What is the process and ritual of ancestor worship during the Mid-Autumn Festival on July 15th, and what are the four major ghost festivals?

What is the process and ritual of ancestor worship during the Mid-Autumn Festival on July 15th, and what are the four major ghost festivals?
Introduction: Ancestor worship during the Ghost Festival is a very important and complicated matter, so what is the ritual process for ancestor worship during the Ghost Festival on July 15th, and what are the four major ghost festivals? July is also called the "Qiaoyue". On July 7th of every year, Chinese women "beg for cleverness" from the Vega star in the sky, begging her to make them dexterous. Follow Mr. Shui Mo's website to learn more about the seventh month of the lunar calendar in 2019!

What is the process and ritual of ancestor worship during the Ghost Festival on July 15th?

1. Ask for the tablets of the ancestors
When it comes to the "mid-July" ancestor worship, the tablets of the ancestors are taken out one by one and placed respectfully on an altar specially used for worship. Incense is then lit in front of each ancestor's tablet, and tea and food are offered three times a day, in the morning, noon and evening, until the tablets are returned on July 30th. If you have portraits of your ancestors, please take them out and hang them up.
2. The order of worship is particular
When worshiping, people kowtow to each ancestor according to their seniority and age order, pray silently, report to the ancestors and ask them to examine their words and deeds in the past year, and bless the whole family with peace and happiness.
Be safe and happy. When sending the deceased back, paper money and clothes are burned, which is called burning clothes, or it is a Buddhist or Taoist ritual for the salvation of the souls.
3. Offerings to ancestors
The ancestor worship activities on the Ghost Festival are usually held at noon that day. Every family prepares sumptuous dishes and food, and puts a full meal of 24 dishes on the large eight-immortals table in their respective halls, with seven pairs of chopsticks, a pot of wine and seven jugs. In the middle is a fruit box and a food plate. The fruit box is usually a hexagonal prism-shaped hardwood with carved floral decorations, and the food plate is also carved into a rectangle with six grids on the top, in which are placed six vegetarian dishes such as shiitake mushrooms, black fungus, pine mushrooms, day lily, dried bamboo shoots and red dates, commonly known as "Six Flavors Zhai".
4. Worship ceremony and paper burning
After the banquet was set, the host lit three incense sticks, lit two big red candles, held the incense and knelt down as usual, inviting the ancestors to enjoy the banquet, and hoping that the ancestors would protect the health and safety of their descendants and family, and the prosperity of the family, etc. After a pause, he asked for permission from the divination cup, and then burned the gold and silver paper money. The banquet could not be dismissed until the gold paper was completely burned.
On the same day, three kinds of animals are offered to the gods and Buddhas enshrined in the hall. The so-called three animals are a main animal and two side animals. The main animal is usually a cooked five-jin large pig's trotter with hoof, and the side animals are usually cooked fish, squid, eye fish and chicken. For example, if there is a Guanyin Buddha enshrined in the hall, fresh fruits are often offered to her because Guanyin Mother does not eat meat.
Because gods and Buddhas are of higher rank than ancestors, only "gold paper" can be offered as an offering. Silver clothes and the like are less valuable and cannot reflect the sincerity of believers, so they are not included in the offerings.
In addition to offering sacrifices to ancestors and Buddhas during the Ghost Festival, the host also takes the opportunity to show respect to the owner of the house, the god of the foundation, the kitchen god, the bed goddess, and even the gods of the cowshed, stable, sheepfold and pigpen, using five-flavor banquet bowls and silver clothes.

What are the four major ghost festivals?

1. March 3
In the Jianghuai and Jiangnan areas, the third day of the third lunar month every year is called Ghost Festival. Legend has it that ghosts appear on this day. At night, every household sets off firecrackers in every house to scare away the ghosts.
2. Qingming Festival
Qingming Festival usually falls on April 4, 5 or 6 in the Gregorian calendar and is a traditional Chinese festival.
3. The Ghost Festival on July 14th and 15th
According to legend, every year from July 1st, the King of Hell orders the gates of hell to be opened wide, allowing the wronged souls and evil ghosts who have suffered in hell all year round to escape, wander for a short period of time, and enjoy the blood and food of the human world. That is why people call July the Ghost Month. People believe that this month is an unlucky month and do not get married or move house during this month. In addition to worshiping their ancestors on this night, people also prepare some dishes, wine, rice, gold and silver paper, etc. and go to the intersection to worship ghosts and gods.
4. October 1st Cold Clothes Festival
It is called "October Festival" or "Ancestor Worship Festival". my country has a long-standing custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors when the harvest is new, as a way of showing respect and remembrance of one's roots. Therefore, people also worship their ancestors on the first day of October. On the first day of October, people worship their ancestors, both at home and at their tombs, in both the north and the south. Today, in many areas of Jiangnan, there is still the custom of offering sacrifices to new graves on the first day of October.
The first day of October is also the first day of winter, and the weather gradually becomes colder after that. People are afraid that the souls of their ancestors in the underworld will be short of clothes to wear. Therefore, in addition to the general offerings such as food, incense, candles, paper money, etc., there is also an indispensable offering during the sacrifice - underworld clothes. During sacrifices, people burn funeral clothes for their ancestors, which is called "sending winter clothes." Therefore, the first day of October is also called the "Burning Clothes Festival."

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