Chongyang Festival 重阳节

The 9th day of the 9th lunar month is the traditional Chongyang Festival, or Double Ninth Festival. It usually falls in October. This year, the Chongyang Festival was on 26 Oct.

The Chongyang Festival is also a time when chrysanthemum blooms. So enjoying the flourishing chrysanthemum also becomes a key activity on this festival. Also, people will drink chrysanthemum wine. Women used to stick such a flower into their hair or hang its branches on windows or doors to avoid bad luck.

In 1989, the Chinese government declared the Double Ninth Festival as the Seniors' Day. A scholar in the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) described how the Festival is celebrated:

On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, people take wine glasses, teapots and food boxes and go up the mountains. All the mountains in the Xiangshan range are high. In these mountains are Fazang Temple with all a tall pagoda; Xianling Temple and Baoguo Temple, both elevated structures. Monks do not go up the mountains, but common people rent mountain gardens and pavilions or go to the pleasure haunts in the mountains to have fun.

The pastry shops sell cakes sprinkled with dates and chestnuts as thick as stars in a night sky. These cakes are called huagao – flower cakes. Pastry shop owners usually put colourful paper flags on their cakes. The flags are called ‘flower cake flags’. On that day, parents expect their married daughters to return home to eat flower cakes. If the daughter cannot come, the mother will complain, the daughter will be filled with sadness, and the younger sister will weep because she really wants to enjoy this rare chance to see her sister. Thus, this day is also called Daughter’s Day.

.

.

九月九日是传统的重阳节，也叫双九节。通常是在阳历十月。今年的重阳节在十月二十六日。

重阳节正是菊花盛开的时刻。所以欣赏茂盛的菊花是这个节日主要的活动。人们也和菊花酒。妇人常爱把菊花插在头上，或把它的枝叶插在窗口或门上以避恶运。

1989年，中国政府宣布双九节为老人节。明朝 (1368 – 1644) 学者如此记载庆祝重阳节的情景：

明刘侗、于奕正《帝京景物略•春场》：

“九月九日，载酒具、茶炉、食榼，曰登高。香山诸山，高山也；法藏寺，高塔也；显灵宫、报国寺，高阁也，释不登。凭园亭，闯坊曲为娱耳。

面饼种枣栗其面，星星然，曰花糕。糕肆标彩旗，曰花糕旗。父母家必迎女来食花糕，或不得迎，母则垢，女则怨诧，小妹则泣，望其姐姨，亦曰女儿节。”

Smart When Young 小时了了

Kong Rong (Kong Wenju 153 – 208) was a bureaucrat, poet, and minor warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. A well-known story commonly used to educate children even nowadays on the values of courtesy and fraternal love involves the four-year-old Kong Rong giving up the larger pears to his elder and younger brothers. This story is also mentioned in the Three Character Classic, a text used for elementary education since the Song Dynasty.

Kong Rong showed his quick wits since his young age. Here is a story recorded about him in ‘A New Account of Tales of the World’ (Shi Shuo Xin Yu).

Kong Wenju came to Luoyang with his father when he was ten.

At that time Li Yuanli (110-169) enjoyed great prestige in Luoyang as the Attorney-General. Only prominent figures or his close relatives were allowed to visit him.

Wenju approached his gate and said to the door man, ‘I’m a relative of Mr Li.’

After he was allowed in and sat down, Li asked him, ‘How is it that you are my relative?’

Wenju replied, ‘Long ago, my ancestor Confucius called your ancestor Laozi (note: Laozi’s surname is said to be Li) by the title of Master, therefore you and I have a relationship spanning many generations.’

Li and his guests were impressed by his reply. A while later, Chen Wei, an adviser of the Emperor, came and other told him the words of the boy. He uttered, ‘Being smart at a young age doesn’t mean he’ll be somebody when he grows up.’

Wenju answered, ‘I’m sure you must be smart when you were young.’

Chen was choked up.

.

