An Ullambana ceremony is a solemn Buddhist observance dedicated to filial piety, honoring ancestors, and delivering wandering spirits from suffering.

The ceremony is based on the Ullambana Sutra and the legend of Maudgalyayana (a chief disciple of the Buddha). According to the story, Maudgalyayana used his spiritual powers to locate his deceased mother in the realm of hungry ghosts, where she was suffering and starving due to her past greed. Unable to help her, he sought advice from the Buddha. The Buddha instructed him to make offerings of food and fruits to the Sangha (the monastic community) on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month.