The Spirit Festival is a very popular festival in China especially among the people still has some sorts of Taoism beliefs. It is also called as the Ghost Festival or Hungry Ghost Festival and it is celebrated in China every year usually occurs in August.
It is a special Chinese tradition under which people honor their ancestors who comes to bless them as spirits. It is the part of Taoism which is an ancient religion in China.
| Event | Spirit Festival |
|---|---|
| Date | August 12, 2022 |
| Day | Friday |
| Significance | Chinese ancestors are traditionally honored during this Festival |
| Observed by | China |
Spirit Festival History:
The Spirit Festival is celebrated according to the Chinese calendar and in that it falls on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. In regards to the Gregorian calendar it usually occurs in August every year.
According to the historical records available the mention of this festival can be traced back to 221 B.C. which shows the first activities regarding the worship of ancestors in autumn by the people during the pre-Qin period.
However it was during the Tang Dynasty in 628 B.C. who advocated for Taoism the festival started to flourish on a large scale and became a household thing among the Chinese people.
Then after during the Han period the composition of texts and poems began for this festival so that they can be offered to the spirit or ghosts of the dead ancestors.
However during the modern times when China became communist the festival has seen a decline as earlier it was very popular in China but still it is popular in China and there is high chance if you visit China now you would get to see some celebrations happening regarding it too.
Spirit Festival Significance:
Spirit Festival is just one of the numerous traditional festivals of China that are dedicated to worshipping ancestors. Some of the other major festivals includes the Spring Festival, Double Ninth Festival and the Qingming Festival.
During the Ghost Festival people performs various types of ceremonies as they believes that if they don't perform it then they would face the wrath of the spirits. So yeah before observing this festival many people takes various special precautions before starting the ceremonies so that everything can go as intended.
This festival is very significant as it is believed that it is very important for Chinese people to have a good ties with their ancestors so that they can even help also in their bad times if they ever gets haunted by evil spirits.
It is also believed by some that with pure dedication people can also communicate with their ancestors spirits however it requires a very strict devotion to achieve that. But if you can then you will get to communicate with your ancestors and these spirits can be thousands of years old as well.
Spirit Festival Celebrations:
As a ritual of the Spirit Festival, people are known to burn incense sticks while they put the ancestral tablets of the family on a table and prepare meal for three times a day also as an offering to the spirits.
The main ceremony which usually happens at the time of dusk is when they put out plates filled with food as an offering to the ghosts served on the table. It is at this moment only that people are supposed to report their behaviour to their ancestors expecting to either receive a blessing or punishment for their past deeds. A place is sometimes left empty at the table for a lost ancestor.
The Chinesw people also believes the Seventh Lunar Month of the Chinesw calendar to be the scariest month of all and that's why they try to please the spirits during these times to avoid their wrath. As during the time of the Hungry Ghost Month spirits are believed to roam around looking for some entertainment and food. So many fearful people during this time also avoid to go out alone at the night in a fear of being attacked.
In the modern times however during this festival you can also witness many live performances going on at some places with people celebrating the spirit festival and that's why they leaves the front rows empty with a hope that coming ghosts would sit there.
Most Searched FAQs on Spirit Festival:
1. When is Spirit Festival is celebrated?
Spirit Festival is celebrated annually on 15th day of the seventh lunar month according to the Chinese calendar.
2. What are the other names for Spirit Festival?
Spirit Festival is known by many other names such as Ghost Festival or Hungry Ghost Festival.
3. Spirit Festival is related to which religion?
Spirit Festival is related to an ancient Chines religion called Taoism.