孔融(孔文举153-208) 是东汉三国时期的官僚、诗人、小军阀。他四岁时让梨给兄弟的故事至今还是教育儿童礼让与友爱的有名教材。三字经就有提到这个故事。

他从小就显示才智过人。这里是《世说新语》里记录有关他的一个故事。

孔文举年十岁，随父到洛阳。

时李元礼（110-169）有盛名，为司隶校尉。诣门者，皆俊才清称及中表亲戚乃通。

文举至门，谓吏曰：“我是李府君亲。”

既通，前坐。元礼问曰：“君与仆有何亲?”

对曰：“昔先君仲尼与君先人伯阳有师资之尊，是仆与君奕世为通好也。”

元礼及宾客莫不奇之。太中大夫陈韪后至，人以其语语之，韪曰：“小时了了，大未必佳。”文举曰：“想君小时必当了了。”

韪大踧踖。

Drawing Animals Without Eyes 画动物不画眼

The story of painting animals without eyes was first told in the book Taiping Guangji (Tai Ping Anthologies).

‘During the first year of the Qin dynasty, a man named Yi, who was good in carving and painting, was presented to the First Emperor.

By spurting out vermilion and green stone from his mouth onto the ground, he can transform them immediately into many funny faces and various things. When he carved stone into various types of animals, the animals were extremely lifelike that even their hairs appeared to be real thing.

He also marked the carving time on the chest of the animals.

By laying a cloth on the ground, he could paint rivers, maintains and maps of all states within the small piece of cloth.

The dragon and phoenix drawn by him were so lifelike that it appeared that they were ever ready to fly away into the sky. But no eyes would be drawn. If the eyes were drawn, the animals would really fly away. The First Emperor sighed and said, ‘These are not real things, how can they fly away?’ He allowed the painters to draw an eye on each of two jade tigers on a painting. In ten days, both jade tigers disappeared and nobody knew where to look for them.

Residents lived near mountains and rivers reported that they saw two tigers, each had only one eye. They always moved together and were inseparable as body and shadow. They looked the same, even the hair and colour looked exactly the same. They also looked different from the normal tigers.

In the following year, the Western people presented two tigers to the First Emperor, each had only one eye. The First Emperor inspected them and suspected they were from the painting. The tigers were killed and the marks on their chests shown that they were indeed painted in the first year of his reign.’

.

有关画动物不画眼睛的故事最先记载于《太平广记》。

秦始皇元年，骞霄国献刻玉善画工名裔。

使含丹青以漱地，即成魑魅及鬼怪群物之象；刻石为百兽之形，毛发宛若真矣。

皆铭其臆前，记以年月。

工人以绢画地。方寸之内，写四渎五岳列国之图。

又为龙凤，骞翥若飞。皆不得作目，作必飞走也。始皇嗟曰：“刻画之形，何能飞走。”使以淳漆各点两玉虎一眼睛，旬日则失之，不知何所在。

山泽人云：“见二白虎，各无一眼，相随而行，毛色形相，异于常见者。”

至明年，西方献两白虎，皆无一眼。始皇发槛视之，疑是先所失者，乃刺杀之，检其臆前，果是元年所刻玉虎也。

Putting the Finishing Touch to the Picture of a Dragon 画龙点晴

The Chinese proverb ‘Hualong Dianjing’ (literally painting the dragon and adding the eyes) refers to the finishing touch, or is used to describe how, when writing or speaking, one or two key sentences could enhance the contents.

The proverb was made famous by a story about the famous painter Zhang Sengyou who lived in the Southern and Northern Dynasties Period (420-589).

“Once Zhang Sengyou visited the Jinan temple in Jin Ling (Nanjing) and painted on the wall four dragons, but gave none of them eyes.

He explained, 'With the eyes painted on, the dragons would fly away.'

Nobody believed this, so Zhang took up his brush and added eyes to one of the dragons. No sooner had he finished than the dragon flew into the sky amid a thunderstorm. The other dragons without eyes stayed painted on the wall.”

.

.

