A group of film images students from Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore was doing a documentary on paranormal encounters and this is the summary report of their enquries.
In Chinese tradition, the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calender is called Zhong Yuan Festival, in which ghosts and wandering spirits including those of the deceased ancestors revisit a cosmopolitan world from the lower realm.
Intrinsic to the festival is ancestor worship where traditional activities during that month would include preparing ritualistic food offerings, burning a papier-mache form of material items such as clothes, gold and other fine goods for the 'visiting spirits' of the ancestors.
On the other hand, ancestral veneration is another way to pay respect to the deceased. It seeks to honour the good deeds and memories of the deceased. This is an extension of filial piety for the ancestors, and the ultimate homage to the deceased as if they are alive. Instead of setting up an ancestral tablet of the deceased at home or in the clan ancestral temple, the mode of communications to the deceased is by visiting the deceased at the grave or columbarium, making offerings to the deceased in the Qing Ming Festival aka Tomb Sweeping Day and Zhong Yuan Festival.
There is this belief that if someone step on the burned offerings on the ground would gained bruises or swollen limbs or even uncontrollable crying. I told the students that if you have experienced before by standing under the hot sun for too long and you will get sun burnt eventually. During the burning offerings stage, the energy from the fire spreadout and it is likely that someone might be hurt if accidentally step on it. Psychologically, a person who step on the burned offerings does not feel comfort too and might be react unnaturally.
Therefore, taoists are generally believed that by following the traditional ritual and practise during the seventh month thus to ensure the ancestors' continued well-being in the netherworld. In fact, the wide appeal of the old and the tradition practise as I have seen during the ceremony might help to preserve our culture and especially our younger generation so enamoured with modernity and western influence to understand their cultural roots. No doubt as one of the moving images student, Miss Nicole agreed that taoist has a rich culture indeed.
In Chinese tradition, the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calender is called Zhong Yuan Festival, in which ghosts and wandering spirits including those of the deceased ancestors revisit a cosmopolitan world from the lower realm.
Intrinsic to the festival is ancestor worship where traditional activities during that month would include preparing ritualistic food offerings, burning a papier-mache form of material items such as clothes, gold and other fine goods for the 'visiting spirits' of the ancestors.
On the other hand, ancestral veneration is another way to pay respect to the deceased. It seeks to honour the good deeds and memories of the deceased. This is an extension of filial piety for the ancestors, and the ultimate homage to the deceased as if they are alive. Instead of setting up an ancestral tablet of the deceased at home or in the clan ancestral temple, the mode of communications to the deceased is by visiting the deceased at the grave or columbarium, making offerings to the deceased in the Qing Ming Festival aka Tomb Sweeping Day and Zhong Yuan Festival.
There is this belief that if someone step on the burned offerings on the ground would gained bruises or swollen limbs or even uncontrollable crying. I told the students that if you have experienced before by standing under the hot sun for too long and you will get sun burnt eventually. During the burning offerings stage, the energy from the fire spreadout and it is likely that someone might be hurt if accidentally step on it. Psychologically, a person who step on the burned offerings does not feel comfort too and might be react unnaturally.
Therefore, taoists are generally believed that by following the traditional ritual and practise during the seventh month thus to ensure the ancestors' continued well-being in the netherworld. In fact, the wide appeal of the old and the tradition practise as I have seen during the ceremony might help to preserve our culture and especially our younger generation so enamoured with modernity and western influence to understand their cultural roots. No doubt as one of the moving images student, Miss Nicole agreed that taoist has a rich culture indeed.
Nice write-up
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