Ghost Festival
The Ghost Festival (Traditional Chinese: 中元節 pinyin: chungyuanjie) is a traditional Chinese festival/holiday, which is celebrated by Chinese in many countries. In the Chinese calendar (a lunar calendar), the Ghost Festival is on the fifteen day of the 7th lunar month.
In Chinese tradition, the 7th month in Chinese calendar is called the Ghost Month (Traditional Chinese: 鬼月), in which ghosts and spirits come out from the lower world to visit earth. The Ghost Festival is the climax of a series of the Ghost Month celebrations. Activities at the festival include preparing ritualistic offering food, and buring Spiritual Money (or paper money) to please the visiting ghosts and spirits as well as the deities and ancestors. Other activities include burying and releasing miniature paper boats and lanterns on water, which signifies "giving directions to the lost ghosts". A very solemn festival, the festival nevertheless represents a connection between living and death, earth and heaven as well as body and soul.
The Ghost Festival has rootings from Buddhist festival, Ullambana, and Daoist culture. In the Tang Dynasty, the Buddhist festival "Ullambana" and traditional festivities mixed to be celebrated on one day. Thus, the Ghost Festival has special meaning for all Buddhists as one of their most important festivals.
Referenced By
Chinese Calendar | Chinese lunar calendar | Chinese year | Festival of Taiwan | Festivals in Taiwan | Holidays in Taiwan | Holidays of the Republic of China
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