成语“画龙点睛”常用来比喻作文或说话时在关键地方加一两句重要的话，使内容变得更加生动有力。

这句成语却因为南北朝时期(420-589)的画家张僧繇的一个历史故事而成名。

唐•张彦远《历代名画记•张僧繇》：

张僧繇于金陵安乐寺，画四龙于壁，不点睛。

每曰：“点之即飞去。”

人以为诞，因点其一。须臾，雷电破壁，一龙乘云上天。未点睛者皆在。

Zodiac Animal: Mouse 十二生肖：鼠

In China, people came up with a simple and amusing way to count the years. They use 12 animals, namely rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog and pig, to represent years and make up the Chinese zodiac.

Do you know how they picked those animals? Do you know why the little rat is the first? The following interesting story will answer your questions.

Once upon a time, the cat and the rat were good friends, every day they would play together, everyday they would eat together, and life was very happy. One day, the Lord of Heaven told the God of Earth, "I feel that the way we calculate the years is really uncomfortable, so I think I’ll hold a competition for crossing the river between the animals, the first animals to arrive at the finish line will make up the new 12 calendar-years."

The God of Earth released the news to all the animals on earth. All the animals were happy to hear the news and they all wanted to participate.

As both cat and rate could not swim, on the day of competition, they rode on the ox to cross the river. When the ox arrived half way, the cat pointed at the other side of the river and said, "Look! The other animals still haven’t crossed the river, I’m sure we’ll be the firsts in the competition." The cat didn’t even get to finish his sentence, when the rat walked from behind and pushed him off, and the cat fell into the water. The rat laughed and said, "Oh, so sorry, my brother the cat. You can continue swimming slowly… now I’m definitely the first!"

The ox didn’t pay attention and continued to swim, and arrived at the end point. The little rat jumped of the ox to the shore and ran happily towards the finish line, seeing that the others still aren’t there.

The ox ran and arrived second. Next was the tiger, the little rabbit quickly followed, the dragon came from within the clouds and announced, "I’ve arrived". As the horse arrived at the finish line, a snake suddenly appeared from the grass, making the horse and the sheep jump in horror. The monkey, the chicken, and the dog quickly ran to the finish line. The competition was about to end.

The Lord of Heaven said, "Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken and the dog are the 11, who’s going to be the last one?” At that moment, a very fat pig came running in and announced, "I’m starving!"

The Lord of Heaven was about to announce the 12 winning animals, when the cat arrived, asking, "What number am I?" The Lord of Heaven replied, "I’m sorry, you got here too late, and you can’t be part of the Zodiac". The cat replied angerily, "That’s all the rat’s fault, I will never forgive him."

From that day forward, the cat wants to bite the rat, and so the rat fears the cat. The rat hides from the cat all day, and comes out only in the evening.
.

.

在中国，人们想出一个简单而奇趣的方法来计算年代。他们以十二种动物，鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪，来代表年岁，组成十二生肖。

你知道十二生肖是如何选出来的吗？为什么小老鼠会排在第一呢？以下有趣的传说可以解答你的问题。

从前猫与鼠是好朋友，它们每天一起游玩，一起吃饭，日子过得好开心。一天，玉帝对土地公说：‘我觉得目前计算年岁的方法，很不方便，所以我想举办一次动物过河比赛，最先抵达终点的十二种动物组成十二周年。’

土地公于是把比赛的消息公布给所有地上的动物。动物们都很高兴，他们都想参加比赛。

由于猫与鼠都不会游泳，比赛那天，它们就坐在牛的背上出发。牛游到河中间的时候，猫就指着岸边说，‘你看，它们都还没过河呢。过河比赛我们一定领先。’猫还没说完，鼠却从毛背后用力地推，猫就掉下水了。鼠笑着说：‘对不起，猫大哥，你继续慢慢游吧。现在我肯定第一名了。’

牛根本就没有注意，继续往前游而抵达了终点。鼠从牛背上跳上岸，快乐地奔往终点，还没有动物抵达呢。

牛第二个抵达。下一个是虎，兔紧跟在后头，龙从云里出来，宣告说：‘我到了。’吗快要到终点时，蛇突然从草丛里转出来，把马与羊吓了一跳。猴、鸡与狗也快速跑到终点。比赛就快要结束了。

