Is Tomb-Sweeping Day Ghost Festival July 14?

Yes, it is one of the four Halloween festivals in China. Every year, the 14th day of the seventh lunar month is the Ghost Festival in China-it is renamed "Magnolia Festival".

Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the important "eight festivals a year" in China. Generally, it is around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar, and the festival is very long. There are two sayings: 8 days before 10 and 10 days before 10, and these 20 days belong to Tomb-Sweeping Day. Tomb-Sweeping Day originally referred to Tomb-Sweeping Day, and the government of the Republic of China designated April 5, 1935 as a national holiday, that is, 15 days after the vernal equinox, also known as the National Tomb Sweeping Festival.

Ghost Festival, as its name implies, is a festival for ghosts and a festival for offering sacrifices to ghosts. There are four Halloween in China, namely, July 30th, Tomb-Sweeping Day, March 3rd and 1 October1day. There is a Mexican Ghost Festival in the West, but the most famous one is Halloween. This entry will introduce the origin culture of various ghost festivals at home and abroad in detail.

★ Halloween is that day.

The first statement:

Every July 14 is the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Ghost Festival or Magnolia Festival, which is a big festival to worship ghosts.

The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from Taoism, and later Buddhism changed to what is now commonly known as Ghost Festival. In India, Magnolia Festival means "hanging upside down". "Hanging upside down" means that after the death of the mother of the ten sons of Sakyamuni, she was hungry and could not eat. Later, I got help from Sakyamuni. Support the ten gods and buddhas with a hundred flavors and five fruits, and save the mother with merits. So now, in order to worship the ghosts, Purdue Festival is held in July of the lunar calendar, which is now called Ghost Festival.

Generally speaking, in ancient times, people were reluctant to do important things such as getting married this month.

The second statement:

As for the origin of the Ghost Festival, it is said that the Bodhisattva Diksitigarbha, also known as [the Lord of Hell], came to the underworld after her mother died, was imprisoned in her cell, and suffered from various eighteen levels of hell. Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha is a dutiful son and can't bear to see his mother suffer. On July 15, he had an affair and asked the boy guarding the cell to secretly open the cell door and let his mother out. Who knows it's not important? Those ghosts who run back to their hometown ask for money from home, let them go back to life and get through their joints, hoping to support their lives as soon as possible. Later, people designated this day as Ghost Festival.

On Halloween, people will burn paper money and offer sacrifices to show their respect for their deceased relatives.

★ China Ghost Festival

In China, the date of Ghost Festival is 15 in July of the lunar calendar.

Lunar July 15 is the biggest festival in the underworld-Ghost Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival or Orchid Festival, and it is one of the three major festivals in China. There is a folk legend that the Lantern Festival is celebrated in the underworld and the Ghost Festival is celebrated in the underworld. It is said that on that day, Yan Xihui will spend the festive season with ghosts dressed in costumes. Let us living people bless them together and wish people in another world all their wishes come true and enjoy the happiness that this world has not had time to enjoy. Therefore, many local festivals in our country will hold activities such as offering sacrifices, chanting Buddha, sweeping graves, reviewing, enjoying flowers and fishing to celebrate.

Ghost Festival originated from the story of Manglietia's rescue of mother: "People with Manglietia monks have great strength. His mother fell into the hungry ghost road, and the food mouth turned into flames. Hunger was too bitter. Unable to save his mother, Mu Lian asked the Buddha for advice. In order to talk about the Lanpen Sutra, she taught July 15th to make a Lanpen to save her mother. " It is said that Mulian went through all kinds of hardships to meet her dead mother Liu in the underworld and found that she was tortured by a group of hungry ghosts. Manglietia tried to give her a bowl of vegetable rice, but the vegetable rice was taken away by the hungry ghost. Mu Lian had to ask the Buddha for help. The Buddha was moved by Mu Lian's filial piety and gave him the Lanjing. According to the instructions, Manglietia arranged a vegetarian feast for her mother in a orchid pot on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. The hungry mother finally got the food. Buddhists hold a grand "bonsai" every year to commemorate the filial piety of Manglietia, which is what we now call "Ghost Festival".

