As its proximity to the Zhongyuan Festival, the solar term always carries a sense of gratitude and remembrance. The ancients would worship their ancestors on this day, thanking them for their hard work, for the fragrance of rice overflowing the earth. In addition to placing offerings and a few stalks of rice on the table, people will also come to the river bank, write the names of their deceased relatives and ancestors on paper lotus lamps, and light the candles. The paper lamp floats along the water, and the candlelight carries away blessings to the deceased.
The Buddhist belief system has given the ritual further meaning over time, suggesting that it is used to purify the ghosts in the water. This ceremon
y, which is dedicated to the mourning of the deceased and the blessings of the living, is also a ceremony to bid goodbye to summer.
Every year during the season, an annual fishing festival is held along the coast of Zhejiang province, and fishermen hold a grand opening ceremony on the day when the fishing moratorium in the East China Sea ends. People can often enjoy a wide variety of seafood. For coastal fishermen, it is the precious harvest season.