玉帝说：‘鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗，共十一个，谁会是最后一个呢？’就在这时，一个很肥的猪跑来说，‘饿死我了。’

就在玉帝要宣布十二名优胜的动物时，猫抵达了，它问：‘我得到第几名？’玉帝说：‘很抱歉，你来迟了，不能成为十二生肖。’猫很生气地说；‘都是可恶的老鼠的错，我永远不会原谅它。’

从此以后，猫一见老鼠就像咬，以致老鼠怕猫，白天只好躲在洞里，夜晚才敢出来。

Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节

The joyous Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated on the fifteenth day of the lunar eighth month, around the time of the autumn equinox. Many referred to it simply as the "Fifteenth of the Eighth Moon". It is also widely known as the Moon Festival, Mooncake Festival, Lantern Festival, etc. In the Western calendar, the day of the festival usually occurred sometime between the second week of September and the second week of October. This year, the Med-Autumn Festival falls on 3 Oct 09.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a popular East Asian and overseas Chinese celebration of abundance and togetherness, dating back over 3,000 years to China's Xia Dynasty.

The moon at the night of Mid-Autumn Festival is said to be at its fullest and brightest. Compared to many Chinese festivals that are inundated with vibrant colours and sounds, the Mid-Autumn festival remains more subdued. Traditionally celebrated outdoors under the moonlight, people eat moon cakes and pomeloes together, and gaze at the moon. In modern times, barbecues with families and friends are also common. There are additional cultural or regional customs, such as carrying brightly lit lanterns, lighting lanterns on buildings and towers, floating sky lanterns, burning incense in reverence to deities including Chang'e, performing Fire Dragon Dances.

The custom of worshipping the moon (called xiyue in Chinese) can be traced back as far as ancient Xia and Shang Dynasties (2000 - 1066 BC). In the Zhou Dynasty (1066 - 221 BC), people held ceremonies to greet winter and worshiped the moon whenever the Mid-Autumn Festival set in. It became very prevalent in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) that people enjoyed and worshiped the full moon. In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), however, people sent round moon cakes to their relatives as gifts as an expression of their best wishes for family reunion. When it became dark, they looked up at the full moon or went sightseeing on lakes to celebrate the festival. Since the Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing Dynasties (1644 - 1911), the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival celebration becomes unprecedented popular.

Mid-autumn festival is a time to think of and remember people close to us. Whenever the festival sets in, people will look up at the full moon, drinking wine to celebrate their happy life or thinking of their relatives and friends far from home, and extending all of their best wishes to them.

.


.

欢愉的中秋节是在阴历八月十五，秋分时候庆祝。很多人只把它称为‘八月十五’。其他的称呼还包括：月节，月饼节，灯笼节，等等。在阳历，这个节日大概是在九月的第二个星期与十月的第二个星期之间。今年，中秋节是在十月三日。

中秋节是东亚与海外华人是一个很流行的节日，它可以追溯到三千年前的中国夏朝。

据说中秋时的月最圆最亮。和其他色彩浓厚的中国节日比起来，中秋节算是低调的。传统上，人们在户外月下吃月饼和柚子，同时赏月。现在，一般与家人朋友一起吃烧烤肉。还有其他文化与地方性的风俗，如提灯笼、在建筑物与高塔挂灯笼、飞天灯、烧香拜神（包括嫦娥）、表演火龙舞，等等。

中秋拜月（也叫夕月）的风俗可以追溯到夏商（公元前2000至1066年）。在周朝(1066 - 221 BC)，人们每到中秋节会以仪式来迎接冬天到来与拜月。到了唐朝 (618 - 907)，赏月与祭拜圆月十分盛行。南宋 (1127 - 1279) 人喜爱以圆月饼作为礼物送给亲友，以表他们对团圆的愿望。天暗之后，他们仰天望明月，并到湖边庆祝节日。自明 (1368 - 1644) 清 (1644 - 1911) 以来，庆祝中秋节的风俗达到空前的兴盛。

中秋节是我们思念与怀念我们亲近的人的时候。每到中秋节，人们会仰天望月，饮酒以庆祝他们的美好日子，或怀念在远方的亲友，为他们祝福。

Carps Jumping Over the Dragon Gate 鲤鱼跳龙门

It is common to see golden carp fish swim leisurely in peaceful ponds in Chinese gardens. The Chinese like carp fish because the Chinese character for carp (li) is pronounced the same as both the character (li) for "profit" and the character (li) for "strength" or "power". The carp is also a symbol for an abundance of children because it produces many eggs.

