Halloween taboo
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are many taboos, such as not hanging wind chimes at the bedside, combing your hair in front of the mirror in the middle of the night, wandering at the crossroads, not looking in the mirror at night, not staying up late and so on.
1. Hang wind chimes at the bedside. Wind chimes are easy to attract good brothers, and sleeping is the easiest time to be "violated".
2, plucking feet. As the saying goes, "one foot is hairy and three ghosts", so the more feet are hairy, the more afraid ghosts are to get close.
3. Night tour. People with eight characters should never go out on Halloween night, because on this day, the gates of hell are wide open and ghosts come out to wander. If he sees that you are full of yin, he may mistake you for a companion and invite you home as a guest.
4. Burning ghost paper on non-specific occasions. Paper is burned for good brothers, and gold paper is burned for God. The result of burning paper will only attract more good brothers.
5. Stealing sacrifices. These are good brothers' food. If you use them without their consent, you will only bring yourself hard luck.
6. Dry clothes at night. When a good brother thinks your clothes are beautiful, he will borrow them and leave his fragrance on them.
7. Call your name. Don't wear clothes embroidered with your own name at night, lest Yuan Shen be possessed. In addition, it is best to avoid calling others by their first names. Otherwise, once a good brother (Fujian and Taiwan's respectful name for ghosts) hears it, he will take the opportunity to take away his three souls and six souls. At the same time, if someone calls his name, don't look back and don't respond immediately.
8. Swimming. Don't swim in dangerous waters. Legend has it that the "water ghost" will find someone to be a scapegoat in order to be reborn.
9. Look around. Good brothers like to hide and scare people. In case they look around and get scared, that's the best time for them to invade you.
10. The banyan tree is at home. Because banyan is a shade-gathering plant, and it is also the favorite of good brothers, unless you want good brothers to come and sit at home.
1. Stay up late. The busiest time is midnight, and the most haunted time is midnight. Staying up late can easily lead to discouragement and invasion.
12, against the wall. Good brothers usually like to rest against the cold wall, and it is easy to go out.
13. Pick up money on the roadside. Don't pick up the change and red envelopes on the ground; Don't pick up money on the roadside casually, because it may be a good brother's, or it will be used for ghost marriage.
14. Go back and forth everywhere. From the perspective of spiritualism, there are three fires in a person's body, one on his head and one on his shoulder, so it is best not to pat others' heads and shoulders casually during the ghost month, so as not to put out the fire on him and give good brothers a chance.
15. The slipper head faces the bed. A good brother can tell where a stranger is by looking at the direction of the toe. If the toe is facing the bed, then a good brother will go to bed and sleep with you.
16. Chopsticks are inserted in the middle of the rice. This is the mode of worship, just like the incense burner, which will only attract good brothers to share food with you.
17. whistle. When you pass the cemetery, keep saying "I'm sorry to bother you!" " And keep solemn and don't whistle to show respect for good brothers.
18. Take photos at night. It's easy to bring friends from the spiritual world home with you.
19. play the disc fairy. It's easy to happen when you play disc fairy, let alone this ghost festival.
20. Slippers are neatly placed beside the bed. When traveling abroad, putting slippers neatly beside the bed will arouse the curiosity of friends in the spiritual world and cause them to make trouble in bed.
The Origin of Ghost Festival on July 15th
The 15th day of the seventh lunar month is an important traditional festival in China-the Mid-Autumn Festival. However, "Mid-Autumn Festival" is the name of China Taoism; On this same day, Buddhism called it "Dream Orchid Festival" and folks called it "Ghost Festival". These three sections not only have different expressions, but also have the same cultural connotation of offering sacrifices to ancestors and advocating filial piety and goodness. Han, Gu Xiang, Daur, Yi, Naxi, Bai, Miao, Dong, Zhuang and Tujia all have this festival custom.
In ancient times, people believed that people had three souls and seven spirits. After death, seven souls are separated, leaving only three souls called ghosts. A virtuous person who sacrifices after death will not harm mankind; But ghosts that nobody worships are different. According to legend, from the first day of July to the fifteenth day of July, the gates of hell were wide open, and ghosts from the underworld returned to the dead to visit their relatives, friends and future generations. So there is a saying that "ghosts are running around in mid-July". In these days, in order to ensure the safety of life, the people dare not act rashly for weddings, funerals and celebrations.
On July 15, every folk family worships their ancestors. Some burn incense for ancestors at home or in ancestral temples and worship at home; Some go to ancestral graves to add soil, offerings, acetylene incense and so on. After dark, take firecrackers, paper money, incense sticks, burn some paper money, set off firecrackers, send ancestors on their way and return to the "underworld." At that time, every family would offer fruits, vegetables, rice and so on. Hold various sacrificial activities, pray for the blessing of local officials and take care of the "homeless" ghosts. Set up an acid altar There are monks and nuns chanting scriptures, gods burning money and giving gifts. This activity reached its climax on July 15. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called July and a half, commonly known as "Ghost Festival". Nowadays, the folk festival of July 15th has gradually removed the superstitious color and retained the form of paying homage to ancestors.
