中元节祭祀亡灵OfferingSacrificestoGhostsinZhongYuanFestival*

七月十五日中元节。先数日，市井卖冥器靴鞋、幞头帽子、金犀假带、五彩衣服。……又以竹竿斫成三脚，高三五尺，上织灯窝之状，谓之盂兰盆，搭挂衣服冥钱在上焚之。构肆乐人，自过七夕，便般《目连救母》杂居，直至十五日止，观者增倍。……十五日供养祖先素食。……城外有新坟者，即往拜扫。

ThefifteenthdayoftheseventhlunarmonthistheZhongYuanFestival.Severaldaysaheadofthisdate,peoplestarttomarketbootsandshoes,hatsandbelts,andcolourfulclothes,allmadeofpaper.Theseitemswillbeburntasofferingstoghosts.Theyalsomakebambootripodsthreetofivefeettall,thetoppartofwhichisintheshapeofalampbowl.Thisiscalledthe“yulanpot”.Thepapergarmentsandpapermoneyareburntinit.OperatictroupesputontheplayMuLianRescuingHisMother**fromthe7thtillthe15th.Theaudienceinthatperiodisdoubletheusualsize.Onthefifteenthdayofthemonth,peopleoffervegetarianfoodtotheirancestors.Anyfamilythathasanewtomboutsidethetownmustpayhomagetoitonthatday.

宋/孟元老《东京梦华录》MengYuanlao(SongDynasty)RecordsofDreamsinEastCapital

*ZhongYuanFestival:i.e.,YulanPotFair,orGhostFestival,iscelebratedmainlytooffersacrificestothesoulsofdeceasedpeople.Theclimaxistheburningofpapergarmentsandpapermoney.Sincetheyulanpotitselfisalsoburntattheend,thesacrificialriteiscalledtheYulanPotFair.

**“MuLianRescuingHisMother”:AccordingtoBuddhistscriptures,theBuddhistdiscipleMuLianoncefurnishedmonkswithallkindsoffruittosecurehismother’srescuefromprivation.ItwasacustomintheoldtimestoperformtheplayonJuly15thofthelunaryear.Theaudiencecrowdedthetheatreonthatday.

（姚红译）