How to Worship During the Ullambana Festival?

The Ullambana Festival, also known as the Yulanpen Festival, is a highly significant Buddhist festival in Chinese communities, centered on filial piety and the salvation of departed souls. On this day, people honor their ancestors, offer food and prayers to wandering spirits, and make offerings to the Sangha, expressing gratitude, seeking blessings, and dedicating merit to their departed loved ones.

Origin of the Ullambana Festival

The origin of the Ullambana Festival can be traced back to the Buddhist scripture Ullambana Sutra. According to the text, the Buddha’s disciple Maudgalyāyana (Mulian) attained great spiritual powers and discovered that his mother, due to her past misdeeds, had fallen into the realm of hungry ghosts. Tormented by hunger and unable to eat, she suffered greatly, leaving Maudgalyāyana heartbroken.

In search of help, Maudgalyāyana turned to the Buddha, who instructed him to make abundant offerings of food and drink to the Sangha (the community of Buddhist monks and nuns) on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, a time when the monks completed their summer retreat and their spiritual merits were especially powerful. By dedicating these merits to his mother, he was able to free her from suffering.

Since then, Buddhists have commemorated this day by holding Ullambana Offerings on the fifteenth of the seventh lunar month. From a Buddhist perspective, the festival represents both filial piety and the compassionate practice of delivering suffering souls from torment.

When Is the Ullambana Festival?

The Ullambana Festival is observed annually on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, which in 2025 falls on September 6 (Saturday).

In Buddhism, this day is known as Pavarana Day, marking the completion of the monastic Vassa (Rains Retreat). Since the monks have been diligently engaging in spiritual practice during this retreat, their merit is considered abundant and fully matured. Therefore, making offerings to the Sangha on this day is believed to bring immense blessings and is especially effective for transferring merit to departed souls.

In Daoist tradition, the same day is observed as the Zhong Yuan Festival, when the Earth Official descends to the human world to pardon sins and deliver souls. Rituals are held to bless ancestors and to guide wandering spirits.

In popular folk belief, the seventh lunar month is regarded as Ghost Month, with the fifteenth day considered the peak when spirits are most active.

Customs of the Ullambana Festival

The Ullambana Festival is marked by a variety of customs, which may differ across regions and religious traditions, but they all center on ancestor worship, delivering souls, and acts of charity. Common practices include:

Ancestor Worship

• Families set up altars at home on this day to honor their ancestors.

• Offerings typically include fruits, cooked dishes, pastries, tea, and wine, accompanied by incense and candles.

Ullambana Offering

• In Buddhist temples, solemn Ullambana Dharma assemblies are held.

• Devotees make offerings to the Sangha and participate in chanting and prayers.

• Through these acts of generosity and the power of the Dharma, the merit is transferred to ancestors and departed souls, wishing them liberation from suffering and rebirth in a better realm.

Universal Salvation Rituals

• Altars for the hungry ghosts are often set up in temples or on the streets, with tables filled with food and offerings.

• Monks or priests lead ceremonies of chanting, incense offering, and food bestowal, to bring peace and comfort to wandering souls.

Burning Paper Offerings

• Burning paper money, paper clothes, or even paper houses is a common practice.

• Symbolizes providing the departed with food, wealth, and shelter in the afterlife.

• Reflects the belief that ancestors and loved ones can live free from suffering and hardship.

Food and Charity Offerings

• Some devotees prepare food, drinks, and paper offerings outside temples or in public areas for the hungry spirits.

• This practice, known as “food bestowal”, reflects both compassion for the departed and a way of cultivating merit.

• In certain regions, large-scale “Liberating the Flaming Mouth” ceremonies are also conducted.

Ullambana Festival Worship Practices

The fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, known as the Ullambana Festival, is an important occasion for filial remembrance and the deliverance of departed souls. Through offerings, prayers, and chanting, people honor their ancestors with gratitude while also praying for peace and prosperity for their families.

Honoring Ancestors

• Preparing Offerings: Traditional offerings include three sacrificial meats (chicken, fish, and pork), seasonal fruits, pastries, tea, or wine.

• Lighting Incense and Candles: Worshippers light incense and candles before the ancestral altar or at the gravesite, praying for blessings and protection from their forebears.

• Burning Joss Paper: Paper offerings such as gold and silver ingots or paper clothing are burned, symbolically providing ancestors with the necessities of the afterlife.

Delivering Hungry Ghosts

• Setting the Altar: An offering table is set up at the household entrance, in temples, or at ancestral halls, with food, fruits, candies, and tea.

• Offering Vegetarian Dishes: In keeping with Buddhist compassion, many prepare vegetarian offerings for wandering spirits.

• Prayers and Feeding Rituals: Incense is offered, prayers are recited, and chanting ceremonies are performed to feed and pacify hungry ghosts, ensuring they do not disturb the living.

Attending the Ullambana Dharma Assembly

• Deliverance of the Departed: On this day, Buddhist temples hold the Ullambana Dharma Assembly, featuring sutra chanting, offerings to monks, and the “Flaming Mouth” ritual to aid wandering souls.

• Transference of Merit: Participants may inscribe the names of ancestors or deceased loved ones, allowing the Sangha to dedicate the merits of the ceremony to them.

What Is the Difference Between Ullambana and the Zhongyuan Festival?

Although the Ullambana Festival and the Zhongyuan Festival fall on the same day and are often confused, their origins and meanings are distinct. The Ullambana Festival comes from Buddhism and emphasizes filial piety and the deliverance of souls. On this day, descendants honor their ancestors and make offerings to the Sangha, dedicating the merits to the departed so that they may be freed from suffering.

The Zhongyuan Festival, on the other hand, originates in Daoism and is popularly known as the “Ghost Festival.” Its focus is on universal salvation for wandering spirits. People place offerings at temples, on streets, or in front of their homes, and burn incense and paper money to comfort souls without family support. In short, Ullambana reflects the Buddhist spirit of filial devotion, while the Zhongyuan Festival embodies the Daoist practice of appeasing and redeeming lonely spirits.

The Ullambana Festival is not only a day to honor ancestors and uphold filial piety, but also a time to embody compassion and generosity. Whether through ancestral offerings, universal deliverance rituals, or participating in Buddhist ceremonies, it is a way of expressing gratitude and prayers for peace. For many families, beyond the festival rituals, providing a dignified and lasting resting place for loved ones is equally important. Choosing a urn compartment and landing plot at Perpetual Memorial Park offers both comfort for the departed and peace of mind for future generations.

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