What is the origin and legend of the ghost going down the mountain on March 3? The legend of ghost festival on March 3
In Jianghuai and Jiangnan areas, the third day of the third lunar month is called Ghost Festival every year. It is said that ghosts haunt this day. At night, every household will set off firecrackers to scare away ghosts and drive them away, so there is a saying that ghosts go down the mountain on March 3.
The legend of ghost festival on March 3
Every year on the third day of the third lunar month, the boundary between life and death of Yin and Yang is more relaxed. On the night of the third day of March, the streets of the underworld are full of lanterns and colorful decorations, and the streets are crowded with gorgeous ghosts. Dragon lanterns, lion dances, stilts and flower boats can be seen everywhere, and their excitement is comparable to the Spring Festival on earth. Therefore, on this night, people's souls can't stand the temptation of the underworld and go to Guishi to play. Some of them wander the streets, watching lights and plays. Some drink and listen to music in restaurants and teahouses; Some people take this opportunity to visit their ancestors who have never met.
The crow at dawn, the ghost market closed, and most of the wandering souls returned to their bodies contentedly. A few wandering souls are happy and forget to return, so they stay in the underworld. The next day, there were cries among the dead. We ask monks and Taoists to chant Buddhist scriptures and draw symbols to summon souls for those relatives who have no souls. The crying of relatives and the scriptures of monks and Taoists can bring back some wandering souls who are not playful, and some who are playful will gradually disappear after seven days of physical decay.
Therefore, the third day of the third lunar month has become a day of terror and anxiety on earth, which is called "Ghost Festival". No matter how scared people are, the "Ghost Festival" on March 3 every year still comes as usual. On the eve of "Ghost Festival", people flocked to temples to burn incense and kowtow, praying for the blessing of gods and bodhisattvas. The fragrance of the world rushes to the lotus seat of Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Guanyin pinched her fingers and figured out why people burn incense. One night, she had a dream for an old woman: "I am Guanyin Bodhisattva in Nanhai, and I know that there is trouble in the world, and I have come to save you. I will give you a Cao Xian, use it to make Baba, and keep it safely on March 3. " Grandma really had a piece of green grass in her hand when she woke up. When she looked carefully, it looked like Artemisia annua growing in the ground. She told the villagers about the dream of Guanyin Bodhisattva giving grass, and everyone was very happy. They went to the fields to pick Artemisia annua and grind noodles to make Baba.
Strange to say, people who ate wormwood Baba on March 3 all passed the "Ghost Festival" safely. The news soon spread all over the country. On the eve of March 3rd every year, girls and women flock to Shan Ye to pick Artemisia annua for Baba. Until now, people in Shucheng and Huoshan still have the custom of eating wormwood Baba on March 3.
The custom of ghosts going down the mountain on March 3
On the third day of the third lunar month, as the saying goes, "On the third of March, the gate of hell is closed." The masses are superstitious about ghosts and gods and think that phosphorescence in the wild is a "ghost fire". On the evening of March 3, some young people went to the wild to watch "Ghost Fire". On this day, children are forbidden to go out for fear of "hitting ghosts". Eating popcorn in Huaibei, Anhui Province is called "fried ghost eyes". In some areas, white poles are picked and mashed, bitter juice is removed, and poles are made of flour, saying that eating them can "hide the soul". In the rural areas of western Anhui, the door was closed and the lights were turned off early that night, for fear that "ghost fire" would enter the house, which would harm the family's life and illness.
In the old days in Xinxian and Guangshan areas in southern Henan, it was said that March 3 was the time when the "underworld" sent a small sentence to arrest people. It is dangerous to go out at night, so people generally don't go out at night. Whenever night falls, every household will set off firecrackers to drive away evil spirits and ghosts, in order to be safe. At the same time, some garlic will be put at the door of each house to show "the judgment of a kid" and "forget it, go back if you can't catch anyone" Put your shoes upside down when you sleep at night, so that children will mistakenly think that no one is here and walk away. After 12 o'clock that night, some folk "stupid daredevils" who are not afraid of ghosts quietly got up and went to the fields to see "ghost fires" in groups of three or five, commonly known as "watching lights", and inferred the life and death of the village through the number of "ghost fires" they saw.