Hungry Ghost Period in 2018

Hungry Ghost Period in 2018

(August 11th - September 9th) 

Many people believe in the existence of ghosts. Furthermore, they believe that anyone who meets their end violently or is guilty of some crime or sin when they die, do not go to Heaven or Hell but rather get trapped as lost souls or ghosts in the Earthly Realm, preying on or disrupting the lives of vulnerable individuals. Those who have perished rather unexpectedly through accidents or catastrophe, particularly during this Hungry Ghost period, are also considered to have been taken away by Ghosts.

This is pretty scary, right? Wait, there is still more: During the Hungry Ghost time, which falls on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, the gates of Hell are supposedly opened wide allowing those other restless and spiteful spirits with their vendettas to escape into the Realm of the Living. Is it any wonder that superstitious folks are filled with such trepidation and dread during this time?

The night-time, early morning, and late night are considered a particularly vulnerable time and most dangerous as these vengeful ghosts and other evil spirits are at their most potent then.

To overcome this pervasive fear, perhaps to placate evil spirits and to ensure one’s safety, the Hungry Ghost period is generally transformed into a lively Festival: This is a time where prayers are offered and sacrificial ceremonies are conducted in temples. The burning of incense and Hell-money at the roadside and the decoration of houses and halls with bright lanterns present a pretty picture. And let us not forget the lively performances by the theatrical troupes in open air banquets or street festivals that draw in the big crowds. On the last day of the 7th lunar month, the Gates of the Underworld then are supposed to close, containing these malevolent spirits till next year.

To ensure further safety, here are few do and don’ts to follow:

In the Ghost Month, particularly in the dark hours, evil spirits may target children, senior citizens, and weak or sensitive people; therefore they are advised to remain indoors.

Also, it is advisable to avoid any risk by swimming in a body of water such as a pool, pond or the sea. And stay away from any supernatural acts or games. Why tempt fate?

For those that are superstitious, keep items, such as amulets, prayer beads, coarse salt, glutinous rice, crosses and lodestones close at hand as an added protection from evil spirits.

Be safe and have fun. 

Chung Kwei subdues  Devil

 

Infernal Regions

(Below is a classic story from the book of “Strange Tales from Make-Do Studio” by a Qing Dynasty writer, Pu Songling (1640 - 1715). Revised by BoSt) 

 

Hsi Fang P'ing, a native of Tung An, was an intelligent and hardworking youth who spent his long days helping his father to farm. On his scant spare time he buried his head in books to advance his learning. His father was a sincere and honest man well thought of by his neighbours; unfortunately however, he’d fallen on bad terms with a powerful rich man called Yang who happened to live in the same district. Yang had many bad attributes and delighted in hurting people; eventually his evil ways caught up with him and he died.

Several years after the death of Yang, old Hsi, who was actually robust for his age, suddenly succumbed to a mysterious illness. One day, in the throngs of high fever he suddenly sat up from his bed and cried out:"Yang has bribed the devils to beat me." Next instant he gave out a terrible scream, spat blood and collapsing, died. 

Hsi Fang P'ing, wowed to avenge his father, certain that his father had been killed by evil spirits. With full determination to go to the nether world and redress the injustice, he avoided all contact with others, virtually locked himself in his study and stopped eating and drinking. As he refused to light the stove for warmth, the bone chilling cold of winter and ravages of sleepless nights soon took its toll on him and his soul took flight from his emaciated body. It drifted high and escaping from chimney, floated over the fields and beyond, until it arrived in the nether world. 

 

Once in the nether world, Hsi Fang P'ing followed behind the group of newly deceased that were being led in chains towards a strange looking town. Separating from the group, he went to search the area, till he came across a holding prison. There, to his dismay, he saw his father lying in a yoke looking utterly miserable. When the old man looked up and saw his son, he wept bitterly and told Hsi Fang p'ing that the jailers had been bribed to beat him brutally and he was a mass of bruises. Hsi Fang P'ing cursed the jailers loudly. He took out a writing brush and wrote a complaint, and went straight to the town government to lodge an accusation. 

When Yang heard the news, he bought off all the officers in the town high and low, so the Town God paid no attention to Hsi Fang P'ing on the pretext that he had no evidence. Therefore, Hsi went to the prefecture government to protest. But his complaint was kept there for half a month and then sent back to the Town God. The Town God beat Hsi Fang P'ing and as he was not really dead, sent the youth back under escort to his own home. 