For the Chinese, a pair of carp symbolizes a harmonious marriage.

In Chinese paintings, a frequently seen image is of a carp swimming and leaping against the current of a river. This refers to the legend that a carp which is able to leap over the mythical "Dragon Gate" will become a dragon. This is an allegory for the persistent effort needed to overcome obstacles.

The legend comes from Tai Ping Guang Ji (Tai Ping Anthologies):

‘East of the Yellow River stood a mountain called Longmen (Dragon Gate). King Yu dug into it and made in it a one-li (half-km) long gate, through which the Yellow River flowed downward. On neither side of it could carriages or horses stand or move.

Towards the end of spring every year, yellow carps from the seas and rivers would vie with each other in coming to the gate and trying to get through it. But no more than seventy-two of them would succeed. Once they passed the Dragon gate, they would be followed by clouds and rain, and their tails would be burned off by heavenly fire. Then they would become dragon. ’

The story simply means that if a person works hard at whatever he does, he could one day become successful. The saying ‘carps jumping over the dragon gate’ is used to encourage a person to persist in one’s endeavour.

In the past, a carp leaping over the dragon’s gate was used as a metaphor for success in passing the imperial examinations which started about 2,000 years ago. The examinations were used to select the brightest brains for top government positions. Those who made it in the examinations would ensure prestige and wealth for the family.

On the basis of this legend, the Carp becomes, in the Chinese cultural tradition, a symbol of courage and perseverance. It teaches that only the fittest and the strongest can achieve the highest goals.
.

.

在中国花园，我们经常可以看到金色的鲤鱼悠游于平静的水池中。华人喜欢鲤鱼，因为鲤与‘利’和‘力’同音。鲤鱼也代表百子千孙因为它产卵多。

对华人而言，成双鲤鱼代表美好婚姻。在中国画中，常看到的景色是鲤鱼逆水而游并跳跃。这是指鲤鱼能跳过神话中的‘龙门’成为龙的传说。这象征着需要坚持努力来克服阻碍。

这个传说来自《太平广记》：

龙门山,在河东界。禹凿山断门阔一里余。黄河自中流下，两岸不通车马。

每岁季春，有黄鲤鱼，自海及渚川争来赴之。 一岁中,登龙 门者,不过七十二。初登龙门，即有云雨随之，天火自后烧其尾，乃化为龙矣。

这个故事是说一个人如果努力去做他所要做的东西，终有一天他会成功。‘鲤鱼跳龙门’这句话一直是用来比喻在两千多年前就开始了的科举考试中中举。科举考试的目的是要选拔全国最优秀的人才进入朝廷。中选的人必为家庭带来荣华富贵。

居于这个传说，鲤鱼成为中国传统文化中勇气与耐性的象征。它告诉我们只有适者与最坚强会达到人生最高目标。

Blow Hot and Cold 朝三暮四

The idiom ‘blow hot and cold’ refers to changing one's mind easily, as in Peter's been blowing hot and cold about taking an overseas holiday. This expression comes from Aesop's fable (c. 570 BC) about a man eating with a satyr (ancient god who roamed the woods and mountains) on a winter day. At first the man blew on his hands to warm them and then blew on his soup to cool it. The satyr thereupon renounced the man's friendship because he blew hot and cold out of the same mouth. The expression was repeated by many writers, most often signifying a person who could not be relied on.

