Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie)

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) historical origin

In the book of changes, "seven" is a changing number and the number of rebirth. "The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. "Seven" also has a mysterious color, such as "seven stars" (seven stars shining high), human feelings have "seven emotions", colors have "seven colors", music has "seven tones", poetry has "Seven Laws", human body has "seven orifices", and so on. "Seven" is also the life cycle of people. They begin to receive education at the age of seven, enter puberty at the age of 14, and fully mature at the age of 21. In the folk, the number of seven is phased in time. When calculating the time, it often takes "seven and seven" as the final and rebirth. "July is an auspicious month and a filial month, while the 14th (February 7th) is the cycle number of" seven ". The ancients chose to worship their ancestors on July 14 (July and a half), which is related to the number of rebirth of "seven".

This festival originated from the early "July and a half" agricultural harvest autumn taste and ancestor worship. The birth of "July and a half" can be traced back to ancestor worship and agricultural harvest sacrifice in ancient times. In ancient times, people often placed their harvest on the protection of gods. Worshipping ancestors can be found in spring, summer, autumn and winter, but the "autumn taste" in early autumn is very important. Autumn is the harvest season. People hold a ceremony of sacrificing the souls of their ancestors. They first offer the best seasonal products to God, then taste the fruits of these labor, and pray for a good harvest in the coming year.

"July and a half" was originally a folk ancestor worship festival in ancient times, but it was called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty. Taoism has the "three element theory", "Heaven officials bless the upper yuan, earth officials forgive sins, and water officials solve misfortunes." the name of "middle yuan" comes from this. Buddhism calls July and a half "Yulan basin Festival". In the Tang Dynasty, when the rulers respected Taoism, the Taoist Zhongyuan festival began to flourish, and gradually fixed the "Zhongyuan" as the name of the festival. The festival period was set on July 15 and has continued so far.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) Connotation fusion

The custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors in July and a half has existed since ancient times. It was originally a folk festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors rather than a "Ghost Festival". The core of the culture of July and a half is to respect ancestors and show filial piety. Generally, the festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors will not be called "Ghost Festival" (Ghost Festival is a later saying, which is expected to evolve from the thought of Pudu opening ghost gate in the Yuan Dynasty of Taoism). The festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors in July is called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty (about the Northern Wei Dynasty). Among the Taoist gods, there are heaven officials, earth officials and water officials, collectively known as the "three officials and the great emperor". They are the representatives of the heaven emperor stationed in the world. On the "three yuan day", they respectively check the merits and sins of the earth for the heaven emperor to determine rewards and punishments: "Heaven officials bless the upper yuan on the fifteenth day of the first month, earth officials forgive sins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and water officials relieve misfortunes on the fifteenth day of the tenth month." Local officials are in charge of the underground government, and the focus of inspection is naturally the ghosts of all roads. The middle yuan, the upper yuan and the lower yuan are collectively referred to as "three yuan". It is said that on the day of the middle Yuan Dynasty, the underground palace opens the door of hell, which is also the day when hell opens. All ghosts have to leave the underworld and accept the examination. The ghosts with the LORD go home, and those without the Lord wander around the world, wandering around looking for food. Therefore, it is also called ghost festival. It is generally used to offer sacrifices to ghosts and light lanterns to illuminate the way home for the dead. The Taoist temple held a grand Dharma meeting to pray for auspiciousness and auspiciousness. The Taoist priest built a Jiao and prayed for the soul of the dead.

In the seventh month of the lunar calendar, there are Zen seven, net seven, and even the meaning of infinity with the forty-nine of seven - "seven" is a number with endless changes and implications. According to Buddhism, the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the day when monks and disciples complete their merits and virtues. On that day, Buddhist disciples hold a "Yulan basin Dharma meeting". According to the Tibetan Sutra, the Yulan basin is Sanskrit, "Yulan" means "hanging upside down"; "Basin" means "rescuer". "Yulan basin" means an object used to save the hanging pain. Its derived meaning is to fill the basin with Baiwei and five fruits to support the Buddha and monks, so as to save the suffering beings in hell. This ritual first became popular from the Dharma meeting of Mulian to save his mother. The Taoist Zhongyuan festival originated from the great offering Sutra, and the Buddhist Yulan basin Association originated from the Buddhist Yulan basin Sutra. Monks in the Tang Dynasty once revealed that Taoist Liu Wudai imitated the Buddhist Yulan basin society and forged the Da Xian Jing. Modern scholars generally agree with this statement.

The ancients have attached great importance to sacrifice since ancient times. This festival originates from folk secular, Taoist and Buddhist cultures. Its sacrifice culture has been spread for a long time and has a wide range of influence. "Seven" is an odd number in China: Qiqiao, seven stars, seven colors and seven laws; "The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. However, for a long time, some places in China believe that July is a ghost month, which is an unlucky month. It is expected to evolve from the thought of Pudu in Taoism. Because of false rumors, some places regard July as an "inappropriate" month, such as no going out, no cutting, no getting married, no buying a house, no moving, etc. In fact, July is an auspicious month.

"The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." In the book of changes, "seven" is a changing number and the number of rebirth. The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. The folk choice of offering sacrifices to ancestors on July 14 is related to the number of rebirth in "seven". The Zhongyuan festival of Taoism and the Yulan basin festival of Buddhism are scheduled for July 15. In a certain sense, the July and a half ancestor worship Festival belongs to the folk customs, the Zhongyuan Festival belongs to Taoism, and the Yulan basin Festival belongs to Buddhism. In the folk and secular world, "July and a half" is a traditional cultural festival to remember our ancestors. Its cultural core is to respect our ancestors and filial piety without forgetting the root. In Buddhism, July is also known as "happy month", "Buddha happy day", "auspicious month" and "month of gratitude". Buddhism and Taoism have different interpretations of the meaning of this festival. Taoism emphasizes filial piety; Buddhism focuses on "Purgatory" for those orphans who are released from the underworld. The custom of "July and a half" in the later period can be said to be the integration of secular, Taoism and Buddhism.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) Three customs in one

It is generally believed that the Zhongyuan Festival is also known as the "Yulan basin Festival"; In fact, there are great misunderstandings in this understanding. Correctly speaking, July 14 ancestor worship Festival, Zhongyuan Festival and Yulan basin Festival belong to folk beliefs, Taoism and Buddhism. The three are juxtaposed, rather than three different names of a festival. Since the rise of Taoism, the word "Zhongyuan" in the "three yuan theory" was officially fixed as the festival name in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, and the festival was set on July 15. This festival is a festival of the integration of three customs. The Taoist Ramadan was first created under the influence of the Buddhist Ramadan. In China, the 15th day of the month is not an important day except the Lantern Festival, which was founded in the Western Han Dynasty. The 15th day of every month is important. It is a phenomenon only after Buddhism was introduced into China.

