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Halloween Costume Party Ideas: Customs around the World
: China
 In
China, the Halloween festival is known as Teng
Chieh. Food and water are placed in front of
photographs of family members who have departed
while bonfires and lanterns are lit in order to
light the paths of the spirits as they travel the
earth on Halloween night. Worshippers in Buddhist
temples fashion "boats of the law" from paper, some
of which are very large, which are then burned in
the evening hours. The purpose of this custom is
twofold: as a remembrance of the dead and in order
to free the spirits of the "pretas" in order that
they might ascend to heaven. "Pretas" are the
spirits of those who died as a result of an accident
or drowning and whose bodies were consequently never
buried. The presence of "pretas" among the living is
thought by the Chinese to be dangerous. Under the
guidance of Buddhist temples, societies are formed
to carry out ceremonies for the "pretas," which
includes the lighting of lanterns. Monks are invited
to recite sacred verses and offerings of fruit are
presented.
Ching Ming
Ching Ming, which means brilliance, is the day of
the dead celebrated in the Chinese culture. The
nation, in general, shows great respect for elders
as well as for their ancestors, and on this day they
pay their respects by visiting the tombs of their
loved ones.
Although this celebration is not a festive one, it
is very popular. On the day of Ching Ming - observed
on either April 4th or 5th of the solar calendar
year - the Chinese hang small twigs on their doors
in order to protect them from evil spirits. The
twigs are a symbol of light, the enemy of darkness.
They believe that if they don't hang the twigs, they
will come back to earth as yellow dogs in their next
life.
Not all is serious on this day. Relatives take the
opportunity to clean, re-paint and place candles on
their ancestors' tombs. Later, families meet for a
special banquet that is prepared especially for the
occasion. With this banquet, they pay homage to dead
loved ones and exhibit pride in their ancestral
roots. They also burn money as a symbol of
prosperity right before they kneel down to pray. In
the earlier part of the day, they play soccer, fly
kites and bet on rooster fights and dog races.
It is believed that in 600 B.C., there lived a man
by the name of Jie Zi Dui in the province of Shanxi.
According to legend, Dui became a hero after he
saved the life of his dying master by feeding him
meat from his own leg. His lord, as a sign of
gratitude, wanted to make him a Minister, but Dui
declined and chose to go live in the mountains with
his mother.
In an effort to force Dui out of the mountains, his
lord ordered that they be set on fire. Dui opted to
die a fiery death rather than return from his new
home. The lord, moved by his own feelings of guilt,
ordered that Dui's death be commemorated by blowing
out all burning flames. This commemoration is said
to have started the ¨festival of the cold food,¨
that occurs during Ching Ming, because people could
not cook with fire.
During the ¨festival of the cold food,¨ the Chinese
place cold food on the tombs of their loved ones.
The food consists of mushrooms, vegetable pure,
fruits, wines, rice, rolls, sponge cakes and
previously cooked chicken or beef. It is considered
good luck to consume the food after the initial
offering to the deceased.
Yue Lan (Hungry Ghost) Festival (12 August 2003)
The Chinese believe that the dead are released from
the underworld once a year, during the seventh
month, and prayers are held and offerings of food
are made to the roaming spirits to appease them. And
of course, the Chinese are more likely to curb their
nightly outdoor activities during this month to
avoid unwelcome meetings with the departed ones. The
highlight of this festival is the unique but dying
art of the Chinese opera.
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