How to Make the Most of Vu Lan Festival

According to tradition, the Vu Lan Bao Hieu festival takes place on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month every year. To make this Vu Lan season truly meaningful, you can do the following acts to show gratitude to your grandparents and parents.

Fasting

Fasting on Vu Lan festival is a way to repay the upbringing and birth of your parents and also an opportunity to pray for their health and well-being or, if they have passed away, to wish for their spiritual liberation and blessings for future generations. Therefore, the Vu Lan season is a time for us to express our deep respect for our parents.

Visit the Temple for Your Parents’ Well-being

The Vu Lan festival originates from the story of Muc Kien Lien saving his mother in Buddhist scriptures. Therefore, this is a good time for you to spend time with your family going to the temple to pray for peace, perform spiritual rituals, recite scriptures, perform good deeds, make offerings, or release lanterns and floating flowers.

Visiting the temple not only helps pray for the family’s well-being and strengthen the bond among family members but also allows your soul to find tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle of life, spreading love, and compassion to others even more.

Participate in the Ceremony of Sewing Roses on Shirts

On the Vu Lan festival day, in various Buddhist associations or temples, they often perform the ceremony of sewing roses on shirts. This is a beautiful and meaningful ritual that demonstrates filial piety. Red roses are for those fortunate to still have their parents alive, and white roses are for those whose parents have passed away.

This humane ritual reminds us to cherish the precious time when our parents were with us, represented by the fragrant red roses, so that we don’t regret when they are no longer by our side, like the mournful white roses on our shirts.

Visit Ancestral Graves

The Vu Lan festival is a day for you to show gratitude and pay homage to your ancestors, reconnecting with your roots. You should visit and take care of your ancestors’ graves to express your gratitude.

Offer the good deeds done throughout the year to your grandparents and parents, pray for the family’s well-being, and take this opportunity to reflect on and rectify any shortcomings in the coming year.

Call and Check on Distant Parents and Grandparents

If you are busy with work and personal life and cannot be with your parents on the Vu Lan festival day, take some time to call and check on your parents and grandparents.

There is no gift more meaningful than the sincere and filial hearts of children. Being cared for and checked on by their children and grandchildren on this day is the most meaningful thing for parents and grandparents.

(Source: phatgiao.org.vn)