Before the formation of the "Zhongyuan Festival", the 15th day of July had long been expropriated by Buddhism. In Buddhism, July was originally a happy month of Buddha, not "Ghost Festival". But why did the Yulan pot festival in July become a "Ghost Festival"? Yulan basin, a transliteration of Sanskrit ulambana, originally means "rescue upside down", that is, to rescue ghosts suffering in hell. The Buddhist Sutra "Yulan basin Sutra" was translated and introduced into China during the Western Jin Dynasty. There was a story of "Mulian saving his mother", which coincided with the concept of filial piety still existing at that time. Later, it was advocated by Xiao Yan, Emperor Liang Wu of the Southern Dynasty, who respected the "theory of homology of three religions", and it was designated as a folk festival. At that time, its main function was to worship the Buddha. It was only in the Song Dynasty that it changed and developed into a ghost. I don't know whether it's a coincidence or the Yulan basin festival of Taoism affiliated Buddhism. Both the Zhongyuan Festival and the Yulan basin Festival are set on July 15. So that later generations think that these two are the two names of a festival. At the same time, because its meaning and customs have long been difficult to distinguish, the customs of the two festivals began to be mixed. From the two aspects of ceremony and date, we can find that the Taoist Zhongyuan Festival does imitate the Buddhist Yulan basin society on the one hand, and has something to do with the belief or religious system of Taoism itself on the other hand. Taoist Zhongyuan Festival is actually a religious festival created by combining the factors of Buddhism and Taoism. It is a typical example of the integration of Buddhism and Taoism in medieval times. The grand offering ceremony of xuandu on the Zhongyuan festival of Taoism is the eighth kind of merit listed in volume 7 "merit and virtue products" of the cause Sutra of Xuanlingbao karma in Taishang Cave - offering ceremony. Based on the practice and concept that the Buddhist Yulan basin Sutra provides for monks to survive their death, the great offering Sutra adapts the Buddhist Yulan basin offering ceremony into the great offering of the mysterious capital of Taoism.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) historical origin

In the book of changes, "seven" is a changing number and the number of rebirth. "The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. "Seven" also has a mysterious color, such as "seven stars" (seven stars shining high), human feelings have "seven emotions", colors have "seven colors", music has "seven tones", poetry has "Seven Laws", human body has "seven orifices", and so on. "Seven" is also the life cycle of people. They begin to receive education at the age of seven, enter puberty at the age of 14, and fully mature at the age of 21. In the folk, the number of seven is phased in time. When calculating the time, it often takes "seven and seven" as the final and rebirth. "July is an auspicious month and a filial month, while the 14th (February 7th) is the cycle number of" seven ". The ancients chose to worship their ancestors on July 14 (July and a half), which is related to the number of rebirth of "seven".

This festival originated from the early "July and a half" agricultural harvest autumn taste and ancestor worship. The birth of "July and a half" can be traced back to ancestor worship and agricultural harvest sacrifice in ancient times. In ancient times, people often placed their harvest on the protection of gods. Worshipping ancestors can be found in spring, summer, autumn and winter, but the "autumn taste" in early autumn is very important. Autumn is the harvest season. People hold a ceremony of sacrificing the souls of their ancestors. They first offer the best seasonal products to God, then taste the fruits of these labor, and pray for a good harvest in the coming year.

"July and a half" was originally a folk ancestor worship festival in ancient times, but it was called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty. Taoism has the "three element theory", "Heaven officials bless the upper yuan, earth officials forgive sins, and water officials solve misfortunes." the name of "middle yuan" comes from this. Buddhism calls July and a half "Yulan basin Festival". In the Tang Dynasty, when the rulers respected Taoism, the Taoist Zhongyuan festival began to flourish, and gradually fixed the "Zhongyuan" as the name of the festival. The festival period was set on July 15 and has continued so far.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) Connotation fusion

The custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors in July and a half has existed since ancient times. It was originally a folk festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors rather than a "Ghost Festival". The core of the culture of July and a half is to respect ancestors and show filial piety. Generally, the festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors will not be called "Ghost Festival" (Ghost Festival is a later saying, which is expected to evolve from the thought of Pudu opening ghost gate in the Yuan Dynasty of Taoism). The festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors in July is called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty (about the Northern Wei Dynasty). Among the Taoist gods, there are heaven officials, earth officials and water officials, collectively known as the "three officials and the great emperor". They are the representatives of the heaven emperor stationed in the world. On the "three yuan day", they respectively check the merits and sins of the earth for the heaven emperor to determine rewards and punishments: "Heaven officials bless the upper yuan on the fifteenth day of the first month, earth officials forgive sins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and water officials relieve misfortunes on the fifteenth day of the tenth month." Local officials are in charge of the underground government, and the focus of inspection is naturally the ghosts of all roads. The middle yuan, the upper yuan and the lower yuan are collectively referred to as "three yuan". It is said that on the day of the middle Yuan Dynasty, the underground palace opens the door of hell, which is also the day when hell opens. All ghosts have to leave the underworld and accept the examination. The ghosts with the LORD go home, and those without the Lord wander around the world, wandering around looking for food. Therefore, it is also called ghost festival. It is generally used to offer sacrifices to ghosts and light lanterns to illuminate the way home for the dead. The Taoist temple held a grand Dharma meeting to pray for auspiciousness and auspiciousness. The Taoist priest built a Jiao and prayed for the soul of the dead.

In the seventh month of the lunar calendar, there are Zen seven, net seven, and even the meaning of infinity with the forty-nine of seven - "seven" is a number with endless changes and implications. According to Buddhism, the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the day when monks and disciples complete their merits and virtues. On that day, Buddhist disciples hold a "Yulan basin Dharma meeting". According to the Tibetan Sutra, the Yulan basin is Sanskrit, "Yulan" means "hanging upside down"; "Basin" means "rescuer". "Yulan basin" means an object used to save the hanging pain. Its derived meaning is to fill the basin with Baiwei and five fruits to support the Buddha and monks, so as to save the suffering beings in hell. This ritual first became popular from the Dharma meeting of Mulian to save his mother. The Taoist Zhongyuan festival originated from the great offering Sutra, and the Buddhist Yulan basin Association originated from the Buddhist Yulan basin Sutra. Monks in the Tang Dynasty once revealed that Taoist Liu Wudai imitated the Buddhist Yulan basin society and forged the Da Xian Jing. Modern scholars generally agree with this statement.

The ancients have attached great importance to sacrifice since ancient times. This festival originates from folk secular, Taoist and Buddhist cultures. Its sacrifice culture has been spread for a long time and has a wide range of influence. "Seven" is an odd number in China: Qiqiao, seven stars, seven colors and seven laws; "The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. However, for a long time, some places in China believe that July is a ghost month, which is an unlucky month. It is expected to evolve from the thought of Pudu in Taoism. Because of false rumors, some places regard July as an "inappropriate" month, such as no going out, no cutting, no getting married, no buying a house, no moving, etc. In fact, July is an auspicious month.

"The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." In the book of changes, "seven" is a changing number and the number of rebirth. The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. The folk choice of offering sacrifices to ancestors on July 14 is related to the number of rebirth in "seven". The Zhongyuan festival of Taoism and the Yulan basin festival of Buddhism are scheduled for July 15. In a certain sense, the July and a half ancestor worship Festival belongs to the folk customs, the Zhongyuan Festival belongs to Taoism, and the Yulan basin Festival belongs to Buddhism. In the folk and secular world, "July and a half" is a traditional cultural festival to remember our ancestors. Its cultural core is to respect our ancestors and filial piety without forgetting the root. In Buddhism, July is also known as "happy month", "Buddha happy day", "auspicious month" and "month of gratitude". Buddhism and Taoism have different interpretations of the meaning of this festival. Taoism emphasizes filial piety; Buddhism focuses on "Purgatory" for those orphans who are released from the underworld. The custom of "July and a half" in the later period can be said to be the integration of secular, Taoism and Buddhism.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) Three customs in one

It is generally believed that the Zhongyuan Festival is also known as the "Yulan basin Festival"; In fact, there are great misunderstandings in this understanding. Correctly speaking, July 14 ancestor worship Festival, Zhongyuan Festival and Yulan basin Festival belong to folk beliefs, Taoism and Buddhism. The three are juxtaposed, rather than three different names of a festival. Since the rise of Taoism, the word "Zhongyuan" in the "three yuan theory" was officially fixed as the festival name in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, and the festival was set on July 15. This festival is a festival of the integration of three customs. The Taoist Ramadan was first created under the influence of the Buddhist Ramadan. In China, the 15th day of the month is not an important day except the Lantern Festival, which was founded in the Western Han Dynasty. The 15th day of every month is important. It is a phenomenon only after Buddhism was introduced into China.

