The Gates of Hell Are Open! 💀🔥

Let's celebrate Ghost month! 👻

On Monday August 18, the gates to hell were open, and the Zhongyuan Festival (also known as Hungry Ghost Festival) has commenced! It is sometimes referred to as Chinese Halloween 🎃. What is the festival about? Shall we be afraid?

俗话说“七月半，鬼门开”，你知道中元节的由来、传说吗？

As the saying goes, "In the middle of the seventh month, the gates of hell open." Do you know the origins of the Hungry Ghost Festival?

Photo: China Daily

每年的农历七月十五是中元节，今年（2024）则落在8月18日，佛教称为盂兰盆节。与除夕、清明节、重阳节三节同是中国传统的祭祖大节。

• 俗话, 俗语 (sú huà, sú yǔ): common saying, proverb

• 农历 (nóng lì): Lunar calendar

• 盂兰盆节 (Yú lán pén jié): Ghost Festival / Ullambana Festival

• 除夕 (Chú xī): Chinese New Year's Eve

• 清明节 (Qīng míng jié): Tomb-Sweeping Day

• 重阳节 (Chóng yáng jié): Double Ninth Festival

• 祭祖, 祭祀 (jì zǔ, jì sì): ancestor worship

The 15th day of the seventh lunar month is the Zhongyuan Festival (Ghost Festival), which this year falls on August 18 and is called the Yulan Festival in Buddhism. Along with New Year's Eve, Tomb-Sweeping Festival, and Double Ninth Festival, it is a traditional Chinese festival for ancestor worship.

有句俗语叫 “七有半，鬼乱窜”。人们会在这天烧纸钱、冥币、放河灯、做法事…… 民间还盛行祭祀土地和庄稼。

• 窜 (cuàn): to flee, to scurry

• 天烧纸钱 (tiān shāo zhǐ qián): burning spirit money for the deceased

• 冥币 (míng bì): spirit money

• 河灯 (hé dēng): floating lanterns

• 做法事 (zuò fǎ shì): perform religious rituals or ceremonies

• 盛行 (shèng xíng): to be prevalent

• 庄稼 (zhuāng jià): crops

There is a saying that goes "ghosts run wild in the middle of the seventh month". People burn paper money, “ghost money”, light river lanterns, and perform rituals on this day. It is also popular among the people to worship the land and crops.

The notes issued by “The Hell Bank Corporation Limited” 😉 is an example of ghost money burnt during the festival. Photo source: thepaper.cn

据说中元之日，地宫打开地狱之门，也是地狱开门之日，众鬼都要离开冥界，接受考校，有主的鬼回家去，没主的就游荡人间，徘徊在各处找东西吃，因此又称鬼节，普遍进行祭祀鬼魂的活动，点荷灯为亡魂照回家之路。道观举行盛大法会祈福吉祥道场，道士建醮祈祷，内容是为亡魂的灵魂超度。     

• 地宫, 冥界 (dì gōng, míng jiè): the underworld

• 众鬼 (zhòng guǐ): all the ghosts

• 游荡 (yóu dàng): to wander

• 徘徊 (pái huái): to linger, to wander

• 鬼节 (guǐ jié): Ghost Festival

• 点荷灯 (diǎn hé dēng): to light lotus lanterns

• 亡魂 (wáng hún): lost souls

• 道观 (dào guàn): Taoist temple

• 法会 (fǎ huì): religious ceremony

• 祈福吉祥道场 (qí fú jí xiáng dào chǎng): A Taoist altar or ceremony for blessings and good fortune

• 道士 (dào shì): Taoist priest

• 建醮 (jiàn jiào): to conduct a Taoist ritual

• 灵魂超度 (líng hún chāo dù): to redeem or liberate souls (from suffering)

It is said that on the day of Zhongyuan, the underground palace opens the gates of hell, and all ghosts have to leave the underworld to be tested. Ghosts with owners go home, while ghosts without owners wander around the human world, looking for food. Therefore, it is also called the Ghost Festival. Activities of worshipping ghosts are carried out, and lotus lanterns are lit to light the way home for the dead souls. Taoist temples hold grand ceremonies to pray for good fortune, and Taoist priests hold rituals to pray for the souls of the dead.

Photo source: legacyoftaste.com

中元节，可以说是佛教、道教与世俗的融合。它的产生可以追溯到古代的时祭，以及与之相关的祖灵崇拜。古时人们对于农事的丰收，常寄托于神灵的庇佑。奉祀先祖在春夏秋冬皆有，但秋其中十分重要。秋天是收获的季节，人们举行向祖先亡灵献祭的仪式，把时令佳品先供神享，然后自己品尝这些劳动的果实，并祈祝来年的好收成。

• 世俗 (shì sú): secular common customs

• 追溯 (zhuī sù): to trace back to

• 时祭 (shí jì): seasonal offerings, seasonal rituals

• 祖灵崇拜 (zǔ líng chóng bài): ancestral spirit worship

• 农事 (nóng shì): agricultural work

• 丰收, 收获 (fēng shōu, shōu huò): harvest

• 寄托 (jì tuō): to entrust, to place one's hopes or feelings on something

• 庇佑 (bì yòu): protection, blessing

• 奉祀 (fèng sì): to offer sacrifices, to worship

• 先祖 (xiān zǔ): ancestors

• 献祭 (xiàn jì): to offer sacrifices

• 时令佳品 (shí lìng jiā pǐn): seasonal delicacies

• 供神享 (gòng shén xiǎng): offer to the gods

• 祈祝 (qí zhù): to pray for, to wish

• 好收成 (hǎo shōu chéng): good harvest

The Ghost Festival can be said to be a fusion of Buddhism, Taoism and local customs. In ancient times, people often relied on the protection of gods for a good harvest. Ancestor worship is done in spring, summer, autumn and winter, but autumn is very important, because it’s the harvest season. People would hold a ceremony to offer sacrifices to the dead ancestors, first offering the seasonal delicacies to the gods, then tasting the fruits of their labor themselves and praying for a good harvest in the coming year.

Photo source: Tatler

而在这一天，据说有很多禁忌之事，比如：

    1、不能披头散发睡觉。

    2、不能说“鬼”字。

    3、不能半夜庆生。

    4、不能乱拍他人的肩膀。

    5、不能半夜晾衣服。

• 披头散发 (pī tóu sàn fā): Hair down and loose

• 庆生 (qìng shēng): Celebrate a birthday

• 乱拍 (luàn pāi): randomly tap

• 肩膀 (jiān bǎng): Shoulder

• 晾衣服 (liàng yī fú): hang clothes to dry

On this day, there are said to be many taboos, such as:

1. Do not sleep with your hair disheveled.

2. Do not say the word "ghost".

3. Do not celebrate birthdays in the middle of the night.

4. Do not pat others on the shoulders.

5. Do not hang clothes in the middle of the night.

Are you afraid of ghosts? Don’t do the above, or you will attract them! ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

Antoine & Dorota