Vu Lan, a sacred holiday in the Vietnamese mind

This is an important occasion for Vietnamese people to remember their ancestors, show gratitude to their parents and foster the morality of "remembering the source of water when drinking".

Origin and meaning of Vu Lan festival

Vu Lan Festival originated from Buddhism, originating from the story of Venerable Maudgalyayana saving his mother. According to legend, after Maudgalyayana's mother passed away, she fell into the realm of hungry ghosts. Although he practiced and attained enlightenment, he used his supernatural powers to offer rice to his mother, but she still could not eat it because of her heavy karma.

The Buddha taught that to save one’s mother, one must rely on the power of the monks from all directions on the day of self-ordination – the full moon of the seventh lunar month. From then on, Maudgalyayana made offerings, and thanks to the dedication of the monks, his mother was liberated. This story was passed down and became the foundation for the Vu Lan ceremony of filial piety in Buddhism.

In Vietnam, Vu Lan festival has long been intertwined with the tradition of ancestor worship, becoming a major holiday with deep humanism. This is an occasion for children to express their filial piety to their parents and ancestors, while spreading the spirit of love and gratitude in society.

Rituals and customs on Vu Lan day

On the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, many Vietnamese families often prepare vegetarian or non-vegetarian offerings to offer to their ancestors. Some places also hold offerings to the wandering souls, with the idea of helping homeless souls.

In pagodas, Vu Lan ceremony is solemnly held. One of the typical rituals is the rose pinning ceremony: those whose mothers are still alive will wear a red rose, those whose mothers have passed away will wear a white rose. This ritual reminds everyone to cherish every moment when their parents are still present.

In addition to worshiping, many people choose to do good deeds such as releasing animals, donating, and helping the needy. This is considered a practical action to accumulate blessings and pray for peace for parents and family.

Vu Lan: Those who still have their mothers will wear red roses (Photo: Vietnam Women's Newspaper)

Vu Lan - season of filial piety and deep gratitude

If Tet Nguyen Dan is a time for family reunion, Vu Lan is a season of gratitude. Vietnamese people consider this an opportunity to remind themselves to be filial and show their love to their parents while they still can.

In modern life, Vu Lan festival has a special meaning. Many young people far from home return home, gather around the full moon meal with their families. Many people go to pagodas to pray for peace, pray for the dead, and express their gratitude to their parents.

Vu Lan Festival is not only a religious custom but also a bond of family ties. Through many generations, the morality of "filial piety" has been reminded, maintained and become a part of the cultural identity of the Vietnamese people.

Lantern releasing ceremony to pray for family health and peace (Photo: Vietnam Women's Newspaper)

How to properly pay respect to filial piety?

According to Dr. Vu The Khanh (General Director of UIA), a filial child who wants to repay his parents' kindness according to the Dharma must practice the following:

If parents do not have faith, we must encourage them to have faith in the Triple Gem. If parents are greedy, we must encourage them to give alms. If parents follow evil, we must encourage them to turn to the path of goodness. If parents follow wrong views, we must encourage them to return to right views.

Doing so is repaying one's parents in accordance with the Dharma, not only making them happy in the present, but also sowing blessings in the future.

Furthermore, the spirits often hope that their descendants will do good deeds to dedicate merit to their ancestors so that they can return to a peaceful realm. They are very upset when they see their descendants doing bad things that bring shame to their parents and ancestors. They are very upset when their relatives kill animals or offer foul-smelling offerings.

Therefore, on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, one should make vegetarian offerings. Good children and daughters-in-law should not only show filial piety to their ancestors but also practice compassion towards all living beings, not only giving and donating material things but also giving Dharma to all living beings and to the community.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/vu-lan-bao-hieu-ngay-le-thieng-lieng-trong-tam-thuc-nguoi-viet-post2149050963.html