Before the formation of the "Zhongyuan Festival", the 15th day of July had long been expropriated by Buddhism. In Buddhism, July was originally a happy month of Buddha, not "Ghost Festival". But why did the Yulan pot festival in July become a "Ghost Festival"? Yulan basin, a transliteration of Sanskrit ulambana, originally means "rescue upside down", that is, to rescue ghosts suffering in hell. The Buddhist Sutra "Yulan basin Sutra" was translated and introduced into China during the Western Jin Dynasty. There was a story of "Mulian saving his mother", which coincided with the concept of filial piety still existing at that time. Later, it was advocated by Xiao Yan, Emperor Liang Wu of the Southern Dynasty, who respected the "theory of homology of three religions", and it was designated as a folk festival. At that time, its main function was to worship the Buddha. It was only in the Song Dynasty that it changed and developed into a ghost. I don't know whether it's a coincidence or the Yulan basin festival of Taoism affiliated Buddhism. Both the Zhongyuan Festival and the Yulan basin Festival are set on July 15. So that later generations think that these two are the two names of a festival. At the same time, because its meaning and customs have long been difficult to distinguish, the customs of the two festivals began to be mixed. From the two aspects of ceremony and date, we can find that the Taoist Zhongyuan Festival does imitate the Buddhist Yulan basin society on the one hand, and has something to do with the belief or religious system of Taoism itself on the other hand. Taoist Zhongyuan Festival is actually a religious festival created by combining the factors of Buddhism and Taoism. It is a typical example of the integration of Buddhism and Taoism in medieval times. The grand offering ceremony of xuandu on the Zhongyuan festival of Taoism is the eighth kind of merit listed in volume 7 "merit and virtue products" of the cause Sutra of Xuanlingbao karma in Taishang Cave - offering ceremony. Based on the practice and concept that the Buddhist Yulan basin Sutra provides for monks to survive their death, the great offering Sutra adapts the Buddhist Yulan basin offering ceremony into the great offering of the mysterious capital of Taoism.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) historical origin

In the book of changes, "seven" is a changing number and the number of rebirth. "The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. "Seven" also has a mysterious color, such as "seven stars" (seven stars shining high), human feelings have "seven emotions", colors have "seven colors", music has "seven tones", poetry has "Seven Laws", human body has "seven orifices", and so on. "Seven" is also the life cycle of people. They begin to receive education at the age of seven, enter puberty at the age of 14, and fully mature at the age of 21. In the folk, the number of seven is phased in time. When calculating the time, it often takes "seven and seven" as the final and rebirth. "July is an auspicious month and a filial month, while the 14th (February 7th) is the cycle number of" seven ". The ancients chose to worship their ancestors on July 14 (July and a half), which is related to the number of rebirth of "seven".

This festival originated from the early "July and a half" agricultural harvest autumn taste and ancestor worship. The birth of "July and a half" can be traced back to ancestor worship and agricultural harvest sacrifice in ancient times. In ancient times, people often placed their harvest on the protection of gods. Worshipping ancestors can be found in spring, summer, autumn and winter, but the "autumn taste" in early autumn is very important. Autumn is the harvest season. People hold a ceremony of sacrificing the souls of their ancestors. They first offer the best seasonal products to God, then taste the fruits of these labor, and pray for a good harvest in the coming year.

"July and a half" was originally a folk ancestor worship festival in ancient times, but it was called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty. Taoism has the "three element theory", "Heaven officials bless the upper yuan, earth officials forgive sins, and water officials solve misfortunes." the name of "middle yuan" comes from this. Buddhism calls July and a half "Yulan basin Festival". In the Tang Dynasty, when the rulers respected Taoism, the Taoist Zhongyuan festival began to flourish, and gradually fixed the "Zhongyuan" as the name of the festival. The festival period was set on July 15 and has continued so far.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) Connotation fusion

The custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors in July and a half has existed since ancient times. It was originally a folk festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors rather than a "Ghost Festival". The core of the culture of July and a half is to respect ancestors and show filial piety. Generally, the festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors will not be called "Ghost Festival" (Ghost Festival is a later saying, which is expected to evolve from the thought of Pudu opening ghost gate in the Yuan Dynasty of Taoism). The festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors in July is called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty (about the Northern Wei Dynasty). Among the Taoist gods, there are heaven officials, earth officials and water officials, collectively known as the "three officials and the great emperor". They are the representatives of the heaven emperor stationed in the world. On the "three yuan day", they respectively check the merits and sins of the earth for the heaven emperor to determine rewards and punishments: "Heaven officials bless the upper yuan on the fifteenth day of the first month, earth officials forgive sins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and water officials relieve misfortunes on the fifteenth day of the tenth month." Local officials are in charge of the underground government, and the focus of inspection is naturally the ghosts of all roads. The middle yuan, the upper yuan and the lower yuan are collectively referred to as "three yuan". It is said that on the day of the middle Yuan Dynasty, the underground palace opens the door of hell, which is also the day when hell opens. All ghosts have to leave the underworld and accept the examination. The ghosts with the LORD go home, and those without the Lord wander around the world, wandering around looking for food. Therefore, it is also called ghost festival. It is generally used to offer sacrifices to ghosts and light lanterns to illuminate the way home for the dead. The Taoist temple held a grand Dharma meeting to pray for auspiciousness and auspiciousness. The Taoist priest built a Jiao and prayed for the soul of the dead.

In the seventh month of the lunar calendar, there are Zen seven, net seven, and even the meaning of infinity with the forty-nine of seven - "seven" is a number with endless changes and implications. According to Buddhism, the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the day when monks and disciples complete their merits and virtues. On that day, Buddhist disciples hold a "Yulan basin Dharma meeting". According to the Tibetan Sutra, the Yulan basin is Sanskrit, "Yulan" means "hanging upside down"; "Basin" means "rescuer". "Yulan basin" means an object used to save the hanging pain. Its derived meaning is to fill the basin with Baiwei and five fruits to support the Buddha and monks, so as to save the suffering beings in hell. This ritual first became popular from the Dharma meeting of Mulian to save his mother. The Taoist Zhongyuan festival originated from the great offering Sutra, and the Buddhist Yulan basin Association originated from the Buddhist Yulan basin Sutra. Monks in the Tang Dynasty once revealed that Taoist Liu Wudai imitated the Buddhist Yulan basin society and forged the Da Xian Jing. Modern scholars generally agree with this statement.

The ancients have attached great importance to sacrifice since ancient times. This festival originates from folk secular, Taoist and Buddhist cultures. Its sacrifice culture has been spread for a long time and has a wide range of influence. "Seven" is an odd number in China: Qiqiao, seven stars, seven colors and seven laws; "The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. However, for a long time, some places in China believe that July is a ghost month, which is an unlucky month. It is expected to evolve from the thought of Pudu in Taoism. Because of false rumors, some places regard July as an "inappropriate" month, such as no going out, no cutting, no getting married, no buying a house, no moving, etc. In fact, July is an auspicious month.

