Have you ever wondered what China celebrates with its Teng Chieh festival? If you are familiar with Halloween or the Day of the Dead, you may think that Teng Chieh is a similar celebration of the spooky and the supernatural.
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But you would be wrong. Teng Chieh is a festival that honors the dead, but not in a scary or morbid way. It is a festival that blends Buddhism, Taoism, and ancestral worship, creating a fascinating tapestry of beliefs and practices.
In this blog post, I will explain what Teng Chieh is, how it originated, how it is celebrated, and what it means for the Chinese culture and people.
What is Teng Chieh?
Teng Chieh is the Chinese name for the Ghost Festival, which is a traditional festival held in certain East and Southeast Asian countries. It is a festival that honors the dead, but not in a scary or morbid way.
It is a festival that blends Buddhism, Taoism, and ancestral worship, creating a fascinating tapestry of beliefs and practices.
Teng Chieh is observed on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, which is the Ghost Month. During this month, it is believed that the gates of the underworld are opened, and the spirits of the deceased ancestors and other wandering ghosts come out to visit the living.
The 15th day is the most important day, as it is the birthday of the King of Hell, who releases all the ghosts from the lower realm to receive food and drink.
On this day, people pay respect and gratitude to their ancestors and help the wandering spirits find peace and enlightenment. They do this by visiting temples, making offerings, burning paper boats and lanterns, burning paper effigies of items, and chanting scriptures.
They also avoid certain actions that may offend or attract the ghosts, such as swimming, staying out late, or wearing red.
Teng Chieh is a festival that reflects the Chinese worldview and philosophy, which is based on the harmony and balance of the yin and yang, the heaven and earth, and the living and the dead.
It is also a festival that teaches the Chinese people to be compassionate, filial, and generous, and to appreciate the preciousness of life and the importance of family and community.
I hope this helps you understand what Teng Chieh is and why it is celebrated.
How did Teng Chieh originate?
Teng Chieh is a festival that has a long and rich history, dating back to the Tang Dynasty around 618-907 AD. It has two main sources: a Taoist legend and a Buddhist text.
The Taoist legend says that the 15th day of the seventh month is the birthday of the King of Hell, who releases all the ghosts from the underworld to receive food and drink. The living people should make offerings and burn incense to appease the ghosts and avoid their wrath.
The Buddhist text is the Ullambana Sutra, which tells the story of how the Buddha's disciple Maudgalyayana rescued his mother from the realm of hungry ghosts by making offerings to the monks.
The Buddha taught him that by doing so, he could also liberate other suffering beings. The word "Ullambana" means "hanging upside down", implying the unbearable pain of the hungry ghosts.
These two sources have influenced the way Teng Chieh is celebrated, as it combines the Taoist and Buddhist rituals and beliefs. Teng Chieh is a festival that honors the dead, but also helps the living to gain merit and compassion.
I hope this helps you understand how Teng Chieh originated and what are the legends and stories behind it.
How is Teng Chieh celebrated?
Teng Chieh is a festival that honors the dead, but also helps the living to gain merit and compassion. Here are some of the common activities that people do during Teng Chieh:
- Visiting temples. People visit temples to pray, make offerings, and burn incense for their ancestors and the wandering spirits. They also listen to the monks chanting scriptures and reciting the names of the deceased. Some temples also hold ceremonies to release the souls of the dead from suffering, such as the water and land ceremony or the Ullambana ceremony.
- Making offerings. People make offerings of food, drinks, fruits, and flowers to their ancestors and the ghosts at home, at the temples, or at the roadside altars. They also burn paper money, paper clothes, paper houses, paper cars, and other paper items that the ghosts may need or desire in the afterlife. These offerings are meant to show respect and gratitude, and also to appease and satisfy the ghosts.
- Burning paper boats and lanterns. People burn paper boats and lanterns on the water or in the air to guide the spirits back to their realms. The paper boats and lanterns are usually shaped like lotuses, which symbolize purity and enlightenment. They are also decorated with candles, flowers, and coins. Some people also write their wishes or messages on the paper boats and lanterns, hoping that the spirits will help them fulfill them.
- Avoiding certain actions. People avoid certain actions that may offend or attract the ghosts, such as swimming, staying out late, wearing red, whistling, or taking selfies. They also avoid moving, renovating, or buying houses, as well as getting married, having babies, or starting new businesses. These actions are believed to bring bad luck or disturb the ghosts.
These are some of the ways that Teng Chieh is celebrated. I hope this helps you learn more about this festival and its customs and traditions.
What does Teng Chieh mean for the Chinese culture and people?
Teng Chieh is not just a festival that celebrates the dead, but also a festival that reflects the Chinese worldview and philosophy, which is based on the harmony and balance of the yin and yang, the heaven and earth, and the living and the dead.
Teng Chieh teaches the Chinese people to be compassionate, filial, and generous, and to appreciate the preciousness of life and the importance of family and community.
It is a time to pay respect and gratitude to the deceased ancestors, and to help the wandering spirits find peace and enlightenment. It is also a time to seek blessings and protection from the spirits, and to avoid bad luck and misfortune.
Teng Chieh also showcases the beauty and diversity of the Chinese culture and people, as it has different names and variations in different regions and countries. For example,
- In Hong Kong, it is called Yue Lan, or the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts.
- In Taiwan, it is called Zhong Yuan Jie, or the Mid-Origin Festival.
- In Singapore, it is called the Hungry Ghost Festival or the Seventh Month Festival.
- In Malaysia, it is called the Hungry Ghost Festival or the Phor Thor Festival.
- In Japan, it is called Obon, or the Bon Festival.
- In Korea, it is called Baekjung, or the Ullambana Festival.
- In Vietnam, it is called Tết Trung Nguyên, or the Wandering Souls Day.
- In Cambodia, it is called Pchum Ben, or the Ancestors' Day.
I hope this helps you understand what Teng Chieh means for the Chinese culture and people, and what are the values and lessons that it teaches.
Final Thoughts
Teng Chieh is a unique and fascinating festival that celebrates the dead in a respectful and spiritual way. It is a festival that has a long and rich history, a diverse and colorful culture, and a deep and meaningful message. It is a festival that showcases the beauty and diversity of the Chinese culture and people.
I hope this blog post has helped you learn more about what China celebrates with its Teng Chieh festival, and inspired you to explore and experience it for yourself.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. And if you liked this post, please share it with your friends and family. Thank you for reading and happy Teng Chieh!
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