When does the Vu Lan Festival 2024 fall? Its origin, meaning, and important rituals.

When does the Vu Lan Festival fall in 2024?

The Vu Lan Festival, also known as Parents' Day or Yulan Festival, falls on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month each year, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Day of Atonement for Deceased Souls. It is an important Buddhist holiday (Mahayana Buddhism) and a significant part of East Asian customs and culture.

It takes place on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month every year. If calculated according to the Gregorian calendar, the Vu Lan Festival usually falls in mid to late August or early September each year, specifically:

The Vu Lan Festival in 2022 falls on Friday, August 12th.

The Vu Lan Festival in 2023 falls on Wednesday, August 30th.

The Vu Lan Festival in 2024 falls on Sunday, August 18th.

The Vu Lan Festival in 2025 falls on Saturday, September 6th.

The origin and meaning of the Vu Lan Festival (Filial Piety Festival).

Regarding the origins of the Vu Lan Festival

The Vu Lan Festival originates from the story of Venerable Mục Kiền Liên saving his mother from the realm of hungry ghosts. He was one of the two most revered disciples of Buddha Shakyamuni. After attaining enlightenment, he used his supernatural powers and learned that his mother, Thanh Đề, was suffering in hell as a hungry ghost due to many evil deeds she had committed during her lifetime.

Out of filial piety, he brought food to his mother hoping to alleviate her hunger and thirst. However, as a consequence of his evil deeds, the food suddenly turned into red flames the moment it reached her mouth.

Deeply saddened by this situation, Mục Kiền Liên returned to the Buddha hoping to find a way to save his mother. The Buddha instructed him: “No matter how great your supernatural powers are, you are not strong enough to save your mother. Only through the combined efforts of the monks from all ten directions, dedicating their merits to eliminate evil karma, can she have any hope of liberation. And the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month is the appropriate day to invite the monks; therefore, prepare the offerings for that day.”

Following the Buddha's teachings, Mục Kiền Liên (Maudgalyayana) liberated his mother from the realm of hungry ghosts. According to the Ullambana Sutra, the Buddha also taught that: "All beings who wish to show filial piety to their parents should follow this method." From then on, the Ullambana Festival was born and has existed to this day.

Regarding the significance of the Vu Lan Festival

When mentioning Vu Lan, many people immediately know that the purpose of this festival is to show filial piety to ancestors, grandparents, and parents (both in this life and previous lives). Everyone knows that parents sacrifice so much for their children, putting in so much effort to raise us without expecting anything in return.

Filial piety here refers to showing gratitude to one's parents – those who have given birth to and nurtured them in this life and many lives to come. Buddhist beliefs always view human beings in the context of cause and effect and reincarnation. This means that we must extend our filial piety to all sentient beings.

The most touching images during the Vu Lan Festival (a Buddhist festival honoring parents) are those of people pinning roses to their clothes. Regardless of age or gender, attendees respectfully receive these roses, adorning them with reverence. Red roses symbolize the continued presence of a mother, while white roses commemorate a deceased mother. The act of pinning a noble flower to one's chest represents the most beautiful sentiment, the complete expression of filial piety that children offer to their parents.

For Vietnamese people, filial piety always comes first, reminding us of those great sacrifices. Ancient proverbs and sayings always teach us that:

"When you eat the fruit, remember the person who planted the tree."

"Birds have nests, people have ancestry."

"When you drink water, remember the source."

"A father's love is as vast as Mount Tai, a mother's love is like the water flowing from a spring."

...

No matter what, remember to uphold your filial duty, and wholeheartedly honor and cherish your ancestors, grandparents, and parents.

The Vu Lan Festival was created to remind future generations of the immeasurable kindness and sacrifices of their ancestors. It also helps us understand the deeply humane educational meanings of Buddhist culture: "compassion, loving-kindness, joy, and equanimity," and "selflessness and altruism."

Important rituals during the Vu Lan Festival (a Buddhist festival honoring parents).

In Vietnamese Buddhist beliefs and customs, the annual Vu Lan festival involves many solemn rituals, from offerings at home to meaningful activities at temples:

Preparing the offering tray for the Vu Lan festival.

