An event, entitled “Dao Hieu va Dan Toc” (Filial Piety and Nation), took place at the Hanoi Opera House on August 31 to celebrate the Buddhist festival of Vu Lan. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – An event, entitled“Dao Hieu va Dan Toc” (Filial Piety and Nation), took place at the Hanoi OperaHouse on August 31 to celebrate the Buddhist festival of Vu Lan, or GhostFestival, a time for Vietnamese people to show gratitude to their parents andthe deceased.
The event, featuring musical performances, alsopaid tribute to fallen soldiers. It washeld by the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam (BSV) Central Committee with former VicePresident Nguyen Thi Doan in attendance.
Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the BSVExecutive Council Most Venerable Thich Gia Quang said on the 15th day of theseventh month in the lunar calendar, Vu Lan comes, reminding us of our rootsand helping us reflect on the saying “When drinking water, remember itssource.”
He went on to say that Vu Lan is an opportunityfor people to look back to their origins and remember who brought them up.Filial piety is not only the foundation of Buddhism but also a moral principleof Vietnamese people, he added.
The event honoured figures that set greatexamples of filial piety and presented gifts to people who served the nationand their families.
It is widely believed that on the GhostFestival, the gates of hell are opened for dead souls to visit their lovedones.
The festival is based on the legend that oncewhen mediating, a disciple of Buddha named Muc Kien Lien saw his mothersuffering hell's tortures.
Following Buddha's advice, on the seventh full moonof the year, Lien gathered monks and devotees and prayed with them for hismother. Therefore the festival is to express gratitude towards ones' parentsand help ancestors' lost souls find their way back to earth.
People visit pagodas and temples to worshipghosts and spirits through offerings of food, votive objects, and animals suchas birds and fish are also released.-VNA
VNA
