8.16Mid-Year Festival👻

The Taoist version of this holiday is called Zhong Yuan Jie. In the taoist theory, the gates of hell are open at midnight on the beginning of the seventh lunar month, allowing all the suffering spirits to roam the earth and search for food and entertainment until the end of the month, hence the term - ghost month. Activities during the month would include preparing ritualistic food offerings, burning incense and burning Joss paper, a papier-mâché form of material items, such as clothes, gold and other fine goods for the visiting spirits of the ancestors. 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.  这个节日在道教中被称作中元节。在道家学说中，地狱之门会在农历七月初的午夜打开，准许受磨难的魂魄来到人间游荡，寻找食物和乐趣，直到月末。因此有了“鬼月”这一说法。 这个月里的活动包括为回来探望的先人魂魄准备仪式性的祭品，烧香，烧纸钱——纸制形式的各种物品，例如衣物、黄金和其他精美物品。 多数庆祝活动旨在保护活人不受游荡的魂魄的干扰。在这个月，人们会避开一些活动，比如游泳、搬家、旅游、还有结婚，以免遭受鬼魂干扰或者厄运。