 th, the ghost gate closed, and the one-month Zhongyuan ended like this.