The taboos of the Ghost Festival

During the Ghost Month, many taboos about the Ghost Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival will be passed down among the people. What are the taboos you must pay attention to during the Ghost Festival and the Ghost Festival? Let’s take a look together below!

Ghost Festival Taboos

During the Ghost Month, there are many customs passed down among the people. Some things can be done and some cannot be done, and there are certain rules for everything. In Chinese and Asian cultures, there is a cultural custom that nothing should be done in the seventh month of the lunar calendar. This is because July in previous years was a time when natural disasters and man-made calamities occurred frequently, which easily made people fear this period of time. Many Eastern countries have the tradition of Ghost Month. For example, Japan and Southeast Asia both have this festival, and people are in awe of the Ghost Month.

Common customs during the Ghost Month

1; Open the ground door

The first day of the Ghost Month, which is the first day of July, is the day when private homes are "opened" and require worship. On this day, the gates of hell open and all ghosts come down to the mortal world. Just think of it as summer vacation. There are big sacrifices and small sacrifices. A big festival is to prepare a table full of delicious dishes, while a small festival is to simply sell some fruits and biscuits.

2; Close the ground door

The last day of the Ghost Month, which is the day before the first day of August, is called "Guan Di Men". This day is the day when the ghosts finish their vacation and return to hell. We must have a good beginning and a good end, and on this day, we must also offer sacrifices to ensure peace for the rest of our lives.

Many regions also have their own characteristics during the Ghost Month;

3. Release river lanterns

People believe that the Ghost Festival is a festival for ghosts, so they should light lanterns and celebrate for the ghosts. However, there is a difference between humans and ghosts, so the lanterns hung during the Zhongyuan Festival are different from those hung during the Shangyuan Festival. Man is Yang, ghost is Yin; land is Yang, water is Yin. The mysterious darkness underwater reminds people of the legendary hell where ghosts sink. Therefore, lanterns are hung on land during the Lantern Festival, and on water during the Ghost Festival.

4. Send sheep

In the old capital and rural areas of North China, it is a popular custom for grandfathers and uncles to give live sheep to their nephews on July 15th. Legend has it that this custom is related to the legend of Chenxiang splitting the mountain to save his mother, and later gradually evolved into sending a pair of sheep.

5. Purdue

Various memorial ceremonies are indispensable in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, especially in Taiwan. During the immigration process, many people died in shipwrecks, wars, and plagues, and the general public was afraid that ghosts and hungry ghosts without anyone to offer sacrifices would harm lives, so they attached great importance to the Purdue Festival.

6. The forehead should be exposed

The forehead represents the light of righteousness. Do not let your hair cover your forehead, otherwise it will affect your luck. Especially on the Ghost Festival, it is better to expose your forehead.