Spirit Festival in China

Day

The Spirit Festival, also known as the Ghost Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival that falls on the 15th night of the seventh lunar month. It is a time when the realms of Heaven and Hell and the world of the living are open and both Taoists and Buddhists would perform rituals to transmute and absolve the sufferings of the deceased.

History

The origins of the Spirit Festival are tied to Buddhist traditions, specifically the Ullambana Sutra. According to legend, a monk named Maudgalyayana used his supernatural powers to see that his deceased mother had fallen into the realm of Hungry Ghosts and was suffering. Buddha instructed him to make offerings to monks returning from their summer retreat on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month. This act would benefit ten generations of ancestors.

Traditions

• Ancestral Worship: Families pay tribute to their ancestors with offerings such as food, incense, and joss paper.
• Releasing Water Lanterns: Lanterns are set afloat on rivers or lakes as a way to guide lost spirits back to where they belong.
• Offering Sacrifices: People provide various sacrificial offerings which can include burning joss paper that resembles money or material goods for spirits to use in afterlife.
• Vegetarian Meals: Many individuals eat vegetarian meals to cleanse themselves spiritually during this period.
• Entertainment Performances: Opera performances or 'Merry-making' activities for ghosts are held. Often there will be an empty row at these events as this is reserved for spirits.

On this day, people engage in activities meant both to appease wandering ghosts and honor their ancestors. The goal is ensuring that these spirits do not cause misfortune to those living.