What kind of lanterns are lit during the Ghost Festival? Why do we light lanterns during the Ghost Festival?

What kind of lanterns are lit during the Ghost Festival? Why do we light lanterns during the Ghost Festival?
The Zhongyuan Festival, also known as the Ghost Festival, is a traditional sacrificial festival in my country. Want to know more about the Ghost Festival? The arrival of the seventh month of the lunar calendar indicates that the scorching summer heat is gradually fading away and the heat is gradually subsiding. For more information about the auspiciousness and inauspiciousness of the seventh month of the lunar calendar in 2021, come to Shuimo.com to learn about it.

What kind of lanterns should be lit during the Ghost Festival?

According to the customs of different places, the Ghost Festival is divided into two types: releasing "sky lanterns" and "river lanterns".
The custom of lighting lanterns during the Zhongyuan Festival is said to have evolved from the custom of hanging lanterns during the Shangyuan Festival (Lantern Festival), and both have the meaning of praying for blessings and offering sacrifices.
1. Release sky lanterns
Releasing sky lanterns during the Ghost Festival is actually a custom in July. In addition to offering sacrifices, it is more for praying for blessings.
The sky lanterns released during the Ghost Festival are made of bamboo strips woven into a frame, covered with rice paper on all four sides, and then a candle is lit inside.
Since the outside of the lantern is made of paper, many people usually write their wishes or messages to their deceased relatives on it, which serves the purpose of praying and worshiping.
But this kind of activity is rare nowadays. After all, paper is flammable and will always catch fire if it is put into the air. If a burning sky lantern falls to the ground, it can easily cause a fire and may also injure people.
2. Release river lanterns
Many places have the custom of releasing river lanterns to ward off loneliness during the Ghost Festival.
River lanterns are also called "lotus lanterns". Generally, a lamp or candle is placed on a base and placed in rivers, lakes or seas on the night of the Ghost Festival, allowing them to drift.
People believe that the Zhongyuan Festival is a ghost festival. Ghosts and water are both yin, so lighting lanterns on the river during the Zhongyuan Festival has the function of saving ghosts. According to legend, the river during the Ghost Festival will be connected to the River Styx, and if you write your blessings on the river lanterns, they will be carried to your deceased relatives by the river water.

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