How do you commemorate your ancestors?

How do you commemorate your ancestors?
Nov 6, 2013 00:47
RAINDROP Points: Join Date: Aug 24, 2009 Status: offline	In the western world, good people go to the paradise after death while bad people go to the hell. In China, we don’t have paradise or hell. Chinese people believe that all the dead people go to the underworld. Good people won’t be tortured and can reincarnate very soon when they come to the underworld. Bad people will be tortured for the wrong deeds they have done when they are alive and they won’t have a chance to reincarnate. In Buddhism and Taoism, people can become immortal after years of practices. Of course, they don’t go to the underworld. In China, we have three ghost festivals (Tomb-Sweeping Festival, Hungry Ghost Festival and Winter Clothing Festival). Most of foreigners must have heard about the tomb-sweeping festival. It usually falls on the 104th day after the winter solstice, probably April 4 or 5 on solar calendar. Chinese people go to worship their ancestors and clean their tombs during this festival. Hungry Ghost Festival, also called Yu Lan Festival, usually falls on July 15 according to Chinese lunar calendar. Legend has it that ghosts are freed from the underworld on July 15. Hence, Chinese people burn incense, ghost paper money and offer sacrifices (fruit, steamed buns etc) to the their ancestors and hungry ghosts. In addition, they light lotus lanterns to It’s the most important one among the three ghost festivals. Winter Clothing Festival falls on October 1 on Chinese lunar calendar. The winter just begins several days after the festival. Chinese people believe that their ancestors need clothes to get through the cold winter. So they burn paper clothes, paper money and offer sacrifices to their ancestors, hoping that their ancestors can live well in the underworld. They also burn paper clothes, paper money and offer sacrifices to the wandering ghosts who have no families. Why? They wish that wandering ghosts didn’t seize clothes and money from their ancestors. On the three ghost festivals, Chinese people almost do the same things including burning incense, ghost money and offering sacrifices to commemorate their ancestors. This tradition has been observed for thousands of years.

Nov 6, 2013 00:47

RAINDROP
Points:
Join Date: Aug 24, 2009
Status: offline

In the western world, good people go to the paradise after death while bad people go to the hell. In China, we don’t have paradise or hell. Chinese people believe that all the dead people go to the underworld. Good people won’t be tortured and can reincarnate very soon when they come to the underworld. Bad people will be tortured for the wrong deeds they have done when they are alive and they won’t have a chance to reincarnate. In Buddhism and Taoism, people can become immortal after years of practices. Of course, they don’t go to the underworld.

In China, we have three ghost festivals (Tomb-Sweeping Festival, Hungry Ghost Festival and Winter Clothing Festival). Most of foreigners must have heard about the tomb-sweeping festival. It usually falls on the 104th day after the winter solstice, probably April 4 or 5 on solar calendar. Chinese people go to worship their ancestors and clean their tombs during this festival.

Hungry Ghost Festival, also called Yu Lan Festival, usually falls on July 15 according to Chinese lunar calendar. Legend has it that ghosts are freed from the underworld on July 15. Hence, Chinese people burn incense, ghost paper money and offer sacrifices (fruit, steamed buns etc) to the their ancestors and hungry ghosts. In addition, they light lotus lanterns to It’s the most important one among the three ghost festivals.

Winter Clothing Festival falls on October 1 on Chinese lunar calendar. The winter just begins several days after the festival. Chinese people believe that their ancestors need clothes to get through the cold winter. So they burn paper clothes, paper money and offer sacrifices to their ancestors, hoping that their ancestors can live well in the underworld. They also burn paper clothes, paper money and offer sacrifices to the wandering ghosts who have no families. Why? They wish that wandering ghosts didn’t seize clothes and money from their ancestors.

On the three ghost festivals, Chinese people almost do the same things including burning incense, ghost money and offering sacrifices to commemorate their ancestors. This tradition has been observed for thousands of years.

Nov 13, 2013 04:51	#1
WANHU Points: Join Date: Feb 20, 2007 Status: Offline	Dear Raindrop What do you think of celebrating these festivals? Wan

Nov 13, 2013 20:26

JIMMYB
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Join Date: Feb 7, 2007
Status: Offline

I have something to say about these festivals. My grandma and grandpa all passed away. I don't have time to go back home on these three festivals because I am a bit far from my hometown. My parents do commemorate my grandparents as Raindrop said.

The only thing I do is "visit" my grandparents on the Chinese New Year's Eve. It's a tradition in my hometown. Every family goes to offer sacrifices and burn paper money on the New Year's Eve. They hope that their ancestors can have a happy New Year too. After the family gathering party on the New Year's Eve, we burn paper money again in front of our house again.

Well, it's the men in the family who burn the paper money. Women don't do it.

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