The Vu Lan festival in each household is usually performed in the following order: offering to Buddha, deities, ancestors, and finally, offering food to the hungry spirits. Each ceremony has its own meaning and requires appropriate offerings:

Offering to Buddha: The offering tray for Buddha usually includes vegetarian rice, five kinds of fruit, and the ritual of reciting prayers to pray for merit and to dispel karmic retribution for deceased ancestors.

Offering to the deities: The offerings to the deities usually include sticky rice, a whole boiled chicken, banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cake), tea, wine, fruit, fresh flowers… along with a prayer asking the deities to bless and protect the family, ensuring their health and peace.

Ancestor worship: The ancestral worship offering is usually prepared solemnly during the Vu Lan festival with vegetarian or non-vegetarian meals, paper money, etc. The ancestral worship ceremony aims to show respect and hope that deceased ancestors will have a prosperous and fulfilling life as they did in the earthly world.

Offering to wandering souls: The Vu Lan Festival coincides with the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, so it is often combined with an offering to wandering souls, also known as ancestral worship, with the meaning of helping wandering souls without a place to offer incense to receive blessings. The offering tray for wandering souls on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month is placed separately outdoors with offerings including: thin porridge, rock sugar, salt and rice, fruits, sweets, popcorn, incense, candles, paper clothes, gold coins, etc.

Performing the "Rose Pinning Ceremony" on Vu Lan Festival

During the Vu Lan festival, temples in Vietnam often hold the "Rose Pinning Ceremony" for Buddhists. Those who still have both parents will pin a red rose on their clothes, while those who have lost their parents will pin a white rose.

This ritual was initiated by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh through his book in 1962. Since then, the image of a rose pinned to one's lapel has become a symbol of the Vu Lan festival (a Buddhist festival honoring parents), reminding everyone of gratitude and filial piety.

Go release floating lanterns.

For a long time, releasing floating lanterns has been a traditional ritual on the Vu Lan festival (a Buddhist festival honoring parents). This ritual is also an indispensable part of Buddhism, signifying prayers for the souls of the deceased. Each lantern is meticulously designed, with a candle lit before being released onto the river, accompanied by auspicious wishes and prayers for peace and well-being.

Details of the offering tray for the Vu Lan festival

Preparing the offering tray for the Vu Lan festival.

When offering sacrifices during the Vu Lan festival, we should put our hearts into it to show our sincerity, without focusing too much on elaborate offerings. Although each family has different ways of performing the rituals, generally, the offerings for the Vu Lan festival include:

Thin porridge.

Rice.

Salt.

White rice.

Plain water.

Soup.

Sticky rice and various kinds of sweet soups.

Boiled sweet potatoes and taro.

Popcorn.

Fruit.

Cake.

Betel nut.

Cigarette.

Floral fragrance.

Paper clothes for offerings.

The sequence of rituals for the Vu Lan festival.

The Vu Lan festival rituals follow this order: offering to Buddha, offering to deities, offering to ancestors, and finally offering food to all sentient beings.

For Buddhist rituals

You prepare a vegetarian meal or a plate of five kinds of fruit to offer to Buddha. When making the offering, you should recite a section of the Ullambana Sutra (Vu Lan Bon Kinh) to understand the significance of this day and pray for the merits of your deceased relatives to be reborn soon.

For the ritual of worshiping the gods

A typical offering to the deities includes a whole boiled chicken or sticky rice. You can also offer peeled banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), a gourd of wine, fruit, fresh flowers, and tea.

For ancestral worship ceremonies

For ancestral worship, you should prepare a meal, either savory or vegetarian, depending on whether you and your ancestors are vegetarians or not. Additionally, you should offer money, gold, and other items to the deceased. This is with the hope that those in the afterlife will have a comfortable and prosperous life, similar to their earthly lives, symbolically represented as follows:

Clothes.

Shoes and footwear.

Robe.

Jewelry,...

For the offering to wandering souls

You should make offerings to wandering spirits outdoors, not together with the ancestral altar. When making the offering, you burn paper money and clothes, then stand and scatter rice and salt in five directions and four corners. The offering tray usually includes:

Salt and rice.

Fruit.

12 bowls of thin porridge.

12 pieces of rock sugar.

Clothes.

Popcorn.

Confectionery.

Gold.

Water.

Incense sticks.

Candle.

Boiled sweet potatoes.

Boiled corn.

Boiled cassava.

Sugarcane.

Prepare the prayer for the Vu Lan filial piety ceremony.

