Ghost Festival
ghost festival hungry ghost festival also known zhongyuan festival taoism yulanpen festival buddhism traditional festival held certain east southeast asian country according chinese calendar lunisolar calendar ghost festival th night seventh month th part southern china chinese culture fifteenth day seventh month lunar calendar called ghost day especially taiwan pudu chinese 普渡 pinyin pǔdù pe̍hōejī phó͘tō͘ seventh month generally regarded ghost month ghost spirit including deceased ancestor come lower realm diyu preta distinct qingming festival tomb sweeping day spring double ninth festival autumn living descendant pay homage deceased ancestor ghost festival deceased believed visit living fifteenth day realm heaven hell realm living open taoist buddhist would perform ritual transmute absolve suffering deceased intrinsic ghost month veneration dead traditionally filial piety descendant extends ancestor even death activity month would include preparing ritualistic food offering burning incense burning joss paper papiermâché form material item clothes gold fine good visiting spirit ancestor elaborate meal often vegetarian would served empty seat deceased family treating deceased still living ancestor worship distinguishes qingming festival ghost festival latter includes paying respect deceased including younger generation former includes older generation festivity may include buying releasing miniature paper boat lantern water signifies giving direction lost ghost spirit ancestor deity name relates concept hungry ghost chinese translation term preta buddhism play role chinese buddhism taoism well chinese folk religion represents being originally living people died driven intense emotional need animalistic way taoist festival taoism three yuan theory representing three great emperorofficials name zhong yuan come – festival flourished tang dynasty whose ruler partial taoism zhongyuan became well established holiday name buddhist festival origin story modern ghost festival ultimately originated ancient india deriving mahayana scripture known yulanpen ullambana sutra sutra record time maudgalyāyana achieves abhijñā us newfound power search deceased parent maudgalyayana discovers deceased mother reborn preta hungry ghost realm wasted condition maudgalyayana tried help giving bowl rice unfortunately preta unable eat rice transformed burning coal maudgalyayana asks buddha help whereupon buddha explains one able assist one current parent deceased parent life one past seven life willingly offering food etc sangha monastic community pravarana end monsoon season vassa usually occurs th day seventh month whereby monastic community transfer merit deceased parent etc theravadan form festival south southeast asia including cambodia pchum ben much older deriving petavatthu scripture pali canon probably date rd century bc petavatthu account broadly similar later recorded yulanpen sutra although concern disciple sāriputta family rather moggallāna ghost festival held seventh month chinese calendar also fall time full moon new season fall harvest peak buddhist monastic asceticism rebirth ancestor assembly local community month gate hell opened ghost free roam earth seek food entertainment ghost believed spirit without descendant traditionally without descendant male line whose descendant pay tribute died desperately hungry thirsty restless result family member offer food drink ghost burn hell bank note form joss paper joss paper item believed value afterlife considered similar aspect material world family pay tribute wandering ghost stranger homeless soul intrude life bring misfortune large feast held ghost day ghost festival thereabouts people bring sample food place altar outside temple house please ghost ward bad luck – lotusshaped lantern lit set afloat river symbolically guide lost soul afterlife east asian country today live performance held everyone invited attend first row seat always empty ghost sit show always put night high volume sound believed attract please ghost show include chinese opera drama area even burlesque show traditionally chinese opera main source entertainment newer show concert drama war forth referred getai act better known merrymaking ritual buddhist taoist hold ceremony relieve ghost suffering many holding ceremony afternoon night believed ghost released hell sun set altar built deceased priest monk alike perform ritual benefit ghost monk priest often throw rice small food air direction distribute ghost evening incense burnt front door household incense stand prosperity chinese culture family believe prosperity burning incense festival shop closed want leave street open ghost middle street stand altar incense fresh fruit sacrifice displayed fourteen day festival make sure hungry ghost find way back hell people float water lantern set outside house lantern made setting lotus flowershaped lantern paper boat lantern used direct ghost back underworld go symbolizes found way back concertlike performance prominent feature ghost festival singapore malaysia live concert popularly known getai mandarin simplified chinese 歌台 traditional chinese 歌臺 pinyin gētái kohtai hokkien chinese 歌臺 pe̍hōejī kotâi performed group singer dancer entertainer opera troop puppet show temporary stage set within residential district festival funded resident individual district getai front row left empty special guests—the ghost known bad luck sit front row red seat anyone sit would become sick similarly ailed indonesia festival popularly known chit gwee pua hokkien chinese 七月半 pe̍hōejī chhitgoe̍hpòaⁿ chit nyiat pan hakka chinese 七月半 pha̍kfasṳchhitngie̍tpan cioko sembahyang rebutan indonesian scrambling prayer observer gather around temple bring offering spirit died unlucky way distribute poor way people scramble offering origin festival name festival mostly known java island area like north sumatra riau riau island also conduct live concert known getai mandarin simplified chinese 歌台 traditional chinese 歌臺 pinyin gētái like malaysia singapore also time observer conduct tomb sweeping known sembahyang kubur respect ancestor spirit garner luck done buying hell note kim cua hokkien chinese 金紙 pe̍hōejī kimchóa paperbased good like paper house paper horse paper car etc end burned believed burned good sent help spirit feel better afterlife philippine occasion popularly known ghost month affect entire seventh lunar month chinese calendar around august september monthlong observance mostly traditionally practiced originated chinese filipino observance since spread filipino become aware since reverberates economically stock market sizable amount investor stop investing put investment later date past occasion generally observe find unlucky time year traditional belief state soul dead relative wandering soul vengeful spirit roam earth monthlong occasion mean practitioner take extra precaution caution others making important decision come relationship profession business finance people avoid practice