The Gates of Hell Are Open! ๐๐ฅ
Let's celebrate Ghost month! ๐ป
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 ๐. What is the festival about? Shall we be afraid?
ไฟ่ฏ่ฏดโไธๆๅ๏ผ้ฌผ้จๅผโ๏ผไฝ ็ฅ้ไธญๅ
่็็ฑๆฅใไผ ่ฏดๅ๏ผ
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
ๆฏๅนด็ๅๅไธๆๅไบๆฏไธญๅ ่๏ผไปๅนด๏ผ2024๏ผๅ่ฝๅจ8ๆ18ๆฅ๏ผไฝๆ็งฐไธบ็ๅ ฐ็่ใไธ้คๅคใๆธ ๆ่ใ้้ณ่ไธ่ๅๆฏไธญๅฝไผ ็ป็็ฅญ็ฅๅคง่ใ
ไฟ่ฏ, ไฟ่ฏญ (sรบ huร , sรบ yว): common saying, proverb
ๅๅ (nรณng lรฌ): Lunar calendar
็ๅ ฐ็่ (Yรบ lรกn pรฉn jiรฉ): Ghost Festival / Ullambana Festival
้คๅค (Chรบ xฤซ): Chinese New Year's Eve
ๆธ ๆ่ (Qฤซng mรญng jiรฉ): Tomb-Sweeping Day
้้ณ่ (Chรณng yรกng jiรฉ): Double Ninth Festival
็ฅญ็ฅ, ็ฅญ็ฅ (jรฌ zว, jรฌ sรฌ): 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.
ๆๅฅไฟ่ฏญๅซ โไธๆๅ๏ผ้ฌผไนฑ็ชโใไบบไปฌไผๅจ่ฟๅคฉ็ง็บธ้ฑใๅฅๅธใๆพๆฒณ็ฏใๅๆณไบโฆโฆ ๆฐ้ด่ฟ็่ก็ฅญ็ฅๅๅฐๅๅบ็จผใ
็ช (cuร n): to flee, to scurry
ๅคฉ็ง็บธ้ฑ (tiฤn shฤo zhว qiรกn): burning spirit money for the deceased
ๅฅๅธ (mรญng bรฌ): spirit money
ๆฒณ็ฏ (hรฉ dฤng): floating lanterns
ๅๆณไบ (zuรฒ fว shรฌ): perform religious rituals or ceremonies
็่ก (shรจng xรญng): to be prevalent
ๅบ็จผ (zhuฤng jiร ): crops
There is a saying that goes "ghosts run wild in the middle of the seventh month". People burn paper money, โghost moneyโ, 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 โThe Hell Bank Corporation Limitedโ ๐ is an example of ghost money burnt during the festival. Photo source: thepaper.cn
ๆฎ่ฏดไธญๅ ไนๆฅ๏ผๅฐๅฎซๆๅผๅฐ็ฑไน้จ๏ผไนๆฏๅฐ็ฑๅผ้จไนๆฅ๏ผไผ้ฌผ้ฝ่ฆ็ฆปๅผๅฅ็๏ผๆฅๅ่ๆ ก๏ผๆไธป็้ฌผๅๅฎถๅป๏ผๆฒกไธป็ๅฐฑๆธธ่กไบบ้ด๏ผๅพๅพๅจๅๅคๆพไธ่ฅฟๅ๏ผๅ ๆญคๅ็งฐ้ฌผ่๏ผๆฎ้่ฟ่ก็ฅญ็ฅ้ฌผ้ญ็ๆดปๅจ๏ผ็น่ท็ฏไธบไบก้ญ็ งๅๅฎถไน่ทฏใ้่งไธพ่ก็ๅคงๆณไผ็ฅ็ฆๅ็ฅฅ้ๅบ๏ผ้ๅฃซๅปบ้ฎ็ฅ็ฅท๏ผๅ ๅฎนๆฏไธบไบก้ญ็็ต้ญ่ถ ๅบฆใย ย ย
ๅฐๅฎซ, ๅฅ็ (dรฌ gลng, mรญng jiรจ): the underworld
ไผ้ฌผ (zhรฒng guว): all the ghosts
ๆธธ่ก (yรณu dร ng): to wander
ๅพๅพ (pรกi huรกi): to linger, to wander
้ฌผ่ (guว jiรฉ): Ghost Festival
