What is Ghost Festival? Ghosts also have festivals?
In western countries, there is a "Halloween" on June 3 1 every year, which is interpreted as "Halloween" in the dictionary and "Halloween night" in Chinese translation. Halloween is a traditional festival in western countries. This night is the most haunted night of the year, so it is also called "Ghost Festival".
More than two thousand years ago, the Catholic Church in Europe designated 1 65438+1October1as "All Hallows' Day". "Saint" means saint. Legend has it that since 500 BC, Celts living in Ireland, Scotland and other places have moved this festival forward by one day, that is, 65438+1October 3 1. They think that this day is the day when summer officially ends, that is, the beginning of the new year and the beginning of the severe winter. At that time, people believed that on this day, the dead souls of the deceased would return to their former homes to look for all beings, so as to be reborn, which was the only hope of being reborn after death. Living people are afraid of dead souls to take life, so people put out fire and candlelight on this day, so that dead souls can't find living people and dress up as monsters to scare away dead souls. After that, they will rekindle the candlelight and start a new year's life. Legend has it that Celtic tribes also had the custom of killing the living to commemorate the dead on June 3 10.
By the 1 century, the Romans who occupied the territory of Celtic tribes gradually accepted the custom of Halloween, but the barbaric practice of burning the living to sacrifice the dead was abolished. Roman festivals celebrating harvest were combined with Celtic rituals, wearing terrible masks and dressed as animals or ghosts to drive away demons wandering around them. This is why most people in the world celebrate Halloween with strange costumes today. With the passage of time, the meaning of Halloween has gradually changed, becoming active, joyful and festive. The idea of the deceased seeking the reincarnation of body double was gradually abandoned and forgotten. Today, most images and pictures symbolizing Halloween, such as witches and black cats, have friendly, lovely and interesting faces. Florida, USA: Underwater Halloween
The word "Halloween" came into being. Many ethnic groups hold a celebration party on Halloween, which is also called Halloween, Halloween, Halloween or Halloween. Finally, the agreement evolved into "Halloween" and the Chinese translation became Halloween night.
Halloween custom-trick or treat.
An interesting content of Halloween is "trick or treat", but this custom did not originate from Ireland, but from the Christian church in Europe in the ninth century. At that time,165438+1October 2nd was called "All Souls Day" by Christians. On this day, believers trudged in the backcountry, begging from door to door for "soul bread" made of flour and raisins. It is said that people who donate cakes believe in the prayers of church monks, hoping to get God's protection and let their dead relatives enter heaven as soon as possible. This tradition of begging from door to door has evolved into a game, with children begging for candy from door to door with pumpkin lanterns. When they met, the children dressed as ghosts threatened to make trouble without inviting them to dinner, but the host naturally dared not neglect and repeatedly said, "Please eat! Please eat! " At the same time, put the candy into the big pocket that the child carries with him.
There is also a story about pumpkins carved into lanterns. This comes from ancient Ireland. The story is about a man named Jack. He is drunk and likes playing practical jokes. One day, Jack tricked the devil into climbing a tree, and then carved a cross on the stump, threatening the devil not to come down. Then Jack made an agreement with the devil to let him come down from the tree on the condition that the devil promised to cast a spell so that Jack would never commit a crime. After Jack died, his soul could neither go to heaven nor go to hell, so his ghost had to wander between heaven and earth with a small candle.
In the ancient Irish legend, this small candle was placed in a hollowed-out radish, which was called "Jack's lantern", while the ancient radish lantern evolved to today, and it was made of pumpkin lantern. It is said that soon after the Irish arrived in America, they found that pumpkins were superior to radishes in source and carving, so pumpkins became Halloween pets. Halloween in Brussels
Children's favorite festival
Halloween is a good time for children to have fun. In the eyes of children, this is a festival full of mystery. As night falls, the children can't wait to put on colorful costumes, strange masks and a "Jack-o-lantern" and run out to play. "Jack-o 'lantern" looks very cute. The way is to hollow out the pumpkin, carve smiling eyes and a big mouth on the outside, and then put a candle in the pumpkin and light it, so that people can see this innocent smiling face from far away.
After packing, groups of children dressed as monsters ran to the neighbor's door with "pumpkin lanterns" in their hands, threatening to shout "trick or treat" and "want money or eat" If adults don't give candy or change, those naughty children will do as they say: OK, I'll play a trick on you if you don't give it. Sometimes they soap other people's doorknobs and sometimes color other people's cats. These little pranks often make adults laugh and cry. Of course, most families are happy to entertain these naive little guests. Therefore, on Halloween, children are always full and have bulging pockets.
The most popular game on Halloween is "biting apples". In the game, people let the apples float in a basin filled with water, and then let the children bite the apples with their mouths instead of their hands. Whoever bites first wins.
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China's Ghost Festival-Mid-Autumn Festival
Today is 7. 14 of the lunar calendar, Ghost Festival. It is called Mid-Autumn Festival.
However, in Zhuang areas, Zhuang people call it "Ghost Festival", also called "July Half" and "July Festival". As the name implies, "Ghost Festival" is named after the content of festival activities. Zhuang folklore: people become ghosts after death, all go to heaven, and heaven is in charge of them; From the seventh day of July to the fifteenth day of July, you can "have a holiday" and return to the world to "visit relatives." Therefore, every year on the seventh day of July, after the girls have finished the "Begging for Cleverness Festival", every household is busy organizing activities to worship ancestors (ghosts). As for the homeless "wild ghosts", they can only wander in the wilderness, so during this period, they heard who heard "ghost crying" on the barren hills, and who was pushed into the river by "wild ghosts" was "the afterlife with double body" ...