In Chinese, the proverb Zhao San Mu Si (literally means Three at Dawn and Four at Dusk), has the same meaning. The proverb comes from a story told by Lie Zi who lived in the Warring States period (476 – 221 BC).

Once upon a time, in the state of Song, there lived a man who kept monkeys. He was very fond of monkeys and kept a large number of them. He could understand the monkeys and they could also understand him. He reduced the amount of food for his own family in order to satisfy the monkey‘s demands. After a while his family did not have enough to eat, so he wanted to limit the food for the monkeys.

But he was afraid that the monkeys would not submit to him. Before doing that he played a trick on them： “If I give you three chestnuts in the morning and four in the evening, would that be enough?” he asked the monkeys. All the monkeys rose up in a fury. After a while, he said, “If I give you four chestnuts in the morning and three in the evening, would that be enough?” All the monkeys lay on the floor, very happy with this proposal.

Originally this proverb was used to mean a fool can be tricked by changing the appearance but now it has evolved into meaning unreliable person who is inconsistent or changes his mind easily.

.

.

英语成语‘blow hot and cold’（呼热呼冷）指一个人拿不定主意，比如彼得对出国旅行这件事，一直‘呼热呼冷’。这句话出自伊索（大约公元前570年）寓言中关于某人在冬天与萨梯(希腊神话中的出入于山林之神)一起用餐的故事。开始时该人用口吹手指来取暖，然后又用口吹热汤以凉之。萨梯因此与之断交，因为他用相同的口来呼出热气与冷气。这句话为不少作者引用，大多象征一个不能信赖的人。

在中国，成语‘朝三暮四’有相同的意思。这句成语来自战国时代(476 – 221 BC) 的列子所讲的一个故事：

宋有狙公者，爱狙，养之成群，能解狙之意，狙亦得公之心。损其家口，充狙之欲，俄而匮焉。
将限其食，恐众狙之不驯于己也，先誑之曰：“与若茅，朝三暮四，足乎？”众狙皆起而怒。俄而曰：“与若茅，朝四暮三，足乎？”众狙皆伏而喜。

这句成语原本是指容易被外表所骗的呆子，现在演变成指那些不一致或善变的不可信赖的人。

Zhuangzi’s Butterfly Dream 庄周梦蝶

There is a Chinese saying that life is like a dream and a dream is like life. This is illustrated vividly by Zhuangzi with the following story:

‘Once Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a fluttering butterfly. What fun he had, doing as he pleased! He did not know he was Zhou. Suddenly he woke up and found himself to be Zhou. He did not know whether Zhou had dreamed he was a butterfly or a butterfly had dreamed he was Zhou. Between Zhou and the butterfly there must be some distinction. This is what is meant by the transformation of things.’

The story probably also sums up much of Zhuangzi’s thought. How do we know when we’re dreaming, and when we’re awake? How do we know if what we perceive is “real” or a mere “illusion” or “fantasy”? Is the “me” of various dream-characters the same as or different from the “me” of my waking world? How do I know, when I experience something I call “waking up” that it is actually a waking up to “reality” as opposed to simply waking up into another level of dream?

It is interesting to note that he used butterfly as the thing in his dream. The butterfly is a symbol of transformation; it follows the breeze yet arrives at the flower; its actions are spontaneous and free. Thus it doesn't wear itself out fighting the forces of nature.

Once fully awakened, if one can tell, one may distinguish between what is a dream and what is reality. Before one has fully awakened, such a distinction is not even possible to draw empirically.

.

.

华人有句俗语说：人生如梦，梦如人生。庄子的一下故事就很好的说明了这一点：

“昔者庄周梦为蝴蝶，栩栩然蝴蝶也，自喻适志与，不知周也。俄然觉，则蘧蘧然周也。不知周之梦为蝴蝶与，蝴蝶之梦为周与？周与蝴蝶则必有分矣。此之谓物化。”

这个故事可能概括了庄子大部分的思想。我们如何知道我们何时在做梦，何时清醒？我们如何知道我们所看到的是‘实在’或者只是‘幻觉’或‘幻想’？在梦中许多个体的‘我’与醒后世界里的‘我’是否是相同的还是不同的‘我’？我如何知道，当我经验我所谓的‘醒来世界’是真真实实的清醒‘现实’，或只是相对于另一个层次的梦境？