"The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." In the book of changes, "seven" is a changing number and the number of rebirth. The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. The folk choice of offering sacrifices to ancestors on July 14 is related to the number of rebirth in "seven". The Zhongyuan festival of Taoism and the Yulan basin festival of Buddhism are scheduled for July 15. In a certain sense, the July and a half ancestor worship Festival belongs to the folk customs, the Zhongyuan Festival belongs to Taoism, and the Yulan basin Festival belongs to Buddhism. In the folk and secular world, "July and a half" is a traditional cultural festival to remember our ancestors. Its cultural core is to respect our ancestors and filial piety without forgetting the root. In Buddhism, July is also known as "happy month", "Buddha happy day", "auspicious month" and "month of gratitude". Buddhism and Taoism have different interpretations of the meaning of this festival. Taoism emphasizes filial piety; Buddhism focuses on "Purgatory" for those orphans who are released from the underworld. The custom of "July and a half" in the later period can be said to be the integration of secular, Taoism and Buddhism.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) Three customs in one

It is generally believed that the Zhongyuan Festival is also known as the "Yulan basin Festival"; In fact, there are great misunderstandings in this understanding. Correctly speaking, July 14 ancestor worship Festival, Zhongyuan Festival and Yulan basin Festival belong to folk beliefs, Taoism and Buddhism. The three are juxtaposed, rather than three different names of a festival. Since the rise of Taoism, the word "Zhongyuan" in the "three yuan theory" was officially fixed as the festival name in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, and the festival was set on July 15. This festival is a festival of the integration of three customs. The Taoist Ramadan was first created under the influence of the Buddhist Ramadan. In China, the 15th day of the month is not an important day except the Lantern Festival, which was founded in the Western Han Dynasty. The 15th day of every month is important. It is a phenomenon only after Buddhism was introduced into China.

Before the formation of the "Zhongyuan Festival", the 15th day of July had long been expropriated by Buddhism. In Buddhism, July was originally a happy month of Buddha, not "Ghost Festival". But why did the Yulan pot festival in July become a "Ghost Festival"? Yulan basin, a transliteration of Sanskrit ulambana, originally means "rescue upside down", that is, to rescue ghosts suffering in hell. The Buddhist Sutra "Yulan basin Sutra" was translated and introduced into China during the Western Jin Dynasty. There was a story of "Mulian saving his mother", which coincided with the concept of filial piety still existing at that time. Later, it was advocated by Xiao Yan, Emperor Liang Wu of the Southern Dynasty, who respected the "theory of homology of three religions", and it was designated as a folk festival. At that time, its main function was to worship the Buddha. It was only in the Song Dynasty that it changed and developed into a ghost. I don't know whether it's a coincidence or the Yulan basin festival of Taoism affiliated Buddhism. Both the Zhongyuan Festival and the Yulan basin Festival are set on July 15. So that later generations think that these two are the two names of a festival. At the same time, because its meaning and customs have long been difficult to distinguish, the customs of the two festivals began to be mixed. From the two aspects of ceremony and date, we can find that the Taoist Zhongyuan Festival does imitate the Buddhist Yulan basin society on the one hand, and has something to do with the belief or religious system of Taoism itself on the other hand. Taoist Zhongyuan Festival is actually a religious festival created by combining the factors of Buddhism and Taoism. It is a typical example of the integration of Buddhism and Taoism in medieval times. The grand offering ceremony of xuandu on the Zhongyuan festival of Taoism is the eighth kind of merit listed in volume 7 "merit and virtue products" of the cause Sutra of Xuanlingbao karma in Taishang Cave - offering ceremony. Based on the practice and concept that the Buddhist Yulan basin Sutra provides for monks to survive their death, the great offering Sutra adapts the Buddhist Yulan basin offering ceremony into the great offering of the mysterious capital of Taoism.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) historical origin

In the book of changes, "seven" is a changing number and the number of rebirth. "The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. "Seven" also has a mysterious color, such as "seven stars" (seven stars shining high), human feelings have "seven emotions", colors have "seven colors", music has "seven tones", poetry has "Seven Laws", human body has "seven orifices", and so on. "Seven" is also the life cycle of people. They begin to receive education at the age of seven, enter puberty at the age of 14, and fully mature at the age of 21. In the folk, the number of seven is phased in time. When calculating the time, it often takes "seven and seven" as the final and rebirth. "July is an auspicious month and a filial month, while the 14th (February 7th) is the cycle number of" seven ". The ancients chose to worship their ancestors on July 14 (July and a half), which is related to the number of rebirth of "seven".

This festival originated from the early "July and a half" agricultural harvest autumn taste and ancestor worship. The birth of "July and a half" can be traced back to ancestor worship and agricultural harvest sacrifice in ancient times. In ancient times, people often placed their harvest on the protection of gods. Worshipping ancestors can be found in spring, summer, autumn and winter, but the "autumn taste" in early autumn is very important. Autumn is the harvest season. People hold a ceremony of sacrificing the souls of their ancestors. They first offer the best seasonal products to God, then taste the fruits of these labor, and pray for a good harvest in the coming year.

"July and a half" was originally a folk ancestor worship festival in ancient times, but it was called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty. Taoism has the "three element theory", "Heaven officials bless the upper yuan, earth officials forgive sins, and water officials solve misfortunes." the name of "middle yuan" comes from this. Buddhism calls July and a half "Yulan basin Festival". In the Tang Dynasty, when the rulers respected Taoism, the Taoist Zhongyuan festival began to flourish, and gradually fixed the "Zhongyuan" as the name of the festival. The festival period was set on July 15 and has continued so far.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) Connotation fusion

The custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors in July and a half has existed since ancient times. It was originally a folk festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors rather than a "Ghost Festival". The core of the culture of July and a half is to respect ancestors and show filial piety. Generally, the festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors will not be called "Ghost Festival" (Ghost Festival is a later saying, which is expected to evolve from the thought of Pudu opening ghost gate in the Yuan Dynasty of Taoism). The festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors in July is called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty (about the Northern Wei Dynasty). Among the Taoist gods, there are heaven officials, earth officials and water officials, collectively known as the "three officials and the great emperor". They are the representatives of the heaven emperor stationed in the world. On the "three yuan day", they respectively check the merits and sins of the earth for the heaven emperor to determine rewards and punishments: "Heaven officials bless the upper yuan on the fifteenth day of the first month, earth officials forgive sins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and water officials relieve misfortunes on the fifteenth day of the tenth month." Local officials are in charge of the underground government, and the focus of inspection is naturally the ghosts of all roads. The middle yuan, the upper yuan and the lower yuan are collectively referred to as "three yuan". It is said that on the day of the middle Yuan Dynasty, the underground palace opens the door of hell, which is also the day when hell opens. All ghosts have to leave the underworld and accept the examination. The ghosts with the LORD go home, and those without the Lord wander around the world, wandering around looking for food. Therefore, it is also called ghost festival. It is generally used to offer sacrifices to ghosts and light lanterns to illuminate the way home for the dead. The Taoist temple held a grand Dharma meeting to pray for auspiciousness and auspiciousness. The Taoist priest built a Jiao and prayed for the soul of the dead.

In the seventh month of the lunar calendar, there are Zen seven, net seven, and even the meaning of infinity with the forty-nine of seven - "seven" is a number with endless changes and implications. According to Buddhism, the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the day when monks and disciples complete their merits and virtues. On that day, Buddhist disciples hold a "Yulan basin Dharma meeting". According to the Tibetan Sutra, the Yulan basin is Sanskrit, "Yulan" means "hanging upside down"; "Basin" means "rescuer". "Yulan basin" means an object used to save the hanging pain. Its derived meaning is to fill the basin with Baiwei and five fruits to support the Buddha and monks, so as to save the suffering beings in hell. This ritual first became popular from the Dharma meeting of Mulian to save his mother. The Taoist Zhongyuan festival originated from the great offering Sutra, and the Buddhist Yulan basin Association originated from the Buddhist Yulan basin Sutra. Monks in the Tang Dynasty once revealed that Taoist Liu Wudai imitated the Buddhist Yulan basin society and forged the Da Xian Jing. Modern scholars generally agree with this statement.