 

Hsi Fang P'ing refused to enter his home. As it so happens, by this time, his body had truly expired and he became a true spirit. Before he was hauled away however, he successfully freed himself from his captors, and snuck back to the Underworld. He traveled all the way to the capital of Hell, and there, cried loudly about his grievance in front of the Palace of Hell. The Town God and prefecture magistrate sent him a messenger, who promised to give him a thousand ounces of silver if he would withdraw his complaint, but again, Hsi refused. 

When Hsi entered the Palace Hall, he saw that the Yama was angry, and for no reason, he was flogged. Hsi cried:"What have I done wrong?"but the Yama turned a deaf ear to him. Flustered and exasperated, Hsi Fang P'ing shouted:"It's because I haven't got the money to bribe you!"This infuriated the Yama ,and he ordered that Hsi be scalded on a hot iron bed. 

Hsi's flesh was burned till it was black, and the Yama asked him whether he still wished to complain. Hsi replied:"Yes, my grievance is not yet redressed."Enraged, the Yama gave orders to cut Hsi's body in half with a saw. 

 

Two goblins seized Hsi Fang P'ing and began to saw him in half. Unable to stand the pain, Hsi promised the Yama that he would withdraw his complaint. 

The Yama ordered two goblins to sent Hsi Fang P'ing back to the earth. Hsi had learnt that the nether world was even more unjust than the world of man, and he could not appeal to the Jade Emperor. Yet, he knew the Second God in Kuan-k'o was both wise and just, so why not go to him? On his way to Kuan-k'o, he was set upon by devils and captured. He was carried to some other cottage where he was reincarnated as a baby. 

Hsi Fang-p'ing cried and cried and would not take any milk, and finally died three days after his birth. His soul then went in search of Kuan-k'o. He had walked quite a ways, when suddenly he saw a group of men of horseback accompanying a God. It was the Second God returning from his tour of inspection. Hsi Fang P'ing hastened to kneel down before him and told him his story.

The Second God questioned Hsi and then ordered him to follow them to Kuan-k'o and wait outside the government office for trial. Once in Kuan-k'o,Hsi Fang-P'ing was called into a courtroom, where he saw the Yama, the prefecture magistrate, the Town God and the goblins in cages. Now his father and Yang stood before the Second God awaiting justice. 

 

The Second God looking up finally announced his judgement:"The Yama and the officers have violated the law and accepted bribes, and they will all be punished. Yang was rich and heartless. He used his wealth and power to buy off gods, goblins and others to do evil for his own aim. The stink of his money has fouled the whole nether world and filled the Palace of Hell with darkness. Therefore for this, his house shall be searched and his property confiscated and given to Hsi Fang P'ing to reward him for his bravery and determination." 

 

Thus, the wrong done to old Hsi and his son Hsi Fang-P'ing was redressed. The Second God ordered the father and son back to earth, and the Hsi family restored to life, lived happily ever after.

The End.

The Blue Moon

The Blue Moon

Mankind has always been fascinated by the moon and its effects on Earth. Aside from the tides the ancient calendars, chiefly the old almanac, depended on the many cycles of the moon to determine specific times for sowing and harvesting crops.

How is Blue Moon determined? When there are two full moons in one calendar month, the second full moon is called a Blue Moon.

Now, the Blue colored moons really do exist. They occur when there is an abundance of certain particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. The light from the moon, although it appears white, is made up from all the colors of the spectrum. These particles filter out and scatter the colors at one end of the spectrum (the reds and yellows) whilst intensifying the colors at the other end of the spectrum (the blues and greens). This gives the moon a blue or blur-green look, especially if it is viewed when low on the horizon.

Dust from forest fires can turn the moon blue and when volcanoes erupt the dust produced can have the similar effect.

The Blue Moon usually occurs in months with 31 days in them (occurrences in 30 day months are rare). They average once every two and half years. There are some people with ample imagination and lack of understanding that have attributed the Blue Moon to bad luck. There is no good or bad luck in its creation however, only power. It is how individuals use this power that turns things either good or bad. The second full moon (the Blue Moon) doubles the power of that month’s moon influence.

The mystical side of the moon, particularly the blue moon has always ignited the imagination of every indigenous people of every continent. In North America Native Indians had their own interesting interpretation of the Blue Moon; here are some of these facts:

North American Indians sometimes referred to the Blue Moon as the Snake Moon. As the animal totem for the Blue Moon is a snake it is therefore respected and not feared. The snake in every culture is, without fail, considered a fearsome creature. The Blue Moon being attributed the same power; it doubles the intensity of that time of year in which it falls. The snake is also a creature of change, and the Blue Moon heralds a time of great change.

