I haven't been moved by the Mid-Autumn Festival for a long time, but the statutory holidays often give me an opportunity to get rid of the distractions of work, and I can sit at home and enjoy a quiet day or two, spend time with my wife and children, read the words that nourish my heart, and get a temporary rest and peace of mind. I believe that for many modern people, probably like me, the significance of festivals like Mid-Autumn Festival seems to be nothing more than that. Of course, some people put this short holiday into drinking, playing cards, feasting and other activities in order to get a different kind of rest, which may be one of the challenges of modern times to tradition.
Time flies and the times are striding forward. Perhaps there are still many people shuttling on the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion road, and the beautiful Mid-Autumn Festival impression may leave a more modern and profound memory in the hearts of the new generation. But we can't guess what such memories will look like, and we can only see them when they write articles about memories. Just like people my age write their own Mid-Autumn Festival memories, every generation has its own Mid-Autumn Festival appearance. Things in the world may gradually grow and change in the hearts of several generations, and accumulate and precipitate into history for future generations to interpret.
In a blink of an eye, the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming again, although the increasing life and increasing age have added some pretentious thinking. But when I think of the Mid-Autumn Festival, some beautiful impressions will still emerge. After all, tradition and memory are inextricably linked, otherwise there would be no tradition. I always remember that in the countryside in August of the lunar calendar, the sky is always exceptionally high and clear, and the autumn wind sends a cool feeling. The crops in the field gradually began to be collected in the warehouses and tanks of various households, and the crops such as peanuts and soybeans in the threshing floor have dried up. Citrus reticulata at the head of the village is also covered with red oranges, and the peaceful atmosphere of harvest permeates the silent countryside.
Every Mid-Autumn Festival, people in the village always get up early and rush to nearby Weizhen to buy some moon cakes and grapefruit, or pick some early-maturing oranges from their own trees to prepare for the Mid-Autumn Festival in the evening. Women are busy killing one or two chickens and ducks at home, laughing and laughing at the well in the village, carefully plucking the remaining feathers, washing their internal organs and preparing a sumptuous dinner. In addition to doing these things, I am still busy in the fields as usual, fertilizing and watering the garden, but I will go home a little earlier than usual, work in the kitchen for a while, and then sit around for dinner in the evening when the smoke has not dispersed.
When the round moon rises, it is the time when children really experience the joy of the festival. In a short time, firecrackers sounded, red candles shone high in front of every household, and moon cakes and grapefruit on tables and benches smelled fragrant in the moonlight. Children are playing and chasing in villages and alleys in the moonlight. If it is a weekend, you don't have to go to school the next day. This noise can last until the moon sets, and moon cakes and grapefruit will undoubtedly become the best supper. At this time, I often sit in front of the door and listen to the old people chatting, or sometimes point my finger at the moon and ask some fantastic questions. Adults always say, never point your finger at the moon, or your ears will rot. Although I don't believe it, I dare not make such a disrespectful gesture to the moon's face. Sometimes I sneak into an empty lane, point to the moon and talk to myself quietly, but I never break my ears.
When I grow up, I often think that the Mid-Autumn Festival is nothing more than people's admiration for the distant moon, which makes naive children frightened and awed. Because of its beauty and purity, people have given it good wishes, so it has become a festival and a good tradition for thousands of years. In today's material-rich era, people trust and pursue more and more things, and miss the full moon less and less. Maybe the moon will gradually lose its original position in people's minds. Nevertheless, I think that the bright and beautiful full moon may be irreplaceable by other things. When wealth, fame, interests, short-lived happiness and other things can't bring more happiness to people, the tradition of Mid-Autumn Festival will spread in the world for a long time.