The Hungry Ghost Festival is a Taoist festival. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year is the Shangyuan Festival, which is the birthday of the Heavenly Official. The meaning of the Shangyuan Festival is to pray for the world; the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month is the Zhongyuan Festival, which is the birthday of the local official. The meaning is to atone for the sins of the world; the tenth day of the lunar calendar is The fifteenth day of the lunar month is the Xiayuan Festival, Shuiguan’s birthday, which means relieving the world of misfortune. Tianguan, Diguan, and Shuiguan are collectively called the Three Officials, also known as Sanyuan.
As the saying goes: In July and a half, ghosts are everywhere. It is said that the underworld will release ghosts to the world on the Ghost Festival, that is, the underworld will open its ban and the ghosts will celebrate the New Year. Therefore, on this day, people not only have to offer sacrifices to local officials and ancestors, but also give food and food to ghosts, hence the name: Ghost Festival.
Buddhism calls the half of July the Bon Festival. In Sanskrit, Bon means rescuing someone who is hanging upside down. The Bon is a container made of bamboo, which can be used to hold paper money or sacrifices. Sacrifice.
The Bon Festival originated from the story of Mulian saving her mother. The mother of a Buddhist disciple, Mu Lian, did not believe in Buddhism and was sent to the Abi Hell after death. Mu Lian used his heavenly eyes to see his mother being bullied by a group of hungry ghosts in the hell. She was in great pain, so he cast a spell to deliver food to his mother. However, when the food was about to reach his mouth, it turned into ashes and was burning. Of course, his mother couldn't eat the charcoal. Mu Lian was so anxious that she ran to pray to the Buddha. The Buddha said: On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when the monks and monks end their summer retreat, prepare five kinds of fruits and offer them to the great virtues of the ten directions. As expected, Mulian's mother got rid of the entanglement of the hungry ghost.
Later this became a ritual that Buddhist disciples would hold every year on July 15th. "Jingchu Sui Sui Ji" records: On July 15th, monks, nuns, Taoists and laypeople camped in basins to offer offerings to the Buddhas. Later, Bon Festival became a festival for Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.