Today is Ghost Festival (the origin and celebration of traditional festivals)

Today is Ghost Festival, also known as Zhongyuan Festival and Arahara Festival. This is a traditional festival in China, which is usually celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. On this day, people will sacrifice ancestors and the dead, and carry out a series of activities to express their memory and respect for their deceased relatives.

The origin of ghost festival

The origin of Ghost Festival can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms period. It is said that there was a writer named Yang Xiu at that time. After his father died, he was very sad and burned incense at the grave. However, all his friends laughed at his uselessness because his father was dead and he couldn't know what he was doing. Therefore, Yang Xiu wrote an article explaining the importance of offering sacrifices to ancestors and stressing that people should respect the souls of the dead. This article later spread and became the origin of Ghost Festival.

The way to celebrate Halloween

On Halloween, people will carry out a series of activities to commemorate their dead relatives and ancestors. Here are some common ways to celebrate:

offer sacrifices to ancestors

Sacrificing ancestors is one of the most important activities of Ghost Festival. People will burn incense at home or in front of ancestral graves to show their memory and respect for their deceased relatives.

Put on a river lantern.

Putting lanterns on the river is a traditional way to celebrate. People will put lanterns with candles by the river and let them drift on the river. This symbolizes people's prayers and thoughts for their deceased relatives.

banknote

Burning paper money is also one of the traditional Halloween activities. People will burn paper money in the street or in front of ancestral graves to show their respect and nostalgia for their deceased relatives.

Watch a ghost play

Watching ghost plays is also one of the traditional activities of Ghost Festival. People get together to watch performances, usually about ghosts and fairy tales.