As the most precious intangible cultural heritage of the Chinese nation, Chinese traditional festivals carry the rich heritage of the history and culture of the Chinese nation. Among them, the Zhongyuan Festival, also known as the "Ghost Festival" and "Obon Festival", has a long history, containing the concepts of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and is a festival with a wide audience and a high degree of attention in ancient times.
The origin of the Midyear Festival.
The Midyear Festival originated from the ancient autumn taste Xi. During the Wei and Jin dynasties, Buddhism and Taoism injected religious factors into the Zhongyuan Festival, among which the Buddhist "Obon" was the most widely spread. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Zhongyuan Festival was respected by the rulers of the Tang Dynasty and gradually replaced the Buddhist Bon Festival, becoming a festival with local cultural characteristics, which was valued by the emperor, the generals, the monks, and the common people. After the Southern Song Dynasty, the Zhongyuan Festival flourished in the south, integrating Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and folk beliefs, and evolved into a folk festival that integrates ancestor worship, referrals to the dead, and preaching filial piety, which is both ceremonial and entertaining, and has been passed down to this day.
The religious roots of the Midyear Festival.
The fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar coincides with the Mengqiu Festival, and the Zhongyuan Festival was originally the Taoist name for this day. Taoism is a native religion in China, and in the early days, heaven, earth, and water were regarded as the three basic elements that nourish all things in the world, namely the "three elements". The fifteenth day of the first month is Shangyuan, that is, the heavenly official check;July 15 is the Zhongyuan, that is, the local official checks;October 15 is the next yuan, that is, the water official check. On the 15th day of the seventh month, according to legend, the local officials forgive the sins and let the spirits of the dead return to the yang world, and the souls of the ancestors return home, and the descendants need to put up incense tables to welcome the souls of the ancestors and make sacrifices. The influence of Taoism was weaker than that of Buddhism during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, but after the Southern Song Dynasty, the Zhongyuan Festival flourished in the south, blending Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and folk beliefs to form its own unique system.
The relationship between the midyear festival and the Obon festival.
Originally, Obon did not have the complex origin and connotation of the name of the midyear festival, nor did it have a long history and legends. Its origin is simply the story of a filial piety practitioner who touched everyone. In order to save his mother from the suffering of hungry ghosts, Mulian listened to the advice of the Buddha, "Until the 15th day of the seventh month, those who are in distress for the seven generations of parents should have a hundred flavors and five fruits, and make offerings to the ten great virtues in the pot." The story originates from within Buddhism, when the Bon festival was held on the day of Buddha and monks to worship the spirits of the deceased in gratitude to their parents. Obon was originally held to transcend and liberate the souls of the deceased who had suffered in the process of reincarnation, the souls of seven generations of ancestors, including their deceased parents. Although the Obon Sutra is not an Indian Buddhist scripture, but was adapted by Middle-earth monks from relevant records in the Indian Buddhist scriptures, the influence of Obon goes far beyond the realm of religion. After the Buddhist culture was introduced to China, it combined with China's local filial piety culture, and the original Buddhist interpretation day evolved into the Obon Festival, which was deeply believed by the people.
The Evolution and Misunderstanding of Obon.
For a long time, Obon was misunderstood as a potting vessel for flowers and fruits. Although the original meaning of the Bon Sutra was to "relieve the upside down" and to relieve hardship, after it was introduced to China, it was misunderstood as a pot for flowers and fruits. According to the literature, Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of Liang, who advocated Buddhism, would enter the temple every July 15 to send pots to the Buddhas, and the folk were widely decorated, and the process of making the bon gradually became complex and ingenious, including carving wood and cutting bamboo, wax and color threads, imitating the shape of flowers and leaves, etc., so that people spent their minds on making the bon.
The Inheritance and Evolution of Obon.
On the whole, although Obon originated from religion, its influence has long gone beyond the scope of religion and evolved into a collective, large-scale Buddhist activity for all demons. Beginning with the obon festival held by Emperor Wu of Liang in the Southern Dynasty, every year on July 15, believers in Buddhism, regardless of their status, will participate in the festival, which has become a grand festival of religious and folk integration. The combination of Obon and the ancient Chinese tradition of autumn worship has established the special status of July 15 in traditional Chinese festivals.
Epilogue. The Midyear Festival, as one of the representatives of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, carries a rich historical and cultural connotation. In the process of evolving from a religious festival to a folk festival, the Midyear Festival and the Obon Festival complement each other, jointly building a pluralistic system of Chinese culture. Although Obon was religious in its origin, its inheritance and evolution in Chinese culture over time has made this ancient festival more colorful and an indispensable part of traditional Chinese culture.
Obon and Midyear: A Blend of Religion and Culture.
This article details the midyear festival and its relationship with Obon, and provides an in-depth analysis of the origin and development of this traditional festival. As one of the representatives of the intangible cultural heritage of the Chinese nation, the Zhongyuan Festival not only has a profound religious heritage, but also gradually evolved into a folk festival with a strong cultural atmosphere in the long historical development.
First of all, the article vividly depicts the historical evolution of the Zhongyuan Festival, from the ancient autumn taste Xi to the injection of Buddhism and Taoism, and then to the promotion of the Tang Dynasty, showing the long history of the Zhongyuan Festival. Especially after the Southern Song Dynasty, the Zhongyuan Festival developed rapidly in the southern region, integrating Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and folk beliefs, and became a comprehensive festival that not only worships ancestors, recommends the dead, but also has both ceremonial and entertainment festivals. The presentation of this history has given me a deeper understanding of the origin and evolution of the Midyear Festival.
Secondly, the article gives an in-depth interpretation of the relationship between the midyear festival and the Obon festival. The origin of the festival is closely related to religion, while the Obon festival gradually evolved after the introduction of Buddhist culture to China. The article points out that Obon was originally held as a token of gratitude to parents for their nurturing grace, but as the times changed, this religious festival gradually evolved into a grand folk festival. This blend of religion and culture makes Obon not only a religious event, but also a traditional festival with high public participation.
Furthermore, the article provides an in-depth analysis of the misunderstanding and evolution of Obon. The Bon Sutra was not originally an Indian Buddhist scripture, but was adapted by Middle-earth monks based on the relevant records of the Indian Buddhist scriptures. However, this misunderstanding led to the image of Obon gradually evolving into a pot of flowers and fruits, and it became the object of people's painstaking efforts. This evolution reflects both the diversity of cultural heritage and the unique way in which traditional festivals are understood and expressed.
Finally, the article concludes that the integration and development of the midyear festival and the obon festival is an indispensable part of traditional Chinese culture. This profound cultural connotation is not only reflected in the solemnity of religious ceremonies, but also in the celebration activities of the people. The article used vivid and detailed language to give me a deeper understanding of this colorful traditional festival and the profound cultural connotations behind it.
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