The ancients have attached great importance to sacrifice since ancient times. This festival originates from folk secular, Taoist and Buddhist cultures. Its sacrifice culture has been spread for a long time and has a wide range of influence. "Seven" is an odd number in China: Qiqiao, seven stars, seven colors and seven laws; "The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. However, for a long time, some places in China believe that July is a ghost month, which is an unlucky month. It is expected to evolve from the thought of Pudu in Taoism. Because of false rumors, some places regard July as an "inappropriate" month, such as no going out, no cutting, no getting married, no buying a house, no moving, etc. In fact, July is an auspicious month.

"The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." In the book of changes, "seven" is a changing number and the number of rebirth. The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. The folk choice of offering sacrifices to ancestors on July 14 is related to the number of rebirth in "seven". The Zhongyuan festival of Taoism and the Yulan basin festival of Buddhism are scheduled for July 15. In a certain sense, the July and a half ancestor worship Festival belongs to the folk customs, the Zhongyuan Festival belongs to Taoism, and the Yulan basin Festival belongs to Buddhism. In the folk and secular world, "July and a half" is a traditional cultural festival to remember our ancestors. Its cultural core is to respect our ancestors and filial piety without forgetting the root. In Buddhism, July is also known as "happy month", "Buddha happy day", "auspicious month" and "month of gratitude". Buddhism and Taoism have different interpretations of the meaning of this festival. Taoism emphasizes filial piety; Buddhism focuses on "Purgatory" for those orphans who are released from the underworld. The custom of "July and a half" in the later period can be said to be the integration of secular, Taoism and Buddhism.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) Three customs in one

It is generally believed that the Zhongyuan Festival is also known as the "Yulan basin Festival"; In fact, there are great misunderstandings in this understanding. Correctly speaking, July 14 ancestor worship Festival, Zhongyuan Festival and Yulan basin Festival belong to folk beliefs, Taoism and Buddhism. The three are juxtaposed, rather than three different names of a festival. Since the rise of Taoism, the word "Zhongyuan" in the "three yuan theory" was officially fixed as the festival name in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, and the festival was set on July 15. This festival is a festival of the integration of three customs. The Taoist Ramadan was first created under the influence of the Buddhist Ramadan. In China, the 15th day of the month is not an important day except the Lantern Festival, which was founded in the Western Han Dynasty. The 15th day of every month is important. It is a phenomenon only after Buddhism was introduced into China.

Before the formation of the "Zhongyuan Festival", the 15th day of July had long been expropriated by Buddhism. In Buddhism, July was originally a happy month of Buddha, not "Ghost Festival". But why did the Yulan pot festival in July become a "Ghost Festival"? Yulan basin, a transliteration of Sanskrit ulambana, originally means "rescue upside down", that is, to rescue ghosts suffering in hell. The Buddhist Sutra "Yulan basin Sutra" was translated and introduced into China during the Western Jin Dynasty. There was a story of "Mulian saving his mother", which coincided with the concept of filial piety still existing at that time. Later, it was advocated by Xiao Yan, Emperor Liang Wu of the Southern Dynasty, who respected the "theory of homology of three religions", and it was designated as a folk festival. At that time, its main function was to worship the Buddha. It was only in the Song Dynasty that it changed and developed into a ghost. I don't know whether it's a coincidence or the Yulan basin festival of Taoism affiliated Buddhism. Both the Zhongyuan Festival and the Yulan basin Festival are set on July 15. So that later generations think that these two are the two names of a festival. At the same time, because its meaning and customs have long been difficult to distinguish, the customs of the two festivals began to be mixed. From the two aspects of ceremony and date, we can find that the Taoist Zhongyuan Festival does imitate the Buddhist Yulan basin society on the one hand, and has something to do with the belief or religious system of Taoism itself on the other hand. Taoist Zhongyuan Festival is actually a religious festival created by combining the factors of Buddhism and Taoism. It is a typical example of the integration of Buddhism and Taoism in medieval times. The grand offering ceremony of xuandu on the Zhongyuan festival of Taoism is the eighth kind of merit listed in volume 7 "merit and virtue products" of the cause Sutra of Xuanlingbao karma in Taishang Cave - offering ceremony. Based on the practice and concept that the Buddhist Yulan basin Sutra provides for monks to survive their death, the great offering Sutra adapts the Buddhist Yulan basin offering ceremony into the great offering of the mysterious capital of Taoism.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) historical origin

In the book of changes, "seven" is a changing number and the number of rebirth. "The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. "Seven" also has a mysterious color, such as "seven stars" (seven stars shining high), human feelings have "seven emotions", colors have "seven colors", music has "seven tones", poetry has "Seven Laws", human body has "seven orifices", and so on. "Seven" is also the life cycle of people. They begin to receive education at the age of seven, enter puberty at the age of 14, and fully mature at the age of 21. In the folk, the number of seven is phased in time. When calculating the time, it often takes "seven and seven" as the final and rebirth. "July is an auspicious month and a filial month, while the 14th (February 7th) is the cycle number of" seven ". The ancients chose to worship their ancestors on July 14 (July and a half), which is related to the number of rebirth of "seven".

This festival originated from the early "July and a half" agricultural harvest autumn taste and ancestor worship. The birth of "July and a half" can be traced back to ancestor worship and agricultural harvest sacrifice in ancient times. In ancient times, people often placed their harvest on the protection of gods. Worshipping ancestors can be found in spring, summer, autumn and winter, but the "autumn taste" in early autumn is very important. Autumn is the harvest season. People hold a ceremony of sacrificing the souls of their ancestors. They first offer the best seasonal products to God, then taste the fruits of these labor, and pray for a good harvest in the coming year.

"July and a half" was originally a folk ancestor worship festival in ancient times, but it was called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty. Taoism has the "three element theory", "Heaven officials bless the upper yuan, earth officials forgive sins, and water officials solve misfortunes." the name of "middle yuan" comes from this. Buddhism calls July and a half "Yulan basin Festival". In the Tang Dynasty, when the rulers respected Taoism, the Taoist Zhongyuan festival began to flourish, and gradually fixed the "Zhongyuan" as the name of the festival. The festival period was set on July 15 and has continued so far.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) Connotation fusion

The custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors in July and a half has existed since ancient times. It was originally a folk festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors rather than a "Ghost Festival". The core of the culture of July and a half is to respect ancestors and show filial piety. Generally, the festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors will not be called "Ghost Festival" (Ghost Festival is a later saying, which is expected to evolve from the thought of Pudu opening ghost gate in the Yuan Dynasty of Taoism). The festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors in July is called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty (about the Northern Wei Dynasty). Among the Taoist gods, there are heaven officials, earth officials and water officials, collectively known as the "three officials and the great emperor". They are the representatives of the heaven emperor stationed in the world. On the "three yuan day", they respectively check the merits and sins of the earth for the heaven emperor to determine rewards and punishments: "Heaven officials bless the upper yuan on the fifteenth day of the first month, earth officials forgive sins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and water officials relieve misfortunes on the fifteenth day of the tenth month." Local officials are in charge of the underground government, and the focus of inspection is naturally the ghosts of all roads. The middle yuan, the upper yuan and the lower yuan are collectively referred to as "three yuan". It is said that on the day of the middle Yuan Dynasty, the underground palace opens the door of hell, which is also the day when hell opens. All ghosts have to leave the underworld and accept the examination. The ghosts with the LORD go home, and those without the Lord wander around the world, wandering around looking for food. Therefore, it is also called ghost festival. It is generally used to offer sacrifices to ghosts and light lanterns to illuminate the way home for the dead. The Taoist temple held a grand Dharma meeting to pray for auspiciousness and auspiciousness. The Taoist priest built a Jiao and prayed for the soul of the dead.