The custom of China Mid-Autumn Festival is directly related to China's ancient view of heaven and man. In the ancient customs of China, people believed that people ascended to heaven as immortals and descended to earth as ghosts. According to the thinking concept in western cultural habits, ghosts and gods are absolutely opposite, and the relationship between man and nature is inseparable and absolutely opposite. In reality, human beings can't act on another time and space between heaven and earth. However, in China's ancient religious view, heaven and earth can be transformed into each other, and so can the position of ghosts and gods. In reality, human beings can change the relationship between another time and space according to their own actions. According to our ancestors, the relationship between god and ghost is not absolute opposition, but can be transformed according to the merits and demerits of the parties concerned. Ghosts, immortals and people are divided into good and evil, which can interact and be transposed. Without merit, the immortal may go to hell again. Ghosts in hell can be reincarnated as gods if they have merits. It is believed that people alive in the world can change the situation of ancestors and descendants of another world according to their own actions. For example, when the world can save the souls of ancestors through its own contributions and merits to the real world, it can also bring good results to future generations.
Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival has gradually become a festival to worship ancestors and pray for future generations.
The activities and customs of Ghost Festival in Yuan Dynasty
1. discharge tube
River lanterns are also called "lotus lanterns". Usually, lights or candles are placed on the base of river lights. On the night of mid-January, they were put into rivers, lakes and oceans and allowed to float. The purpose of setting off river lanterns is to ferry drowning ghosts and other ghosts in the water. Lighting rivers, especially the Yellow River, is very spectacular.
Step 2 burn street clothes
As soon as we step into the seventh month of the lunar calendar, people will hold incense sticks, gold and silver paper and some sacrifices such as tofu and white rice to worship on the roadside after dark. The purpose of people "burning street clothes" is to let those helpless souls have clothes to keep out the cold and food to wrap their stomachs.
Step 3 make eggplant cakes
It is believed that eggplant cake can be used as dry food for the late ancestors to go to Lanpen meeting. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, every household in old Nanjing cooked eggplant cakes, that is, shredded fresh eggplant, sprinkled with flour and fried. In fact, eggplant cake is now a common home-cooked dish. If you want to eat, you can make a plate to satisfy your desire.
4. Pray for a bumper harvest.
Sacrificing lonely souls on the Mid-Autumn Festival is usually associated with praying for a bumper harvest. On the night of Shigu, every household will burn incense in front of their house, pray for a bumper harvest of rice, and insert fragrant branches on the ground. This is the so-called "transplanting rice". The more you plant, the better, which symbolizes the harvest of rice in autumn.
Step 5 offer sacrifices to ancestors
The festival of ancestor worship is on the fifteenth day of July in the lunar calendar, so it is called "July and a half" for short. Folk believe that ancestors will also return home to visit their descendants at this time, so they need to worship their ancestors. Worship ceremonies are usually held in the evening before the end of July, and are not limited to a specific day.
6. Sacrifice land and crops.
On July 15, people will sacrifice land and crops and scatter their offerings in the fields. After the paper is burned, wrap it on the ears of crops with five-color paper cut into pieces. Legend has it that hail can be avoided and a bumper harvest can be obtained. At the same time, some places have to go to Houtu Temple to offer sacrifices. Dingxian folk custom hangs hemp and corn on the door.
7. put on the sky lamp.
There are also two sayings about lighting on Halloween. One is to take away your bad luck as far away as possible. At this time, it is a taboo to leave someone else's sky lantern at home. If they fall, they will be released again. Secondly, every family hopes that the dead ancestors can enter the Elysium, and put lanterns on the Ghost Festival to light the way to heaven for the ancestors who entered the Elysium.
Dietary customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival
1. Eat duck
On the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, that is, the New Year in China, many places in China will choose to eat ducks. Why? It turns out that "duck" means "pressure". In its homonym, eating duck means pressing ghosts. People in Dongguan usually eat lotus root and roast duck.
Step 2 eat rice noodles
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is a custom of eating glutinous rice flour in Dongguan, and it is widely used in almost all Dongguan. Of course, different regions have different ways to eat rice noodles.
3. Eat light meals.
In Ling Du County, Shandong Province, the Mid-Autumn Festival is called "Choking Festival" by the local people, and every household has the custom of eating humble meals.
Step 4 eat light food
In Dong Xian Town, Jiangsu Province, many villagers eat flat food (a dustpan-shaped food made of flour and sugar) on the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Step 5 Eat "jiaozi Cake"
In Tiantai, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, they will eat "jiaozi Cake", a kind of food similar to spring rolls.