What is soul snatch and where does it come from? Transformation causes consequences!

The custom of snatching lonely souls is being taken advantage of by many people to "legitimize" blatant acts of robbery, both disturbing the practice of beliefs and causing disorder and safety.

What is Soul Snatching?

According to cultural researcher Pham Dinh Hai, the practice of snatching lions is common in southeastern China, mainly in the Fujian region, called "robbing her". This is a part of the festival in the Vu Lan festival, the purpose of which is to help the unfortunate and lonely souls to be reincarnated, transcendent, not to return to disturb the world, pray for favorable rain and wind, and smooth sailing business.

Around the second half of the Qing Dynasty, due to the transformation of the festival, robbing her caused many people to be injured, and even fighting caused many social problems, so the imperial court banned the organization.

The Chinese migrated by sea to the South - the land of influence of Southern Buddhism and brought this custom with them. The ritual was gradually adjusted in the population and community and became a lonely spirit snatching custom.

Dr. Duong Hoang Loc, a lecturer at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, said that Vietnamese people have long considered alms as the main spirit in the 7th lunar month, for the living and the deceased. Offering food to the souls without worshippers, after items such as cakes, sugarcane, rice, sesame, and oil are distributed to the poor. This custom is associated with the spiritual life of people.

Also because of the above factors, Mr. Dinh Hai said that both the homeowner and the person who snatches the soul should put the cultural factor first, it should not come from greed, which will easily cause deformation because from the beginning, the purpose of the association is to create a happy atmosphere for everyone. pray for good luck and prosperity.

The meaning of jerking the soul

In many places, the worship of souls and jerks is very spiritual and crowded with up to several hundred people. However, the way to worship the soul must be done correctly, to avoid the procession of the deceased into the house. According to the concept, the more people snatch, the more happy and lucky the homeowner will be in trading.

In the gloomy atmosphere of the lonely month, the snatching of the lonely soul becomes a much busier atmosphere. The custom of snatching the soul is always loved by the children because there will be more snacks. The act of snatching the soul also wants to help the poor, which means to bless, accumulate virtue, and do good.

Transformed into a general, the robber hides the beauty of culture

In the 7th month of the lunar calendar, the ancients often told each other to limit going out on the street, and the weak people were afraid that the wild spirits would wander and harass and harm them. But nowadays, many people say that they are much more afraid of the living soul, because the crowd rushes into the robbery, even fighting to snatch the offerings in the offering tray of sentient beings, which can cause injuries, traffic accidents, etc.

And even if no one was in distress, the chaotic scene also showed the vulnerability of customs, culture and security and order.

But a series of images and clips shared on the occasion of Vu Lan in recent years show that this beautiful custom has been transformed to the point of being offensive and violent, like a collective robbery in the middle of the day. Many times when the homeowner had just performed the ceremony, before he had time to offer, the chicken, sticky rice, and fruits were hugged by outsiders.

Some people saw the crowd rushing over, and they were too afraid to slam the door, but the living spirits still rushed in, trying to pry open the door, trying to reach through the gap in the door to get the offerings. The scene of jostling, pushing, scolding, fighting with dust bags is not uncommon. Even to fight, many people also use rackets, homemade weapons, and in some cases bring knives to threaten to seize offerings, forcing the police to intervene.

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