In the seventh month of the lunar calendar, there are Zen seven, net seven, and even the meaning of infinity with the forty-nine of seven - "seven" is a number with endless changes and implications. According to Buddhism, the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the day when monks and disciples complete their merits and virtues. On that day, Buddhist disciples hold a "Yulan basin Dharma meeting". According to the Tibetan Sutra, the Yulan basin is Sanskrit, "Yulan" means "hanging upside down"; "Basin" means "rescuer". "Yulan basin" means an object used to save the hanging pain. Its derived meaning is to fill the basin with Baiwei and five fruits to support the Buddha and monks, so as to save the suffering beings in hell. This ritual first became popular from the Dharma meeting of Mulian to save his mother. The Taoist Zhongyuan festival originated from the great offering Sutra, and the Buddhist Yulan basin Association originated from the Buddhist Yulan basin Sutra. Monks in the Tang Dynasty once revealed that Taoist Liu Wudai imitated the Buddhist Yulan basin society and forged the Da Xian Jing. Modern scholars generally agree with this statement.

The ancients have attached great importance to sacrifice since ancient times. This festival originates from folk secular, Taoist and Buddhist cultures. Its sacrifice culture has been spread for a long time and has a wide range of influence. "Seven" is an odd number in China: Qiqiao, seven stars, seven colors and seven laws; "The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. However, for a long time, some places in China believe that July is a ghost month, which is an unlucky month. It is expected to evolve from the thought of Pudu in Taoism. Because of false rumors, some places regard July as an "inappropriate" month, such as no going out, no cutting, no getting married, no buying a house, no moving, etc. In fact, July is an auspicious month.

"The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." In the book of changes, "seven" is a changing number and the number of rebirth. The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. The folk choice of offering sacrifices to ancestors on July 14 is related to the number of rebirth in "seven". The Zhongyuan festival of Taoism and the Yulan basin festival of Buddhism are scheduled for July 15. In a certain sense, the July and a half ancestor worship Festival belongs to the folk customs, the Zhongyuan Festival belongs to Taoism, and the Yulan basin Festival belongs to Buddhism. In the folk and secular world, "July and a half" is a traditional cultural festival to remember our ancestors. Its cultural core is to respect our ancestors and filial piety without forgetting the root. In Buddhism, July is also known as "happy month", "Buddha happy day", "auspicious month" and "month of gratitude". Buddhism and Taoism have different interpretations of the meaning of this festival. Taoism emphasizes filial piety; Buddhism focuses on "Purgatory" for those orphans who are released from the underworld. The custom of "July and a half" in the later period can be said to be the integration of secular, Taoism and Buddhism.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) Three customs in one

It is generally believed that the Zhongyuan Festival is also known as the "Yulan basin Festival"; In fact, there are great misunderstandings in this understanding. Correctly speaking, July 14 ancestor worship Festival, Zhongyuan Festival and Yulan basin Festival belong to folk beliefs, Taoism and Buddhism. The three are juxtaposed, rather than three different names of a festival. Since the rise of Taoism, the word "Zhongyuan" in the "three yuan theory" was officially fixed as the festival name in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, and the festival was set on July 15. This festival is a festival of the integration of three customs. The Taoist Ramadan was first created under the influence of the Buddhist Ramadan. In China, the 15th day of the month is not an important day except the Lantern Festival, which was founded in the Western Han Dynasty. The 15th day of every month is important. It is a phenomenon only after Buddhism was introduced into China.

Before the formation of the "Zhongyuan Festival", the 15th day of July had long been expropriated by Buddhism. In Buddhism, July was originally a happy month of Buddha, not "Ghost Festival". But why did the Yulan pot festival in July become a "Ghost Festival"? Yulan basin, a transliteration of Sanskrit ulambana, originally means "rescue upside down", that is, to rescue ghosts suffering in hell. The Buddhist Sutra "Yulan basin Sutra" was translated and introduced into China during the Western Jin Dynasty. There was a story of "Mulian saving his mother", which coincided with the concept of filial piety still existing at that time. Later, it was advocated by Xiao Yan, Emperor Liang Wu of the Southern Dynasty, who respected the "theory of homology of three religions", and it was designated as a folk festival. At that time, its main function was to worship the Buddha. It was only in the Song Dynasty that it changed and developed into a ghost. I don't know whether it's a coincidence or the Yulan basin festival of Taoism affiliated Buddhism. Both the Zhongyuan Festival and the Yulan basin Festival are set on July 15. So that later generations think that these two are the two names of a festival. At the same time, because its meaning and customs have long been difficult to distinguish, the customs of the two festivals began to be mixed. From the two aspects of ceremony and date, we can find that the Taoist Zhongyuan Festival does imitate the Buddhist Yulan basin society on the one hand, and has something to do with the belief or religious system of Taoism itself on the other hand. Taoist Zhongyuan Festival is actually a religious festival created by combining the factors of Buddhism and Taoism. It is a typical example of the integration of Buddhism and Taoism in medieval times. The grand offering ceremony of xuandu on the Zhongyuan festival of Taoism is the eighth kind of merit listed in volume 7 "merit and virtue products" of the cause Sutra of Xuanlingbao karma in Taishang Cave - offering ceremony. Based on the practice and concept that the Buddhist Yulan basin Sutra provides for monks to survive their death, the great offering Sutra adapts the Buddhist Yulan basin offering ceremony into the great offering of the mysterious capital of Taoism.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) historical origin

In the book of changes, "seven" is a changing number and the number of rebirth. "The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. "Seven" also has a mysterious color, such as "seven stars" (seven stars shining high), human feelings have "seven emotions", colors have "seven colors", music has "seven tones", poetry has "Seven Laws", human body has "seven orifices", and so on. "Seven" is also the life cycle of people. They begin to receive education at the age of seven, enter puberty at the age of 14, and fully mature at the age of 21. In the folk, the number of seven is phased in time. When calculating the time, it often takes "seven and seven" as the final and rebirth. "July is an auspicious month and a filial month, while the 14th (February 7th) is the cycle number of" seven ". The ancients chose to worship their ancestors on July 14 (July and a half), which is related to the number of rebirth of "seven".

This festival originated from the early "July and a half" agricultural harvest autumn taste and ancestor worship. The birth of "July and a half" can be traced back to ancestor worship and agricultural harvest sacrifice in ancient times. In ancient times, people often placed their harvest on the protection of gods. Worshipping ancestors can be found in spring, summer, autumn and winter, but the "autumn taste" in early autumn is very important. Autumn is the harvest season. People hold a ceremony of sacrificing the souls of their ancestors. They first offer the best seasonal products to God, then taste the fruits of these labor, and pray for a good harvest in the coming year.

"July and a half" was originally a folk ancestor worship festival in ancient times, but it was called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty. Taoism has the "three element theory", "Heaven officials bless the upper yuan, earth officials forgive sins, and water officials solve misfortunes." the name of "middle yuan" comes from this. Buddhism calls July and a half "Yulan basin Festival". In the Tang Dynasty, when the rulers respected Taoism, the Taoist Zhongyuan festival began to flourish, and gradually fixed the "Zhongyuan" as the name of the festival. The festival period was set on July 15 and has continued so far.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) Connotation fusion

The custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors in July and a half has existed since ancient times. It was originally a folk festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors rather than a "Ghost Festival". The core of the culture of July and a half is to respect ancestors and show filial piety. Generally, the festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors will not be called "Ghost Festival" (Ghost Festival is a later saying, which is expected to evolve from the thought of Pudu opening ghost gate in the Yuan Dynasty of Taoism). The festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors in July is called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty (about the Northern Wei Dynasty). Among the Taoist gods, there are heaven officials, earth officials and water officials, collectively known as the "three officials and the great emperor". They are the representatives of the heaven emperor stationed in the world. On the "three yuan day", they respectively check the merits and sins of the earth for the heaven emperor to determine rewards and punishments: "Heaven officials bless the upper yuan on the fifteenth day of the first month, earth officials forgive sins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and water officials relieve misfortunes on the fifteenth day of the tenth month." Local officials are in charge of the underground government, and the focus of inspection is naturally the ghosts of all roads. The middle yuan, the upper yuan and the lower yuan are collectively referred to as "three yuan". It is said that on the day of the middle Yuan Dynasty, the underground palace opens the door of hell, which is also the day when hell opens. All ghosts have to leave the underworld and accept the examination. The ghosts with the LORD go home, and those without the Lord wander around the world, wandering around looking for food. Therefore, it is also called ghost festival. It is generally used to offer sacrifices to ghosts and light lanterns to illuminate the way home for the dead. The Taoist temple held a grand Dharma meeting to pray for auspiciousness and auspiciousness. The Taoist priest built a Jiao and prayed for the soul of the dead.

