What is the July Festival? What is its origin?

Legend has it that every year from July 1, the King of Hell ordered to open the gates of hell, so that those who have suffered all year round imprisoned in hell of the souls of the ghosts out of hell, get a short-term wandering, to enjoy the earth's blood food, so people call July as the ghost month, this month is considered to be an inauspicious month, not to marry, nor to move.

On the 14th/15th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar every year, the Yu Lan Festival, also known as the Mid-Yuan Festival, the half of the 7th month, or the Ghost Festival, used to be the night when people not only worshiped their ancestors, but also prepared some dishes, wine, rice, gold, silver, clothes, paper and other things to go to the intersection of the ghosts and gods to pay homage to the ghosts and deities.

July 14/15 inclusive of the festival is more complex, both the folk ghost festival, but also the Taoist Festival of the Middle Ages, the Buddhist Bon Festival, monks, Taoist and popular three streams of unity. In Taoism, there are the so-called Heavenly Officials, Earthly Officials, and Water Officials, collectively known as the Three Officials, who are the representatives of the Jade Emperor on earth, and who examine the good and evil on earth every year and report back to heaven. The three officials have their birthdays on the fifteenth day of the first month, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and the fifteenth day of the tenth month, which are also called Sanyuan. The 15th day of the 7th month, called Zhongyuan, is the time when the magistrate of the earth schools the registers and pardons sins. On this day, he has to take out a thick roster, and according to the performances of the gods, mortals, and animals, he ticks off the names and pardons the sins and removes the punishments. Folk in the Day of the Mid-Yuan Festival to engage in some ritual activities to save those lonely souls and wild ghosts, should be related to the magistrate's pardon of sins. July 15 is also the Buddhist Bon Festival. It is said that Shakyamuni had a disciple named Meilian, his mother, although young and beautiful, but no good words and deeds, love money and petty, especially hate the monks, after death into the ranks of the evil spirits, Meilian according to the Buddha group instructions, on the 15th day of the seventh month, to prepare a hundred flavors of five fruits, all kinds of utensils, into the pot, to feed the monks in ten directions, his mother just out of the realm of the evil spirits, ascended to heaven. In view of this, the Buddha extended the idea and asked Buddhist disciples to do filial piety by making a bon on the 15th of July every year to give alms to the Buddha and the monks in order to repay their parents for their kindness. The significance of the Buddhist Bon is in harmony with Confucian filial piety, and this day has become a ghost festival for the people to pay tribute to their deceased parents and ancestors.

July 14/15 of the lunar calendar is the biggest festival in the netherworld - the Ghost Festival, also known as the Zhongyuan Festival or Bon Festival, one of the three major festivals of the underworld in China. Folklore has the legend of the Ghost Festival in the netherworld after the Lantern Festival in the sunny world. It is said that on that day, the King of Hell will also be dressed in costume and ghosts crowd **** degree of festivities, and let us living people together for their blessings, wishing people in the other world to wish for success, happy to enjoy the happiness of the earth did not have time to enjoy. Therefore, many local boundaries in our country will be organized at the time of the festival, the Buddha, purification of graves, review, flower viewing, fishing and other activities to celebrate.

It is the Ghost Festival.

July 14/15, the day when the ghost gate is wide open. Whether it is burning paper money to send blessings, or hold a daisy to send condolences, or the Internet to sacrifice ancestors, or put the river lamps, today the living together to think of the past, *** with the same to send the blessings of the ancestors, is the spontaneous human spirituality, is the extension of feelings, is the most basic beliefs. And at the same time, "the living should cherish every day of their lives, not to be ashamed of society and friends, not to be ashamed of their loved ones who have gone away forever. Because, one day we have to meet with them, and then, you can proudly say, in the earth is a good man, in the netherworld also to be a ghost hero!"