According to the book, on this day in ancient times, people would set up a magician's seat and a stone drum platform in front of Jiekou Village in advance. There is a bodhisattva in front of the master's seat, who is the treasure king who crossed the ghost of "hell". Below is a plate of peaches and rice. Shigu stood on the stage, holding three spiritual cards and evocative complex items in his hand. After noon, families put whole pigs, whole sheep, chickens, ducks and geese and various cakes, fruits and melons on the stone drum stage. The person in charge inserted a triangular paper flag of blue, red and green on each sacrifice, and wrote the words "Yulan Festival" and "Manna Gate Open". The ceremony began with solemn temple music. Then, the mage rang the bell and led the monks in the seat to recite various spells and mantras. Then feed, sprinkle a plate of peaches and rice in all directions and repeat three times. This ceremony is called "the opening of the flame". Wang Kaitai, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, once wrote a poem: "The Dojo is full of ghosts, and the original ancient meaning of Magnolia still exists. However, it is strange that the red plaque is attached to the door, and the meat mountain wine sea celebrates the Central Plains. " It describes the Halloween customs along the southeast coast of China.

It can be seen that "Ghost Festival" is due to the filial piety of traditional virtues. Nowadays, people in northern China still burn paper money on this day to pay homage to their ancestors who died young and express their thoughts for their loved ones. Although the sacrificial way is simple, it basically retains the simple meaning of Ghost Festival. Because of the call of blood, the extension of feelings and the reminder of one's future, Ghost Festival is endowed with rich humanistic connotation. Even if the years are different and the burned gifts are different, the living will never finish reading endless grief and deep nostalgia for their distant relatives. However, "people of different ages have different feelings about this special festival, because the future festival is coming to them mercilessly, from obscurity to clarity, from missing to fear, from fear to calmness. When they miss the people of the past, they are actually thinking about their experiences, contents, ways and pursuits in today's life."

On July 15, the gate of hell was wide open. Whether it's burning paper money to send blessings, holding daisies to mourn, offering sacrifices to ancestors on the Internet, or putting out river lanterns, today's living people miss the past and send blessings to their ancestors together. This is the spontaneity of human spirit, the extension of feelings and the most basic belief. And at the same time, "the living should cherish every day, not be ashamed of society and friends, and not be ashamed of their loved ones who have left forever." Because, one day we will meet them. At that time, you can proudly say that you are a hero on earth and a ghost hero in the underworld! "

★ Lunar July

According to legend, the seventh month of the lunar calendar is a "ghost month". The first day of July is the day when the "Hell's Gate" opens wide. During the period from July 1 day when the gate of hell opens to the 30th day when the gate of hell closes, lonely souls in the underworld will rush to death and wander anywhere where people can find something to eat. Therefore, people hold "Purdue" in July by chanting. In order to popularize the original ghosts, I am afraid that they will bring disasters to the community, or pray for ghosts to help cure diseases and protect the safety of their homes.

★ Taoist statement

Taoist festivals are divided into three times throughout the year (collectively referred to as "Sanyuan"). The origin of the Orchid Festival is to express a wide range of love.

The fifteenth day of the first month is called Shangyuan.

Mainly to hold a blessing ceremony.

July 15 is called "Central Plains".

Forgive the sins of the dead.

Zhongyuan ceremony is to atone for the dead, but it can never completely alleviate the sin, just a little. I hope they can rest in peace in the dry days.

1October15th is called "Xia Yuan".

Is to relieve bad luck for those who are at fault.

During the ceremony, they will not only turn over for the dead souls, but also save their friends from those who died for their country and died in battle. The sesame oil money obtained in the ceremony is mainly used to buy sacrifices.

★ Buddhist allusions

There is an allusion to the origin of "Yulan Festival". It is said that Buddha Sakyamuni received ten disciples when he was alive. One of them is Mulian, a yogi, whose parents died before he reached the Tao. Because Mulian was very concerned about her dead mother, he used his eyes to see how her mother lived in the underworld. It turns out that they have become hungry ghosts, have no food or drink, and are in a poor situation.

Mulian felt very sad after reading it, so she used her magic power to bring some food to her mother. Unfortunately, as soon as the food was delivered to the mouth, it immediately turned into a flame. Mu Lian was very sad after seeing this situation, so he told Sakyamuni about it. The Buddha taught him that his mother planted many sins when she was alive, so she fell into the hungry ghost road after her death and was beyond redemption. This evil obstacle cannot be solved by him alone, so she must gather.

Later, this legend has been spread to later generations and gradually formed a folk custom. Every year in the middle of the seventh lunar month, people will slaughter chickens and ducks, burn incense and clothes, and worship the hungry ghosts coming out of the underworld, so as to resolve grievances and avoid harming the world. Over time, the custom of Halloween was formed.

Therefore, every year in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, people will kill chickens and ducks, burn incense and clothes, and worship the hungry ghosts who come out of the underworld to resolve grievances and avoid harming the world. Over time, there was the Orchid Festival.