In the seventh month of the lunar calendar, there are Zen seven, net seven, and even the meaning of infinity with the forty-nine of seven - "seven" is a number with endless changes and implications. According to Buddhism, the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the day when monks and disciples complete their merits and virtues. On that day, Buddhist disciples hold a "Yulan basin Dharma meeting". According to the Tibetan Sutra, the Yulan basin is Sanskrit, "Yulan" means "hanging upside down"; "Basin" means "rescuer". "Yulan basin" means an object used to save the hanging pain. Its derived meaning is to fill the basin with Baiwei and five fruits to support the Buddha and monks, so as to save the suffering beings in hell. This ritual first became popular from the Dharma meeting of Mulian to save his mother. The Taoist Zhongyuan festival originated from the great offering Sutra, and the Buddhist Yulan basin Association originated from the Buddhist Yulan basin Sutra. Monks in the Tang Dynasty once revealed that Taoist Liu Wudai imitated the Buddhist Yulan basin society and forged the Da Xian Jing. Modern scholars generally agree with this statement.

The ancients have attached great importance to sacrifice since ancient times. This festival originates from folk secular, Taoist and Buddhist cultures. Its sacrifice culture has been spread for a long time and has a wide range of influence. "Seven" is an odd number in China: Qiqiao, seven stars, seven colors and seven laws; "The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. However, for a long time, some places in China believe that July is a ghost month, which is an unlucky month. It is expected to evolve from the thought of Pudu in Taoism. Because of false rumors, some places regard July as an "inappropriate" month, such as no going out, no cutting, no getting married, no buying a house, no moving, etc. In fact, July is an auspicious month.

"The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." In the book of changes, "seven" is a changing number and the number of rebirth. The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. The folk choice of offering sacrifices to ancestors on July 14 is related to the number of rebirth in "seven". The Zhongyuan festival of Taoism and the Yulan basin festival of Buddhism are scheduled for July 15. In a certain sense, the July and a half ancestor worship Festival belongs to the folk customs, the Zhongyuan Festival belongs to Taoism, and the Yulan basin Festival belongs to Buddhism. In the folk and secular world, "July and a half" is a traditional cultural festival to remember our ancestors. Its cultural core is to respect our ancestors and filial piety without forgetting the root. In Buddhism, July is also known as "happy month", "Buddha happy day", "auspicious month" and "month of gratitude". Buddhism and Taoism have different interpretations of the meaning of this festival. Taoism emphasizes filial piety; Buddhism focuses on "Purgatory" for those orphans who are released from the underworld. The custom of "July and a half" in the later period can be said to be the integration of secular, Taoism and Buddhism.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) Three customs in one

It is generally believed that the Zhongyuan Festival is also known as the "Yulan basin Festival"; In fact, there are great misunderstandings in this understanding. Correctly speaking, July 14 ancestor worship Festival, Zhongyuan Festival and Yulan basin Festival belong to folk beliefs, Taoism and Buddhism. The three are juxtaposed, rather than three different names of a festival. Since the rise of Taoism, the word "Zhongyuan" in the "three yuan theory" was officially fixed as the festival name in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, and the festival was set on July 15. This festival is a festival of the integration of three customs. The Taoist Ramadan was first created under the influence of the Buddhist Ramadan. In China, the 15th day of the month is not an important day except the Lantern Festival, which was founded in the Western Han Dynasty. The 15th day of every month is important. It is a phenomenon only after Buddhism was introduced into China.

Before the formation of the "Zhongyuan Festival", the 15th day of July had long been expropriated by Buddhism. In Buddhism, July was originally a happy month of Buddha, not "Ghost Festival". But why did the Yulan pot festival in July become a "Ghost Festival"? Yulan basin, a transliteration of Sanskrit ulambana, originally means "rescue upside down", that is, to rescue ghosts suffering in hell. The Buddhist Sutra "Yulan basin Sutra" was translated and introduced into China during the Western Jin Dynasty. There was a story of "Mulian saving his mother", which coincided with the concept of filial piety still existing at that time. Later, it was advocated by Xiao Yan, Emperor Liang Wu of the Southern Dynasty, who respected the "theory of homology of three religions", and it was designated as a folk festival. At that time, its main function was to worship the Buddha. It was only in the Song Dynasty that it changed and developed into a ghost. I don't know whether it's a coincidence or the Yulan basin festival of Taoism affiliated Buddhism. Both the Zhongyuan Festival and the Yulan basin Festival are set on July 15. So that later generations think that these two are the two names of a festival. At the same time, because its meaning and customs have long been difficult to distinguish, the customs of the two festivals began to be mixed. From the two aspects of ceremony and date, we can find that the Taoist Zhongyuan Festival does imitate the Buddhist Yulan basin society on the one hand, and has something to do with the belief or religious system of Taoism itself on the other hand. Taoist Zhongyuan Festival is actually a religious festival created by combining the factors of Buddhism and Taoism. It is a typical example of the integration of Buddhism and Taoism in medieval times. The grand offering ceremony of xuandu on the Zhongyuan festival of Taoism is the eighth kind of merit listed in volume 7 "merit and virtue products" of the cause Sutra of Xuanlingbao karma in Taishang Cave - offering ceremony. Based on the practice and concept that the Buddhist Yulan basin Sutra provides for monks to survive their death, the great offering Sutra adapts the Buddhist Yulan basin offering ceremony into the great offering of the mysterious capital of Taoism.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) historical origin

In the book of changes, "seven" is a changing number and the number of rebirth. "The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. "Seven" also has a mysterious color, such as "seven stars" (seven stars shining high), human feelings have "seven emotions", colors have "seven colors", music has "seven tones", poetry has "Seven Laws", human body has "seven orifices", and so on. "Seven" is also the life cycle of people. They begin to receive education at the age of seven, enter puberty at the age of 14, and fully mature at the age of 21. In the folk, the number of seven is phased in time. When calculating the time, it often takes "seven and seven" as the final and rebirth. "July is an auspicious month and a filial month, while the 14th (February 7th) is the cycle number of" seven ". The ancients chose to worship their ancestors on July 14 (July and a half), which is related to the number of rebirth of "seven".

This festival originated from the early "July and a half" agricultural harvest autumn taste and ancestor worship. The birth of "July and a half" can be traced back to ancestor worship and agricultural harvest sacrifice in ancient times. In ancient times, people often placed their harvest on the protection of gods. Worshipping ancestors can be found in spring, summer, autumn and winter, but the "autumn taste" in early autumn is very important. Autumn is the harvest season. People hold a ceremony of sacrificing the souls of their ancestors. They first offer the best seasonal products to God, then taste the fruits of these labor, and pray for a good harvest in the coming year.

