On the full moon day of July – the day of amnesty for the dead, in some Asian countries there are very unique and strange customs.
The full moon of July is a big holiday appearing in some Asian countries such as Vietnam, China… This holiday also coincides with Vu Lan festival – the ceremony of filial piety to parents. The full moon of July is also known as the “pardon for the dead”.
On this day, the living not only remember and show filial piety to their deceased parents and ancestors, but also an opportunity for them to help the hungry souls who have no family or loved ones to worship. Therefore, many families will make two offerings: one for the ancestors, the other for the soul.
From the beginning of July, many families in some Asian countries have bought a lot of sacrifices made of votive paper, incense, and fruits to send to the afterlife for the deceased. In Vietnam, on the full moon day of July, many people come to pagodas to perform rituals of worship. They usually do it during the day because it is believed that when the sun has set, it means that the gates of the underworld are closed and the soul cannot return to the underworld.
For families who can afford it, they often make two offerings: one to worship ancestors at the altar in the house and the other to be used to worship sentient beings placed in the front yard or on the sidewalk.
In the ancestral altar, families prepare savory dishes, gold coins, and personal items such as houses, cars, phones, etc. for the underworld, made of paper (which people often call votive goods). ) .
It is believed that the people of the underworld also need to use the same items as when they were alive, so their descendants and family members often prepare very decent votive items. They do so to pray for the deceased to have a prosperous and material life. For the tray of offerings to sentient beings, people prepare clothes made from pieces of paper with different colors, kinds of rice, corn, sweets, white porridge or flower porridge, gold coins, water or wine. pence…
In addition, on the full moon day of July, temples often have a ceremony to release animals such as releasing birds, releasing fish…
On Vu Lan festival, people often go to pagodas to pray for their mother’s soul to be saved. Those who still have a mother will wear a red rose on their chest to show their filial piety and gratitude and vice versa, those whose mother has passed away from the mountain will wear a white rose.
For Japanese people, the full moon day of the seventh month is an occasion for them to express their wishes to their ancestors and pray that their wishes will come true. They will write those wishes on a piece of paper and hang it on a bamboo tree.
This is also the day when family members who go to find food and study in all directions return to reunite and visit ancestral graves. In addition, Japanese people also organize performances of traditional dances.
In China, the seventh lunar month is considered the month of the hungry ghost and is considered an unlucky time, so people often abstain from many things. They believe that souls will be sent back to earth by Pluto when Hell’s Gate opens from the beginning of the month to the end of the month.
Some people will drop paper boats or lanterns on the river on the evening of the full moon of July. It is like a lighthouse guiding the wandering souls in the right direction, finding their way back to the underworld before that door closed.
The Chinese also organize cultural performances on this occasion. However, people leave the front row empty because those seats are for the soul to come to see the show with.
Another special activity that takes place on the full moon day of July in China is “come and meet again”, the Di ethnic boys in Yunnan will eagerly take to the streets to touch the girls’ breasts without fear of being seen as bad. “love the green beard”. This special activity takes place on the 14th, 15th and 16th of the seventh lunar month every year. Participants were unmarried young men and women.
According to ancient legend, the souls of young men who died on the battlefield unmarried were not liberated because they had never touched a woman’s breasts before they died. Therefore, the shaman asked to select 10 virgin women who have not been touched by men in the first round to be sacrificed with the soul to the afterlife. Therefore, in order not to be chosen as a sacrifice, the young maidens asked the boys of the tribe to touch their breasts. Gradually, this special custom spread widely and persists to this day.