like making lifechanging decision getting married engaged starting new business moving new home traveling signing contract making impulsive major financial decision committing big professional project inauguration buying selling high priced possession car phone real estate property staying late night especially kid elderly making noise whistling night leaving food hanging clothes sunset leaving overnight since humanlike shape may invite spirit even taking picture night wearing black clothes tapping people head shoulder may affect luck picking coin strange item find since may belong dead even constantly talking oneself going cemetery alone answering unknown whisper sobbing constantly close body water constantly talking ghost death besides many avoidance practitioner also make offering prayer soul dead burning spirit money lighting incense laying food like fruit drink home temple altar cemetery tomb graf mausoleum deceased relative people month also start visit people also start hold memorial service deceased relative ancestor held either home chinese temple church funeral home traditionally believed ghost haunt island taiwan entire seventh lunar month midsummer ghost festival held month known ghost month first day month marked opening gate temple symbolizing gate hell twelfth day lamp main altar lit thirteenth day procession lantern held fourteenth day parade held releasing water lantern incense food offered spirit deter visiting home spirit paper money also burnt offering month people avoid surgery buying car swimming moving house marrying whistling going taking picture dark festival known tết trung nguyên viewed time pardoning condemned soul released hell homeless fed appeased offering food merit living also earned release bird fish lunar month festival take place colloquially known tháng cô hồn month lonely spirit believed haunted particularly unlucky influenced buddhism holiday coincides vu lan vietnamese transliteration ullambana modern time vu lan also seen parent day people living parent would bear red rose would give thanks without choose bear white rose attend service pray deceased asian theravadin buddhist country related tradition ceremony festival also occur like ullambana sutraorigins mahayana buddhist country theravada scripture petavatthu gave rise idea offering food hungry ghost theravada tradition form meritmaking story published petavatthu maudgalyayana also play central role rise concept mahayana tradition along sariputta also play role rise concept theravada tradition similarly rise concept mahayana buddhism version maudgalyayana rescue mother maudgalyayana replaced sariputta recorded petavatthu part basis behind practice concept theravadin society concept offering food hungry ghost also found early buddhist literature tirokudda kanda cambodia cambodia fifteendaylong annual festival known pchum ben occurs generally september october cambodian pay respect deceased relative seven generation gate hell believed open period many people make offering hungry ghost lao lao festival known boun khao padap din usually occurs september year go two week period believed hungry ghost freed hell enter world living second festival known boun khao salak occurs directly conclusion boun khay padab din period food offering made hungry ghost sri lanka sri lanka food offering made hungry ghost seventh day three month one year death day deceased person ceremony conducted death part traditional sri lankan buddhist funeral rite known mataka dānēs matakadānaya offering made acquire merit transformed back equivalent good world hungry ghost offering offered seventh day come day personalized food offering given garden spirit deceased relative occurs sixth day deceased reach proper afterworld hungry ghost realm feared living believed cause various sickness disaster living buddhist monk called upon perform pirit ward floating spirit rite also practiced thailand myanmar also practiced ghost festival observed asian country thailand thailand fifteendaylong annual festival known sat thai celebrated september october thailand especially southern thailand particularly province nakhon si thammarat like related festival tradition part asia deceased believed come back earth fifteen day people make offering festival known sat thai differentiate chinese ghost festival known sat chin thai language japan chūgen chūgen 中元 also ochūgen お中元 annual event japan th day th month people give gift especially superior originally annual event giving gift ancestral spirit one three day form sangen 三元 daoism sometimes considered zassetsu type seasonal day japanese calendar bon obon sometimes transliterated obon simply bon japanese version ghost festival since transformed time family reunion holiday people big city return home town visit clean resting place ancestor traditionally including dance called bon odori obon existed japan year modern japan held july eastern part kantō august western part kansai okinawa amami island celebrated china th day th lunar month obon held date kansai okinawa amami island august year also th day th lunar month india performance shraddha son pitru paksha regarded compulsory hindu ensure soul ancestor go heaven context scripture garuda purana say salvation man without son scripture preach householder propitiate ancestor pitris along god devas ghost bhutas guest scripture markandeya purana say ancestor content shraddhas bestow health wealth knowledge longevity ultimately heaven salvation moksha upon performer indonesia bali part indonesia particularly among indigenous hindu indonesia ancestor died cremated said return visit former home day known hari raya galungan celebration typically last two week often form specific food religious offering along festivity festival date often calculated according balinese pawukon calendar typically occurs every day soul day buddhist art chinese ghost lantern festival nine emperor god festival nine emperor god chinese 九皇 hokkien kow ong yah cantonese kow wong yeh phi ta khon tōrō nagashi bandō shōjun ed ullambana sutra taishō vol apocryphal scripture pdf bukkyō dendō kyōkai english tripitaka series berkeley numata center buddhist translation research pp – isbn archived original pdf february chow shu kai 周樹佳 鬼月鉤沉中元、盂蘭、餓鬼節 investigation ghost month zhong yuan ullambana hungry ghost festival traditional chinese hong kong chung hwa book hong kong isbn langer rita buddhist ritual death rebirth contemporary sri lankan practice origin abingdon routledge isbn karashima seishi meaning yulanpen 盂蘭盆 rice bowl pravāraṇā day annual report international research institute advance buddhology soka university academic year xvi – karashima seishi 辛嶋静志 b 「盂蘭盆」の本当の意味 ―千四百間の誤解を解く real meaning urabon yulanpen –the solution year misunderstanding 大法輪 great wheel dharma japanese –citation c maint multiple name author list link karashima seishi 辛嶋静志in chinese 辛島靜志 盂蘭盆之意自恣日的“飯鉢” meaning yulanpen 盂蘭盆 rice bowl pravāraṇā day 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