"July and a half" was originally a folk ancestor worship festival in ancient times, but it was called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty. Taoism has the "three element theory", "Heaven officials bless the upper yuan, earth officials forgive sins, and water officials solve misfortunes." the name of "middle yuan" comes from this. Buddhism calls July and a half "Yulan basin Festival". In the Tang Dynasty, when the rulers respected Taoism, the Taoist Zhongyuan festival began to flourish, and gradually fixed the "Zhongyuan" as the name of the festival. The festival period was set on July 15 and has continued so far.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) Connotation fusion

The custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors in July and a half has existed since ancient times. It was originally a folk festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors rather than a "Ghost Festival". The core of the culture of July and a half is to respect ancestors and show filial piety. Generally, the festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors will not be called "Ghost Festival" (Ghost Festival is a later saying, which is expected to evolve from the thought of Pudu opening ghost gate in the Yuan Dynasty of Taoism). The festival of offering sacrifices to ancestors in July is called "Zhongyuan Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty (about the Northern Wei Dynasty). Among the Taoist gods, there are heaven officials, earth officials and water officials, collectively known as the "three officials and the great emperor". They are the representatives of the heaven emperor stationed in the world. On the "three yuan day", they respectively check the merits and sins of the earth for the heaven emperor to determine rewards and punishments: "Heaven officials bless the upper yuan on the fifteenth day of the first month, earth officials forgive sins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and water officials relieve misfortunes on the fifteenth day of the tenth month." Local officials are in charge of the underground government, and the focus of inspection is naturally the ghosts of all roads. The middle yuan, the upper yuan and the lower yuan are collectively referred to as "three yuan". It is said that on the day of the middle Yuan Dynasty, the underground palace opens the door of hell, which is also the day when hell opens. All ghosts have to leave the underworld and accept the examination. The ghosts with the LORD go home, and those without the Lord wander around the world, wandering around looking for food. Therefore, it is also called ghost festival. It is generally used to offer sacrifices to ghosts and light lanterns to illuminate the way home for the dead. The Taoist temple held a grand Dharma meeting to pray for auspiciousness and auspiciousness. The Taoist priest built a Jiao and prayed for the soul of the dead.

In the seventh month of the lunar calendar, there are Zen seven, net seven, and even the meaning of infinity with the forty-nine of seven - "seven" is a number with endless changes and implications. According to Buddhism, the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the day when monks and disciples complete their merits and virtues. On that day, Buddhist disciples hold a "Yulan basin Dharma meeting". According to the Tibetan Sutra, the Yulan basin is Sanskrit, "Yulan" means "hanging upside down"; "Basin" means "rescuer". "Yulan basin" means an object used to save the hanging pain. Its derived meaning is to fill the basin with Baiwei and five fruits to support the Buddha and monks, so as to save the suffering beings in hell. This ritual first became popular from the Dharma meeting of Mulian to save his mother. The Taoist Zhongyuan festival originated from the great offering Sutra, and the Buddhist Yulan basin Association originated from the Buddhist Yulan basin Sutra. Monks in the Tang Dynasty once revealed that Taoist Liu Wudai imitated the Buddhist Yulan basin society and forged the Da Xian Jing. Modern scholars generally agree with this statement.

The ancients have attached great importance to sacrifice since ancient times. This festival originates from folk secular, Taoist and Buddhist cultures. Its sacrifice culture has been spread for a long time and has a wide range of influence. "Seven" is an odd number in China: Qiqiao, seven stars, seven colors and seven laws; "The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. However, for a long time, some places in China believe that July is a ghost month, which is an unlucky month. It is expected to evolve from the thought of Pudu in Taoism. Because of false rumors, some places regard July as an "inappropriate" month, such as no going out, no cutting, no getting married, no buying a house, no moving, etc. In fact, July is an auspicious month.

"The book of changes": "repeated its way, seven days to reply, heaven also." In the book of changes, "seven" is a changing number and the number of rebirth. The seventh is the number of Yang and the number of days. After the Yang Qi between heaven and earth disappears, it can be reborn after seven days. This is the way of heaven and earth and the principle of the cycle of yin and Yang. The folk choice of offering sacrifices to ancestors on July 14 is related to the number of rebirth in "seven". The Zhongyuan festival of Taoism and the Yulan basin festival of Buddhism are scheduled for July 15. In a certain sense, the July and a half ancestor worship Festival belongs to the folk customs, the Zhongyuan Festival belongs to Taoism, and the Yulan basin Festival belongs to Buddhism. In the folk and secular world, "July and a half" is a traditional cultural festival to remember our ancestors. Its cultural core is to respect our ancestors and filial piety without forgetting the root. In Buddhism, July is also known as "happy month", "Buddha happy day", "auspicious month" and "month of gratitude". Buddhism and Taoism have different interpretations of the meaning of this festival. Taoism emphasizes filial piety; Buddhism focuses on "Purgatory" for those orphans who are released from the underworld. The custom of "July and a half" in the later period can be said to be the integration of secular, Taoism and Buddhism.

Zhongyuan Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) Three customs in one

It is generally believed that the Zhongyuan Festival is also known as the "Yulan basin Festival"; In fact, there are great misunderstandings in this understanding. Correctly speaking, July 14 ancestor worship Festival, Zhongyuan Festival and Yulan basin Festival belong to folk beliefs, Taoism and Buddhism. The three are juxtaposed, rather than three different names of a festival. Since the rise of Taoism, the word "Zhongyuan" in the "three yuan theory" was officially fixed as the festival name in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, and the festival was set on July 15. This festival is a festival of the integration of three customs. The Taoist Ramadan was first created under the influence of the Buddhist Ramadan. In China, the 15th day of the month is not an important day except the Lantern Festival, which was founded in the Western Han Dynasty. The 15th day of every month is important. It is a phenomenon only after Buddhism was introduced into China.

Before the formation of the "Zhongyuan Festival", the 15th day of July had long been expropriated by Buddhism. In Buddhism, July was originally a happy month of Buddha, not "Ghost Festival". But why did the Yulan pot festival in July become a "Ghost Festival"? Yulan basin, a transliteration of Sanskrit ulambana, originally means "rescue upside down", that is, to rescue ghosts suffering in hell. The Buddhist Sutra "Yulan basin Sutra" was translated and introduced into China during the Western Jin Dynasty. There was a story of "Mulian saving his mother", which coincided with the concept of filial piety still existing at that time. Later, it was advocated by Xiao Yan, Emperor Liang Wu of the Southern Dynasty, who respected the "theory of homology of three religions", and it was designated as a folk festival. At that time, its main function was to worship the Buddha. It was only in the Song Dynasty that it changed and developed into a ghost. I don't know whether it's a coincidence or the Yulan basin festival of Taoism affiliated Buddhism. Both the Zhongyuan Festival and the Yulan basin Festival are set on July 15. So that later generations think that these two are the two names of a festival. At the same time, because its meaning and customs have long been difficult to distinguish, the customs of the two festivals began to be mixed. From the two aspects of ceremony and date, we can find that the Taoist Zhongyuan Festival does imitate the Buddhist Yulan basin society on the one hand, and has something to do with the belief or religious system of Taoism itself on the other hand. Taoist Zhongyuan Festival is actually a religious festival created by combining the factors of Buddhism and Taoism. It is a typical example of the integration of Buddhism and Taoism in medieval times. The grand offering ceremony of xuandu on the Zhongyuan festival of Taoism is the eighth kind of merit listed in volume 7 "merit and virtue products" of the cause Sutra of Xuanlingbao karma in Taishang Cave - offering ceremony. Based on the practice and concept that the Buddhist Yulan basin Sutra provides for monks to survive their death, the great offering Sutra adapts the Buddhist Yulan basin offering ceremony into the great offering of the mysterious capital of Taoism.