很有趣的，我们注意到他用蝴蝶作为梦境之物。蝴蝶是变换的符号，它随着和风找到花朵，它的行动自然与自由。所以在与自然斗争中，它不会疲惫。

一旦完全清醒 -- 如果我们能知道的话，我们可以分辨清楚梦与现实。在我们还没有完全清醒之前，以经验来作出这个辨别根本就不可能。

The Ghost Festival 中元节

In Chinese tradition, the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day and the seventh month in general is regarded as the Ghost Month, in which ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm. This year the Ghost Month starts on 20 August and the Ghost Day falls on 3 September. The festival is said to have started in the Liang Dynasty (502-557).

The Ghost Month is also known as the Ghost Festival, Hungry Ghost Festival, Zhongyuan Festival, Yu Lan Pen festival, and a number of other names.

During the Qingming Festival the living descendants pay homage to their ancestors and on Ghost Festival, the deceased visit the living.

It is believed that during this time, the souls of the unborn and that of departed ancestors and friends are released from Purgatory to wander the earth for 30 days. The souls of the dead ignored by relatives may do acts of mischief, so steps must be taken to appease the spirits before they go on a rampage. Hell money, paper offerings and joss sticks are burnt to see to their material needs; food is offered so that the souls do not go hungry and thus less likely to wreck havoc.

According to the Ullambana Sutra, the monk Mu Lian had great magic power. His mother fell into the path of hungry ghosts. All food that entered her month would turn into strong flames which put her in great pain. Mu Lian had no idea on how to save his mother, so he asked Buddha for help. Buddha told him the Yu Lan Pen canon and asked him to save his mother on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month with the help of Yu Lan Pen.

The festival is taken seriously by Chinese all over the world. The reason why the Chinese observe this festival is to remember their dead family members and pay tribute to them. They also feel that offering food to the deceased appeases them and wards off bad luck. In Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, it is a common sight to see entertaining Chinese Opera shows performed on outdoor stages in many neighbourhoods. These events are always held at night. Such entertainment would please those wandering ghosts that come to earth once a year.

And now you should know why Chinese believe the seventh lunar month is a bad month.

.

在华人的传统中，农历七月十五是‘鬼日’，而七月就是一般所谓的‘鬼月’。在这个月里，鬼与魂，包括那些过世的祖先们，会从下界跑出来。今年的‘鬼月’由阳历8月20日开始，而‘鬼日’在9月3日。据说这个节日在梁代（502-557）就开始了。

鬼月亦叫‘鬼节’，‘饿鬼节’，‘中元节’，‘盂兰盆节’，和其他一些名字。

清明节是活着的亲人向祖先祭拜的日子，而‘鬼节’是先人访问活人的日子。

一般相信，在这30天里，还没出世的灵魂、过世的祖先与他们的朋友会从下界被释放出来游荡。被亲友忽视的游魂会对他们有恶作剧的行为；所以在还没有造成破坏之前，应该做些令他们高兴的事情。要烧冥纸、香等来满足他们的物质需求；提供食物，这样他们才不会饥饿，他们也就不大可能制造大破坏。

据佛经中的《盂兰盆经》记载:“有目莲僧者，法力宏大。其母堕落饿鬼道中，食物入口，即化为烈焰，饥苦太甚。目莲无法解救母厄，于是求教于佛，为说盂兰盆经，教于七月十五日作盂兰盆以救其母。”

世界各地的华人都认真对待这个节日。华人之所以会庆祝这个节日，是要怀念先人，祭拜他们。他们觉得为死者提供食物会满足他们，驱走厄运。在香港、马来西亚与新加坡，在户外舞台上表演戏剧来娱乐死者是常见的。这些活动通常在夜间举行。这些娱乐会令一年到阳间来一次的游魂高兴。

现在你应该了解为什么华人认为七月是一个不祥之月。