The snake sheds its skin but the process heralds certain danger and difficulty. If the shedding does not occur in a timely manner and the snake fails to get what it needs to help pull the skin away from it the change can suffocate and kill it. If successful, however, the transformation can be most magnificent; for after the sloughing off the dead, lackluster skin the new one emerges gleaming so brightly that it can be seen even at night. Similarly in life, there are two sides to everything; the blue moon could portend beneficial or detrimental strength.

The Blue Moon is also considered a two- edged sword. It means that the person born under the Blue Moon will have much stronger power to utilize in their lives; but that power will also have the potential to weaken them twice as much as it would others. They will be doubly enlightened, but they will also have twice the trouble bringing their ideas to fruition. Be wary of the Blue Moon person, for although they are beautiful in nature, this characteristic boon comes with certain volatility. Give them wide berth until you can determine what kind mood he or she is in or, indeed, what kind of snake he or she is.

Water reeds are the plant totems for this moon, although sweet grass can also represent the Blue moon. Sweet grass can enlighten and cleanse the atmosphere, but too much can sour the air; it, too, has a double edge to it.

Iron pyrites or fool’s gold is the mineral totem for the Blue Moon. Real gold is malleable and soft, fools’ gold looks as attractive, but when one tries to mine it, they will find it is sharp and hard. Like the snake it doesn’t give it true meaning in its initial contact. Working it could hurt one rather than help one. Iron is the solid flesh of Mother Earth, and in this stone it is encased in the golden colors of Grandfather Sun, showing us yet again that this fool’s gold is not what it seems. Looking at fool’s gold, there is rush of greed and avarice when one should be more temperate and recognize that it is not what it seems.

An animal hide bearing the legend of the snake clan from the Hopi people of the southwestern United States. Before the famous Hopi snake dance, the men gather snakes from each of the four directions.

As might be expected, the snake associations figure predominantly among the Native Americans of the southwestern United States. This is a snake painting of whirling snakes.

Below is an old legend about the Moon and Snake:

THE MOON AND THE GREAT SNAKE

(From The Project Gutenberg EBook of Indian Why Stories, by Frank Bird Linderman)

The rain had passed; the moon looked down from a clear sky and the bushes and dead grass smelled wet after the heavy storm. A cottontail ran into a clump of wild-rose bushes near War Eagle's lodge, and some dogs were close behind the frightened animal, as he gained cover.

Little Buffalo Calf threw a stone into the bushes, scaring the rabbit from his hiding-place, and away went bunny, followed by the yelping pack. We stood and listened until the noise of the chase died away, and then went into the lodge, where we were greeted, as usual, by War Eagle. 

To-night he smoked, but with greater ceremony, and I suspected that it had something to do with the forthcoming story.

Finally he said:

"You have seen many Snakes, I suppose?"

"Yes," replied the children, "we have seen a great many. In the summer we see them every day."

"Well," continued the story-teller, "once there was only one Snake on the whole wide world, and he was a big one, I tell you. He was pretty to look at, and was painted with all the colors we know. This snake was proud of his clothes and had a wicked heart. Most Snakes are wicked, because they are his relations.

"Now, I have not told you all about it yet, nor will I tell you to-night, but the Moon is the Sun's wife, and some day I shall tell you that story, but to-night I am telling you about the Snakes.

"You know that the Sun goes early to bed, and that the Moon most always leaves before he gets to the lodge. Sometimes this is not so, but that is part of another story.

"This big Snake used to crawl up a high hill and watch the Moon in the sky. He was in love with her, and she knew it; but she paid no attention to him. She liked his looks, for his clothes were fine, and he was always slick and smooth. This went on for a long time, but she never talked to him at all.

“The Snake thought, ‘Maybe the hill isn't high enough?’ so he found a higher one, and watched the Moon pass, from the top. Every night he climbed this high hill and motioned to her.

“She began to pay more attention to the big Snake, and one morning early, she loafed at her work a little, and spoke to him. He was flattered, and so was she, because he said many nice things to her, but she went on to the Sun's lodge, and left the Snake.

"The next morning very early she saw the Snake again, and this time she stopped a long time--so long that the Sun had started out from the lodge before she reached home. He wondered what kept her so long, and became suspicious of the Snake. He made up his mind to watch, and try to catch them together. So every morning the Sun left the lodge a little earlier than before; and one morning, just as he climbed a mountain, he saw the big Snake talking to the Moon. That made him angry, and you can't blame him, because his wife was spending her time loafing with a Snake.

