The origin of Ghost Festival stems from the legend of the Bodhisattva Muc Lien Lien who is fond of saving his mother from a hungry ghost figure. Since then, people take this day as the day to remember the merit of being born and nurtured by parents.
The ritual to put rose on the chest in the Vu Lan ceremony, according to Prof.Ngo Duc Thinh – Director of the Center for Research and Preservation of Culture and Beliefs of Vietnam, came from the writing about the mother of Zen Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh written in the 1960s.
During a business trip in Japan, the Zen Buddhist was very strange to see a Japanese respectfully sticking a white flower on his chest. After learning and knowing the lofty significance of this, he chose the rose as a symbol of the Buddhist Vulan proclamation ceremony and wrote the publication “Bong hong cai ao” in 1962.
The rose chosen is the symbol of love, nobility and fragrance. Remembering the birth and putting on the chest of the noble flower is the most beautiful affection, the word of filial piety that children send to the parents.
With that in mind, many Vietnamese people, until Vu Lan, wear a red flower on their shirt, which is a symbol of having parents. Those who have lost their mothers have white flowers.