SACRED TIME OF CONFUCIANISM

Guijie "Ghost Festival"
- Celebrated on the 13th day of the 7th lunar month
- In the ghost month ("Guiyue") spirits are believed to wander the earth
- People pay their respects to all of the deceased instead of just their ancestors
- Combined with Buddhist and Taoist elements
- Commemorates a son rescuing his mom from a never ending cycle of reincarnation
- Confucians sell paper houses, clothing, food
- They also make elaborate meals for the ancestors

Qingmingjie
- also called "Clear and Bright Festival" or "Tomb-Sweeping Day"
- occurs in the spring time in early April; fourth or fifth day of third lunar month
- families visit and clean their ancestors' burial places, conduct worship services, and share festive meals
- sweep, wash, repair, and paint ancestors' graves
- Offerings of food, wine, incense, and flowers are made, firecrackers are set off, and paper money is burned at the graveside, so that the ancestors will have funds to spend in the afterworld

Birthday of Kongzi
- September 28
- Music and dances from Han dynasty
- Based on ritual manuals such as the Liji (Record of Rituals)
- Only celebrated in Taiwan for a while, then in China
- Students preparing for examinations go to the temples to visit a sage and receive a blessing

REFERENCES

• http://www.patheos.com/Library/Confucianism/Ritual-Worship-Devotion-Symboli...
• Exploring the Religions of Our World by Nancy Clemmons, SNJM
• http://www.answers.com/topic/qing-ming-festival-ching-ming-festival#ixzz3G8...
• http://www1.chinaculture.org/gb/en_chinaway/2004-03/17/content_46337.htm