Not burning votive paper on Vu Lan festival is safe and civilized

There have been many measures to prevent the burning of votive paper, including banning the burning of votive paper like in Con Dao, but it must be done resolutely to be effective.

Many Buddhist experts and researchers have criticized the burning of votive paper, but have not yet changed the perception of the majority of people.

"...avoid organizing money-collecting ceremonies under the guise of spiritual services, performing rituals that are not in accordance with the Dharma and traditional rituals, and not burning votive paper."

Above is one of the contents in the Circular of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha on organizing the Vu Lan Festival of filial piety in 2024.

Vu Lan Festival - Gratitude is a traditional cultural feature of the Vietnamese people for thousands of years, but there are still people who take advantage of this occasion to provide "spiritual" services for profit. A beautiful tradition has been transformed into superstition, gradually becoming bad customs that go against culture and civilization. Therefore, the Church's Circular to prevent this is very appropriate.

The circular also calls on Buddhists to actively participate in "Repaying gratitude" activities, visiting and giving gifts to those who have contributed to the country, heroic Vietnamese mothers, wounded soldiers, and families of martyrs in the area. Organize grand ceremonies to pray for the dead, light candles to commemorate and pay tribute to heroic martyrs at cemeteries.

Instead of burning votive paper and pursuing superstitious services, using that money to visit and give gifts to meritorious people and doing good deeds will add more meaning to the Great Festival.

When society is lacking faith in humanity, then use all possible conditions to fill those gaps, do not seek faith in distant, superstitious, and ignorant things. Doing a good deed will be more joyful and peaceful than burning a pile of votive paper, which not only pollutes the environment but also increases the risk of fire.

Returning to Con Dao to illustrate the effectiveness of the ban on burning votive paper. On July 6, about 4,026 people visited Hang Duong cemetery, bringing 1,179 offerings and flower baskets. Of these, 1,007 baskets met the criteria of "Green Offering Baskets" without plastic, votive paper, or foam. This was also the first day without burning votive paper at Hang Duong cemetery.

Con Dao district conducted air quality monitoring at Hang Duong Cemetery on July 6, the index result changed from orange on July 5 to green. If all localities take drastic measures like this, Vietnam's air environment will be significantly improved.

Following the Circular of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, from this year's Vu Lan festival onwards, more localities will implement programs to not burn votive paper.

Source: https://laodong.vn/su-kien-binh-luan/khong-dot-vang-ma-dip-le-vu-lan-la-an-toan-van-minh-1368853.ldo