Yu Lan Festival (盂蘭節)

How the festivals began

The festival grew from the Ullambana assembly (盂蘭盆會), a traditional service of offering food to repay the kindness of one's parents. It honours filial gratitude and the remembrance of ancestors. A well-loved folk story tells how the filial son Mulian made offerings and so helped his departed mother. The tale has been told and retold for centuries.

The festival is passed down through the generations in Chinese communities around the world. In southern China and Hong Kong, communities often hold large Yu Lan ceremonies; some are over a hundred years old and are listed as intangible cultural heritage. In Taiwan, the day is usually known as the Zhongyuan Festival (中元節), and families make offerings at home. In Singapore and Malaysia, Chinese communities hold similar gatherings.

Traditional customs

The ceremonies are often organised by Chiu Chow communities, whose families come from the Chaozhou region, and are especially common in southern China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. They include inviting the deities, a walking procession that circles and cleanses the community, the sharing of 'peace rice' (平安米), and Chinese opera performed in thanks to the gods. Many families also set out food, incense and candles by the door or at the street. These offerings honour ancestors and spirits with no descendants to care for them, as an act of respect and kindness.