Hey, guys! Many of you asked about the Chinese Ghost Festival, so here's a video about it! The Ghost Festival, or Gui Jie, is different from Qing Ming Jie or Chong Yang Jie. For the latter festivals, living descendents pay homage to their deceased ancestors. On Ghost Day, the ghosts and spirits of the deceased visit the living world. Ooooh...!
嘿大家!你們許多人問過中國鬼節，所以鬼節影片就在這啦!Ghost Festival，或鬼節，和清明節或重陽節不同。後面兩種節日，活著的子孫們向已逝的祖先致敬。在鬼節這天，亡者的鬼魂造訪人間。嗚...!
The Ghost Festival is actually part of an entire month of events, dubbed Ghost Month, that occurs on the seventh month of the lunar calendar. The festival itself occurs on the 14th night or 15th day, depending on where you live in China. The festival has both Buddhist and Taoist origins.
鬼節其實是持續一個月的活動中的一部分，那整個月稱為「鬼月」，在農曆的第七個月到來。節日本身則是在十四日的晚上或十五日，取決於你住在中國的哪個地方。這節日有佛教也有道教起源。
In Buddhism, this holiday is called Yu Lan Pen. There's a story in Buddhism where Mu Lien, one of Buddha Shakyamuni's disciples, saved his mother from hell. Mu Lien's mother was greedy with the money he left her. He had instructed her to kindly host any Buddhist monks that ever came her way, but instead, she withheld her kindness and her money, and this was the reason why his mother's spirit was suffering in hell.
在佛教中，這個節日被稱作「盂蘭盆」。佛教裡有個故事，釋迦摩尼佛的弟子之一，目蓮，從地獄拯救出他的母親。目蓮的母親貪戀兒子留給自己的錢財。目蓮曾交代母親要友善地招待她遇到的任何和尚，但相反地，她拒絕付出她的善心和錢財，而這便是目蓮母親的靈魂在地獄受苦的原因。
When Mu Lien found out, he traveled to the underworld in an attempt to free her from misery. He tried to relieve her hunger by giving her rice and water, but when it reached her mouth, it turned to fire. Buddha told Mu Lien that his mother's sins were too great to relinquish, and the only way to relieve her was to offer fruits and vegetables in the Yu Lan bowls, Yu Lan Pen, to monks on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. Through Mu Lien's merits, his mother finally reincarnated into a human!
目蓮發現時，他去到陰曹地府，試圖將母親從苦難中救出。他試著給母親米飯和水來紓解她的飢餓，但當食物到她嘴巴時，那就變成烈焰。佛陀告訴目蓮，他的母親罪孽深重以致無法消去，唯一能解救她的辦法就是將蔬果擺在盂蘭盆內供給和尚，在農曆第七個月的第十五天這日。因著目蓮積的功德，他的母親最後終於化回人形!
Today monks hold rituals chanting prayers and offering fruits and drinks to relieve suffering ghosts. The underlying essence of this holiday is filial piety, showing respect to parents as well as showing respect to the ancestors.
如今，和尚們舉辦誦經和供應水果和飲品的儀式來解救受難的鬼魂們。這節日隱含的精神是孝道，尊敬父母以及尊敬祖先。
The Taoist version of this holiday is called Zhong Yuan Jie. In the Taoist theory, the gates of hell are opened at midnight on the beginning of the seventh lunar month, allowing all the suffering spirits to roam the earth in search for food and entertainment until the end of the month—hence the term "Ghost Month."
這個節日的道教版本稱作「中元節」。在道教理論中，地獄的大門會在農曆七月初的午夜開啟，讓受難的靈魂能在人世遊蕩，尋找食物和消遣，持續到月底－－因此才有「鬼月」一詞。
Activities during the month would include: preparing ritualistic food offerings, burning incense, and burning joss paper...a paper-mache form of material items such as clothes, gold and other fine goods for the visiting spirits of the ancestors. Elaborate meals, often vegetarian meals, would be served with empty seats for each of the deceased in the family, treating the deceased as if they are still living. Most of the festivities are designed to protect the living from the roaming spirits. During this month, people will avoid activities such as swimming, moving house, traveling, and getting married in order to avoid possible disturbance by the ghosts, or bad luck.
鬼月進行的活動會有：準備祭品、燒香，以及燒金紙...還有用紙紮的一些物品，例如衣服、黃金以及其他精品，供來訪的祖先靈魂使用。費心製作的餐點，常是素食餐，會被放在留給每位逝去家人的空位上，好似他們仍活著那般對待已故家人。大部分的慶典是策畫來保護人們免受遊魂侵擾。鬼月期間，人們會避免像是游泳、搬家、旅行還有結婚這些活動，以避免可能被鬼魂擾亂，或招逢厄運。
Hey, guys! So those are some of the versions that we know about. If you guys know another version, let us know. And let us know if you actually celebrate this!
嘿大家!所以那些是我們知道的一些版本。如果你們大夥知道其它版本，讓我們知道。然後如果你真的有慶祝鬼節，也讓我們知道喔!