็น่ท็ฏ (diวn hรฉ dฤng): to light lotus lanterns
ไบก้ญ (wรกng hรบn): lost souls
้่ง (dร o guร n): Taoist temple
ๆณไผ (fว huรฌ): religious ceremony
็ฅ็ฆๅ็ฅฅ้ๅบ (qรญ fรบ jรญ xiรกng dร o chวng): A Taoist altar or ceremony for blessings and good fortune
้ๅฃซ (dร o shรฌ): Taoist priest
ๅปบ้ฎ (jiร n jiร o): to conduct a Taoist ritual
็ต้ญ่ถ ๅบฆ (lรญng hรบn chฤo dรน): 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
ไธญๅ ่๏ผๅฏไปฅ่ฏดๆฏไฝๆใ้ๆไธไธไฟ็่ๅใๅฎ็ไบง็ๅฏไปฅ่ฟฝๆบฏๅฐๅคไปฃ็ๆถ็ฅญ๏ผไปฅๅไธไน็ธๅ ณ็็ฅ็ตๅดๆใๅคๆถไบบไปฌๅฏนไบๅไบ็ไธฐๆถ๏ผๅธธๅฏๆไบ็ฅ็ต็ๅบไฝใๅฅ็ฅๅ ็ฅๅจๆฅๅค็งๅฌ็ๆ๏ผไฝ็งๅ ถไธญๅๅ้่ฆใ็งๅคฉๆฏๆถ่ท็ๅญฃ่๏ผไบบไปฌไธพ่กๅ็ฅๅ ไบก็ต็ฎ็ฅญ็ไปชๅผ๏ผๆๆถไปคไฝณๅๅ ไพ็ฅไบซ๏ผ็ถๅ่ชๅทฑๅๅฐ่ฟไบๅณๅจ็ๆๅฎ๏ผๅนถ็ฅ็ฅๆฅๅนด็ๅฅฝๆถๆใ
ไธไฟ (shรฌ sรบ): secular common customs
่ฟฝๆบฏ (zhuฤซ sรน): to trace back to
ๆถ็ฅญ (shรญ jรฌ): seasonal offerings, seasonal rituals
็ฅ็ตๅดๆ (zว lรญng chรณng bร i): ancestral spirit worship
ๅไบ (nรณng shรฌ): agricultural work
ไธฐๆถ, ๆถ่ท (fฤng shลu, shลu huรฒ): harvest
ๅฏๆ (jรฌ tuล): to entrust, to place one's hopes or feelings on something
ๅบไฝ (bรฌ yรฒu): protection, blessing
ๅฅ็ฅ (fรจng sรฌ): to offer sacrifices, to worship
ๅ ็ฅ (xiฤn zว): ancestors
็ฎ็ฅญ (xiร n jรฌ): to offer sacrifices
ๆถไปคไฝณๅ (shรญ lรฌng jiฤ pวn): seasonal delicacies
ไพ็ฅไบซ (gรฒng shรฉn xiวng): offer to the gods
็ฅ็ฅ (qรญ zhรน): to pray for, to wish
ๅฅฝๆถๆ (hวo shลu chรฉng): 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 itโs 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
่ๅจ่ฟไธๅคฉ๏ผๆฎ่ฏดๆๅพๅค็ฆๅฟไนไบ๏ผๆฏๅฆ๏ผ
โ โ 1ใไธ่ฝๆซๅคดๆฃๅ็ก่งใ
โ โ 2ใไธ่ฝ่ฏดโ้ฌผโๅญใ
โ โ 3ใไธ่ฝๅๅคๅบ็ใ
โ โ 4ใไธ่ฝไนฑๆไปไบบ็่ฉ่ใ
โ โ 5ใไธ่ฝๅๅคๆพ่กฃๆใ
ๆซๅคดๆฃๅ (pฤซ tรณu sร n fฤ): Hair down and loose
ๅบ็ (qรฌng shฤng): Celebrate a birthday
ไนฑๆ (luร n pฤi): randomly tap
่ฉ่ (jiฤn bวng): Shoulder
ๆพ่กฃๆ (liร ng yฤซ fรบ): 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? Donโt do the above, or you will attract them! เผผ ใค โ_โ เผฝใค
Antoine & Dorota
