The Vu Lan Festival, a Vietnamese festival of filial piety.
(Baonghean.vn) -According to Vietnamese tradition, the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Vu Lan Festival or the Day of Atonement for Deceased Souls (the 15th day of the 7th lunar month), is a day when we remember our ancestors; and most practically, express our gratitude for the contributions of our parents in giving us life and raising us.
The Vu Lan Festival originates from Buddhism. This religion was introduced into our country in the 3rd century AD (research by Professor Le Manh That suggests that Buddhism was introduced into our country before the Common Era and the first Buddhists were Chu Dong Tu and Tien Dung).
According to Buddhist legend, after her death, the mother of Maha Moggallana was condemned to be reborn as a hungry ghost. When Maha Moggallana attained enlightenment, he was able to descend to Hell to visit his mother. There, he learned of her suffering due to the sins she had committed during her lifetime. He then asked the Buddha for guidance on how to atone for his mother's sins. The Buddha advised him to offer gifts to the monks on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month after their rainy season retreat, dedicating the merit to Maha Moggallana's mother. Through this merit, his mother would be freed from her sins. From this legend, every year on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, most people hold a ceremony to pray for the souls of their ancestors. This is also an opportunity for descendants to express their gratitude to their parents and grandparents while they are still alive.
Our parents will always love, miss, worry about, and pray for us to grow up healthy, fortunate, and happy. Whether you are the president, a private citizen, or a prisoner, your mother will worry about you just the same. Whether your parents are healthy, ill, or in heaven, they will always love, miss, worry about, and pray for you to grow up healthy, fortunate, and happy!
"The vast ocean cannot compare to a mother's love."
The vast sky cannot encompass a father's immense love and sacrifice.
Or:
"Even if I live my whole life..."
"I can't even begin to understand all the lullabies my mother sang!"
According to the beliefs of our ancestors, showing filial piety to parents is not just about giving them money and delicious food. It means supporting them both materially and spiritually, with the spiritual aspect being even more important. This means always respecting, remembering, caring for, and praying for our parents' health, happiness, long life, and usefulness. We must make them think, "My children and grandchildren cannot do without me, that I am very useful to them." If you let your parents think, "I am old, weak, senile, useless, and dependent on my children and grandchildren," then no matter how well-fed or well-clothed you are, you must be careful that they might take their own lives!
According to Confucius, the noblest way for children to show filial piety to their parents is: "To establish intellect, establish a career, establish oneself, establish a reputation, establish a way of speaking; to bring blessings to the world and bring honor to one's family!" In simpler terms, you can understand that a child who wants to show filial piety to their parents must be determined to study and cultivate themselves to become a talented person; to do good for others and bring glory to their lineage and ancestors.
Nguyen Dinh Tao