"She ran away; ran to the Sun's lodge and left the Snake on the hill. In no time the Sun had grabbed him. My, the Sun was angry! The big Snake begged, and promised never to speak to the Moon again, but the Sun had him; and he smashed him into thousands of little pieces, of different colors from the different parts of his painted body. The little pieces each turned into a little snake, just as you see them now, but they were all too small for the Moon to notice after that.

“That is how so many Snakes came into the world; and that is why they are all small, nowadays.

"Our people do not like the Snake-people very well, but we know that they were made to do something on this world, and that they do it or they wouldn't live here.

"I am tired to-night, and I will ask that you go to your lodges, that I may sleep, for I am getting old. Ho!"

The End.

Note: Blue Moon (in Toronto, Canada) occur on Friday, July 31, 2015 at 6:42 AM (second Full Moon in single calendar month)

LEGENDS OF THE CHRYSANTHEMUM

LEGENDS OF THE CHRYSANTHEMUM

 

Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor

University of Vermont

 

 

With the arrival of cooler weather, many gardeners turn to fall chrysanthemums to provide color for the spots left vacant by tired summer annuals. What most don't realize is that they are planting a species whose relatives go back centuries, even millennia, and whose origins are buried in legends.

Chrysanthemums are said to have first come from China although they are more often associated with Japan. According to an ancient Chinese legend, about 3,000 years ago, an emperor was told that the Dragon-fly Island in the Sunrise Sea (Japan) had a magic herb that would restore his youth. But since only youth could collect it, he sent a dozen young men and a dozen girls to the island.

 

They arrived at the islands after surviving perilous storms and attacks by sea serpents, and finding neither magic herb nor inhabitants on the island, they decided to stay. The prized possession they brought for trading, and now nurtured as a tie with their homeland, was the golden chrysanthemum.

Of course, Japanese mythology provides a different version of how the chrysanthemum came to be found in Japan.

  

Legend has it that in the beginning, there were so many gods in heaven that some, including the god Izanagi and the goddess Izanami, were sent to the earth on a cloud-bridge.

Once on earth, the goddess created the gods of the winds, mountains, sea, and others, finally dying upon creating the god of fire. Izanagi missed Izanami and so followed her to the place of Black Night where she had gone, only to see vile sights and be pursued by the Old Hag of Black Night.

 

Narrowly escaping back to the earth, the god Izanagi went straight to the river for a purification bath. As he shed his clothes and they touched the ground, they turned into twelve gods. His jewels became flowers--one bracelet an iris, another a lotus, and his necklace a golden chrysanthemum.

Japan's imperial emblem for ten centuries featured a golden chrysanthemum with sixteen petals. In the War of Dynasties, which began in 1357 and lasted for 55 years, each warrior of the South wore a yellow chrysanthemum as a golden badge of courage.

 

There is only one place in Japan, according to legend, where the chrysanthemum is not grown.

  Long ago in the city of Himeji, a nobleman lived in a large castle with many treasures. Trusting no one, he allowed only his serving maid O-kiku, whose name means chrysanthemum, to handle and dust his possessions.

 

 One day she discovered one of his ten precious plates was missing. Not being able to find it, and fearing she would be blamed, she drowned herself in the well.

 Every night her ghost would come up to count the plates. Her repeated screeching upon finding one missing drove the nobleman out of the castle, which then fell into ruin. The people of Himeji, delighted by his departure, thereafter refused to grow the chrysanthemum in honor of O-kiku.

The word "chrysanthemum" comes from the Greek words meaning "golden flower," but a German legend refers to another of the many colors of chrysanthemums.

One cold, snowy Christmas Eve in Germany's Black Forest, a peasant family was sitting down to a meager supper when they heard a wailing. At first they thought it was the wind. But upon hearing the sound repeatedly, they opened the door and found a beggar. They ushered in the poor man who was blue with cold, wrapped him in blankets, and shared their food.

 

Instantly, the blankets were shed, revealing a man in shining white clothing with a halo around his head. Proclaiming himself the Christ Child he fled.

The next morning, outside the door where he had stood, were two white chrysanthemums. Today, many Germans bring white chrysanthemums into their homes on Christmas Eve, believing that by doing so they are sheltering the Christ Child.

 

So when you see chrysanthemums in gardens this fall, think of these rich legends from other cultures. And mark your calendar now to remind yourself to buy some white chrysanthemum cut flowers or a potted plant this Christmas season.

 Read the original story of the Yellow Chrysanthemum here:

 

  http://notablepressings.blogspot.ca/2013/11/the-yellow-chrysanthemum.html

The End.