Worship "ghosts at home" is an activity that people place their thoughts on their ancestors. It is natural that people are affectionate and righteous. As for "wild ghosts", it is even more nonsense. But there are reasons for this: the Zhuang area is located in the subtropical zone, and the rainy season is in July of the lunar calendar every year, which often causes flash floods, so people often fall into mountains and rivers and die; The theory of "wild ghosts" is to warn people (especially teenagers) not to play around mountains and rivers.
"Ghost Festival" holiday arrangements vary from place to place, the most common are:
Before 13, every household should carry out general cleaning, especially sacrificial utensils, such as tables, chairs, tableware, incense burner lamps, etc. Should be cleaned up one by one. Pay attention to etiquette in words and deeds at ordinary times, and avoid swearing and quarreling (give ancestors a good impression of going home with family and peace, so that they can come back on impulse and rest assured); Prepare offerings, such as feeding fat ducks (it is also called "Duck Festival" because every family will kill ducks), prepare enough pork, brew good wine, and choose sugar cakes and fruits. This is to show respect for ancestors, but also to show the capable housekeeping skills of future generations. In addition, houses, clothes and paper ingots should be provided to the main hall. On the eighth day of July, "receiving ancestors" began. Take your ancestors home before the twelfth, and burn incense at three meals a day.
On 14 and 15 (from 13 to 16 in some places), the whole family stopped all farming (equivalent to a holiday) and concentrated on sacrificial activities, including offering rich sacrifices, holding solemn sacrificial ceremonies, having lively dinners, and so on. It is worth mentioning that the first worship on 14 is particularly valued. People often get up in the middle of the night, hold worship before dawn, and the whole family will have dinner at dawn. The reason is to prevent "wild ghosts" from following their ancestors into their homes. It is said that "wild ghosts" are quietest before dawn. But from a health point of view, it may be related to the weather. In July, when the temperature is the highest and mosquitoes and flies are rampant, people take advantage of the refreshing weather in the morning and the mosquitoes and flies have not yet come out to complete worship and dinner activities. /kloc-the evening of 0/5 is a "farewell day", and all the paper offerings are burned to show their ancestors and take them back to enjoy.
Sixteen-year-old is a married daughter visiting relatives. On this day, they will return to their parents and brothers. Those who have children usually bring them back to visit their grandparents, uncles and cousins. If several sisters are married, this day can be said to be a "coincidence" together, and "cousins" (children of all brothers and sisters) rarely get together here, naturally filled with a warm and harmonious atmosphere. Therefore, some folklore experts call this day "Ghost Festival", "Reunion Festival" or "Sister Festival" of Zhuang nationality.
Zhuang people regard "Ghost Festival" as the biggest festival after the Spring Festival. Just like the Chinese New Year, no matter how poor our family is, we still have to cut meat and slaughter ducks these days and solemnly worship our ancestors.
We are not Zhuang people, but I am so happy to eat raw fish with my father this afternoon-I haven't eaten raw fish for a long time, and I like it best. By the way, I ate a big durian with my mother yesterday. Happy! How happy I am! If only I could be so happy every day.
The fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month is commonly known as "Ghost Festival". It is a superstitious festival for Henan people to burn paper in front of graves to pay homage to the dead and turn over ghosts. This festival was originally a religious festival, which originated from Taoism and Buddhism. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), most superstitious activities of Ghost Festival were abandoned, and many young people didn't know about it. However, the custom of visiting relatives, picking up daughters or eating fresh melons in rural areas is still visible.
"Half Moon Festival"
People in Guangshan area pay attention to the "new half moon" and "old half moon" during Ghost Festival. The second and third days of July are the new half moon, and the sixth to fourteenth days of July are the "old half moon". The new half moon is dedicated to the new dead, and the old half moon is dedicated to the ancestors, so it is also called the "Half Moon Festival". People in Xinxian County can offer sacrifices on the fifth to fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, and pay attention to catching up early rather than catching up late. People in Tongbai county burn paper to worship their ancestors at night, and at the same time pay attention to the fact that people who burn paper to worship their ancestors can't come home before lunch on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month.
Extinguish street lamps
Before 1950s, during the day of July15th every year, every family went to the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors, sweep graves, burn incense and paper, and offer offerings to worship their ancestors. Rich people want to fast and chant Buddhist scripture, ask Taoist priests to palm the altar and put up street lamps at night. Along the river, people light lanterns, burn paper and incense, and turn over the ghosts of "the sky is not closed", commonly known as "putting street lights" and "putting river lights". In Xinxian County and other places in southern Henan, it is also necessary to pour cold water on the ghosts and gods of the past.
Dianhuashan
In Linxian County, Halloween also needs some flowers and whips. At the beginning of July in the lunar calendar, people surround the hillside with stones, straw and firewood and light it on the night of July 15th. At that time, the mountain was full of flames and flowers, so it was called "Huadian Mountain". Huadian Mountain competes with each other. Whoever has a big pile of firewood, strong fire and high flame will win. In the firelight, some young people hold whips made of green hemp and cloth to show their superiority and challenge each other at the same time. The winner of Spotted Flower Mountain and Whip indicates that he is lucky that year and will have a bumper harvest in autumn.