中元節(jié)(中國(guó)的鬼節(jié))的英文介紹

1、中元節(jié)的英文介紹Much like Western culture's Halloween, some Eastern cultures celebrate a Fall festival where they believe the gates of hell are thrown open, releasing hungry ghosts to wander the earth in search of food and taking revenge upon those who wronged them in life. This month-long festival is k

2、nown as the Hungry Ghost Festival and takes place during the 7th lunar month. 農(nóng)歷正月Unlike other celebrations of the dead in Eastern cultures that seek to honor dead ancestors, the Hungry Ghost Festival seeks to pacify 安慰the hungry ghosts, the ghosts of strangers and the un-cared-for dead. These are t

3、he ghosts of those who died by their own hands, by accidents, by drowning or hanging who have been denied entry into heaven. Angry because they are forced to dwell in hell without food or comfort, when released, they search for souls to take their place in misery.To Taoists（道教徒） and Buddhists（佛教徒）,

4、these evil spirits are not to be taken lightly. They are most active at night and can take many forms including: snakes, moths（蛾）, birds, foxes, wolves, and tigers. They can even appear as beautiful men or women to seduce the living. When they possess an individual by entering the body they cause il

5、lness and mental disorders. Throughout this month, to keep the angry spirits amused, people stage street operas and other forms of public entertainment. In the past, people did not view the street operas as they were performed only for ghosts. Other rituals（典禮，儀式）are performed to help souls enter in

6、to heaven. Taoists do their best to avoid late nights away from these amusements and rituals to steer clear of the evil spirits. To appease these wandering spirits, Buddhists and Taoists burn bundles of joss sticks, paper hell money, food, and other offerings by the roadside. Communities along river

7、s or near the sea float lanterns in the shape of the lotus or carved from fruit or gourds in the water to guide them away from their homes. They follow the lanterns from the river bank or sea shore till they can no longer be seen. This is done to redeem the soul of those who died by drowning.The mos

8、t important days of this month are the 14th and 15th, the days of the great feasts. On the 14th, a great feast would be held to honor family ancestors. Prayers and offerings would be made at family altars. On the following night, the 15th, they would feast for the hungry ghosts. Held outside under t

9、he full moon, these feasts feed the evil spirits so that they will leave the living alone and bribe（賄賂） the ancestors for luck with money and the harvest.農(nóng)歷的七月十五日是什么日子？ In Chinese tradition, the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day and the seventh month in gen

10、eral is regarded as the Ghost Month, in which ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm。原來(lái)，整個(gè)七月都被稱作“鬼月”。七月初一是“鬼門(mén)關(guān)”大開(kāi)的日子，從七月初一鬼門(mén)關(guān)開(kāi)啟起，到三十日鬼門(mén)關(guān)關(guān)閉這段日子里，陰間的無(wú)主孤魂都會(huì)涌到陽(yáng)間，徘徊于任何人跡可到的地方找東西吃。因此，“鬼節(jié)”不僅可以被叫做“Ghost Day”，也常被稱為“Hungry Ghost Festival”。而每年農(nóng)歷的七月十五日(南方為十

11、四日)便是民間常說(shuō)的“鬼節(jié)”了。這其實(shí)也是道家所說(shuō)的“中元節(jié)”(Zhong Yuan Festival)，以及佛教中的“盂蘭盆節(jié)”(Yulan Pot Festival)。那么“鬼節(jié)”這一天有什么習(xí)俗呢？放河燈這一天的主要活動(dòng)就是放河燈(Floating River Lanterns)了。As a rule, there is a Yulan Pot Fair on the day of the Zhong Yuan Festival. People put on performances such as the yang ge dance, the lion dance and other

12、acrobatic shows. When evening comes, people float lit lanterns along the rivers. This practice is called "floating river lanterns"。在這一天，家家戶戶放河燈，以期在人間接續(xù)銀河之路，迎接先人英靈。也正是因?yàn)槿绱?，“中元?jié)”才被稱為“鬼節(jié)”。中元節(jié)/盂蘭盆節(jié)，稀里糊涂成“鬼節(jié)”，真正含義是啥？中元節(jié)是本土文化的產(chǎn)物。傳統(tǒng)中國(guó)一直以農(nóng)耕為本，在大量的生產(chǎn)生活實(shí)踐中，先人們發(fā)現(xiàn)萬(wàn)物之間存在著某種因果關(guān)系：一個(gè)果實(shí)的成熟，最終離不開(kāi)種子的恩惠，所以，果實(shí)

13、對(duì)種子，后人對(duì)先人，必須常懷一份感恩之情。中元節(jié)就是這樣的一個(gè)節(jié)日，它表達(dá)的就是感恩(thanksgiving)。而盂蘭盆節(jié)，講的是目蓮在陰間看到去世的母親受餓鬼糾纏，無(wú)法進(jìn)食，便向佛祖求救，佛祖感其孝心，授予盂蘭盆經(jīng)，許其每年七月十五日設(shè)素筵供母享用，以后傳承開(kāi)來(lái)，遂成“盂蘭盆節(jié)”的傳統(tǒng)。因此，盂蘭盆節(jié)強(qiáng)調(diào)的其實(shí)是“孝道”(filial piety)。Bon Festival (July 15), the Japanese festival of dead ancestors used to hold a memorial ceremony, their activities continued for several days. 盂蘭盆節(jié)（7月15 日），日本人用來(lái)祭奠祖先亡靈的節(jié)日，其活動(dòng)持續(xù)多日。The jar orchid basin savesFor the Japanese festival Obon, people s