What should you do and what should you avoid on the Vu Lan Festival (a Buddhist festival honoring parents)?

The Vu Lan Festival is not only an important day in Buddhism, signifying remembrance of the gratitude owed to parents and ancestors, but it also coincides with the 15th day of the 7th lunar month – the Festival of Atonement for Deceased Souls. Therefore, according to folk beliefs, people need to adhere to certain rules regarding what should and shouldn't be done during this festival.

Things to do on the Vu Lan Festival (a Buddhist festival honoring parents).

To truly embody the spirit of gratitude and filial piety during the Vu Lan festival, consider doing the following things to make this festival a meaningful one:

Visiting, offering flowers, and lighting incense at the graves of grandparents and ancestors is a way to show gratitude and remember one's roots.

Practicing vegetarianism, cultivating virtuous conduct, doing good deeds, and helping those in need and distress are all ways to dedicate the merits to one's parents.

Visiting temples to pray for peace, participating in activities during the Vu Lan Festival, and cultivating knowledge of Buddhist teachings.

Visiting and showing concern for your parents and grandparents, and giving them meaningful gifts, is the most practical way to express your love and filial piety, bringing joy to your parents and grandparents.

Above all, the Vu Lan Festival is an occasion to reflect on traditional values ​​and filial piety. Therefore, let us live and work in a spirit of compassion, kindness, and respect for everyone around us.

Things to avoid doing on the Vu Lan Festival (a Buddhist festival honoring parents).

According to folk beliefs, the seventh lunar month is considered the month of wandering souls, when spirits from hell return to the mortal world. Therefore, during the seventh month, including the Vu Lan festival, people often advise avoiding certain things such as:

Limit your shopping.

Avoid going out at night.

Do not pluck leg hair.

Avoid hanging clothes outside in the afternoon and evening.

Do not bathe or swim in rivers, ponds, or lakes.

Avoid opening new businesses, starting new ventures, building houses, and getting married.

Avoid killing to prevent illness and misfortune.

You shouldn't quarrel or do bad things.

Note: The above beliefs are part of folklore and may vary by region and individual beliefs.

Traditional and modern rituals of the Vu Lan festival.

Depending on the circumstances of each family, the Vu Lan festival can basically involve three ceremonies: offering to Buddha, offering to ancestors, and offering to all sentient beings.

In his book "Vietnamese Festivals and Holidays," Professor and historian Nguyen Van Huyen describes the rituals of the Vietnamese people celebrating the 15th day of the 7th lunar month in the early 20th century as not much different from those today.

Families place clothes, belongings, and paper "gold and silver bars" on the ancestral altar, alongside the offerings to their ancestors. Families who worship Buddha offer vegetarian food or fruits and other vegetarian dishes.

In the evening, or from dusk onwards, after offering sacrifices to their ancestors, families set out offerings of food to the abandoned souls, or what are called spirits according to folk beliefs.

The offering tray for wandering souls includes thin porridge, various kinds of popcorn, puffed rice, sweet potatoes, boiled corn, candies, fruits, clothing for wandering souls, and, indispensably, rice, salt, and a small cup or bottle of white wine.

In the past, thin rice porridge was poured into funnels made from banyan leaves, which were placed on offering trays or at the base of trees along the road or in temples.

Researcher Phan Cam Thuong analyzes that in the seventh lunar month, family rituals often include the Buddhist ceremony of offering food to the hungry spirits at Mong Son. Meanwhile, at village temples, people often recite Nguyen Du's "Funeral Oration for Ten Categories of Beings," reading it in five voices representing metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Additionally, during the Vu Lan festival, when visiting the temple, Buddhists will have a rose pinned to their clothes. Red symbolizes those whose mothers are still alive, and white symbolizes those whose mothers have passed away.

Those fortunate enough to wear a red rose on their lapel are reminded to strive to be obedient, filial, and respectful to their parents. Those wearing a white rose see it as a reminder never to forget their parents' kindness, while also maintaining family traditions and harmony among siblings.

Today, the Vu Lan festival is understood in a broader sense – calling for social awareness of the Buddha's spirit of gratitude and reciprocity, encouraging people to be grateful and repay the four sources of blessings: the blessings of parents, teachers, all sentient beings, and the nation – the ancestors who built the country, and the heroic martyrs.