鬼节的英文介绍

GhostFestival

TheGhostFestival,alsoknownastheHungryGhostFestival,orYuLanpen（盂兰盆）isatraditionalChinesefestivalandholidaycelebratedbyChineseinmanycountries.IntheChinesecalendartheGhostFestivalisonthe15thnightoftheseventhlunarmonth(14thinsouthernChina).鬼节每年农历七月十五日为“盂兰盆节”，“盂兰盆会”，也称“中元节”（一定意义上讲，中元节归属道教，盂兰盆节归属佛教），有些地方俗称“鬼节”、“施孤”，又称亡人节、七月半。“鬼节”，俗称“七月半”（有些地域,尤以华南为十三或十四，相传是宋代末年蒙古人入侵某地，居民为逃难而提早一天过节）。Origins1.Buddhism

BuddhistsfromChinaandTaoistsclaimthattheGhostFestivaloriginatedwiththecanonical（权威旳）scripturesofBuddhism,butmanyofthevisibleaspectsoftheceremoniesoriginatefromChinesefolkreligion,andotherlocalfolktraditions.Thisprocessofsyncretism(宗教合并）isnotlimitedtoChina:theghostfestivalhasparallelsinTheravadaBuddhism（小乘佛教）reflectingthesameassumptionsaboutanannualopeningofthegatesofhell,andwiththesameroleofKingYama（阎罗王）.InTangDynastyChina,theBuddhistfestivalUllambana（盂兰盆）(seebelow)andtheGhostFestivalweremixedandcelebratedtogether.Origins

Thearhat(阿罗汉）

[Sanskrit]Maudgalyāyana[Chinese:Mu-lien目连]andhismotherAfterheattained

arhatship,hebegantothinkdeeplyofhisparents,andwonderedwhathappenedtothem.Heusedhisclairvoyance（千里眼）

toseewheretheywererebornandfoundhisfatherintheheavenlyrealmsi.e.therealmofthegods.However,hismotherhadbeenreborninalowerrealm,knownasAviciHell（无间地狱）,ortheRealmof

HungryGhosts.Hismothertookontheformofa

hungryghost

(preta)

–socalledbecauseitcouldnoteatduetoitshighlythinandfragilethroatinwhichnofoodcouldpassthrough,yetitwasalwayshungrybecauseithadafatbelly.OriginsHehadinstructedhertokindlyhostanyBuddhistmonksthatevercameherway,butinsteadshewithheldherkindnessandhermoney.Itwasforthisreasonshewasrebornintherealmofhungryghosts.MaudgalyāyanasoughttheBuddha‘sadvicetohelphismothergainahumanbirth.TheBuddhaestablishedadayafterthetraditionalsummerretreat(the14thdayoftheseventhmonthinthelunarcalendar,)onwhichMaudgalyāyanawastoofferfoodandrobestofivehundred

bhikkhus（比丘，梵语和尚）.Throughthemeritscreated,Maudgalyāyana'smotherfinallygainedahumanbirth.Origins1.Taoism道教以为产生天地万物旳三个基本元素是天、地、水，即“三元”，三者称“官”。天官赐福，诞于正月十五，称上元节。地官赦罪，诞于七月十五，称中元节。水官解厄，诞于十月十五，称下元节。中元地官于七月十五中元时普渡孤魂野鬼，有罪旳人也可向其祈求赦罪。OnthefifteenthdaytherealmsofHeavenandHellandtherealmofthelivingareopenandbothTaoistsandBuddhistswouldperformritualstotransmuteandabsolvethesufferingsofthedeceased（普渡死者）.IntrinsictotheGhostMonthis

ancestorworship,wheretraditionallythefilialpiety（孝顺）

ofdescendantsextendstotheirancestorsevenaftertheirdeaths.

Activities

1.preparingritualistic（仪式性旳）

foodofferings(祭品）2.burningincense

3.burn

hellbanknotes

(冥币）andotherformsof

josspaper,likepaperhouses,cars,servantsandtelevisionsforthevisitingspiritsoftheancestors.4.servingElaboratemeals(oftenvegetarianmeals)withemptyseatsforeachofthedeceasedinthefamilytreatingthedeceasedasiftheyarestillliving.5.

5.buyingandreleasingminiature（微型）paperboatsandlanternsonwater,whichsignifiesgivingdirectionstothelostghostsandspiritsoftheancestorsandotherdeities（神灵）.人们以为，中元节是鬼节，也应该张灯，为鬼庆贺节日。但是，人鬼有别，所以，中元张灯和上元张灯不同。人为阳，鬼为阴；陆为阳，水为阴。所以，上元张灯是在陆地，中元张灯是在水里。。

1.InChinesetradition,thefifteenthdayoftheseventhmonthinthelunarcalendariscalledGhostDayandtheseventhmonthingeneralisregardedastheGhostMonth(鬼月),inwhichghostsandspirits,includingthoseofthedeceasedancestors,comeoutfromthelowerrealm（下界）.DistinctfromboththeQingmingFestival(inSpring)andChungYeungFestival(inAutumn)inwhichlivingdescendantspayhomagetotheirdeceasedancestors,onGhostDay,thedeceasedarebelievedtovisittheliving.DifferencebetweenQingmingFestivalandGhostFestival

2.AncestorworshipiswhatdistinguishesQingmingFestivalfromGhostFestivalbecausethelatterincludespayingrespectstoalldeceased,includingthesameandyoungergenerations,whiletheformeronlyincludesoldergenerations.Officialname

Buddhism:Ullambana

(TC:盂蘭盆,SC:盂兰盆Yúlánpén)Taoism

and

FolkBelief:

ZhōngyuánJié

(TC:中元節,SC:中元节)AlsocalledGhostMonthObserved

by:Buddhists,

Taoists,

Chinesefolkreligion

believersSignificance：Theopeningofthe