1. Tracing the origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival
"All twelve degrees of a circle are beautiful, and the extreme circle is the Mid-Autumn Festival." The "Mid-Autumn Festival" mentioned in this poem refers to the Mid-Autumn Festival that is well known to women and children. Festival.
In our country, there are many festivals related to the age of the year, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of people's favorite festivals and the most poetic festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival also has other names such as August Half, Reunion Festival, and Moon Eve. Because the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on August 15th, which is exactly one-half of August, it is commonly known as "August and a half". Because during the Mid-Autumn Festival, people have the custom of inviting relatives and friends to drink and play with the moon at night, and there is also a custom that the daughter-in-law must return home on this day when she returns to the province. With the full moon as a symbol, the Mid-Autumn Festival is called the Reunion Festival. And because it is said that Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty visited the Moon Palace at night on this day, the Mid-Autumn Festival was called Yuexi. As for when the Mid-Autumn Festival began, there is no answer in the literature. The ancient monograph "The Records of the Years of Jingchu", which was devoted to recording the festivals of the year, does not contain anything about the Mid-Autumn Festival. Even in the "Ji Xue Ji" written in the Tang Dynasty, there is no text about the "Mid-Autumn Festival".
As for the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the ancients generally have two views: one is that the Mid-Autumn Festival is related to the Autumn Society. Zhou Yunjin and He Xiangfei co-authored the article "Talking about Seasonal Events in Leisure" said: "Perhaps because our country is an agricultural country, family affairs are closely related to the seasons. When planting seeds, the ancients worshiped the land god and prayed. During the harvest, the gods of the land are also worshiped to report the harvest and thank the gods for their protection. The former is called "Spring Prayer" and the latter is called "Autumn Annunciation". August 15th is the season when rice is ripe, and every family prays on this day. It is also the land. It is very likely that the Mid-Autumn Festival is the legacy of the 'Autumn Announcement', which has gradually become more popular through subsequent generations." Another theory is that the Mid-Autumn Festival is related to the ancient custom of worshiping the moon. The book "Chinese Customs" co-authored by modern Xu Jieshun and Chen Shunxuan said: "The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival may be related to the original belief in the moon in ancient times. In ancient Chinese mythology, there are stories of Nuwa holding the moon and Chang'e flying to the moon. Story. There is a description in "Book of Rites: Sacrifice" that "when the night is bright, it is also necessary to worship the moon". In the etiquette before the Qin and Han Dynasties, there was a rule that the emperor went to the moon altar in the western suburbs of the capital to worship the moon on the night of the autumnal equinox. The altar was the place where emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties worshiped the moon. From the Tang poems about the Mid-Autumn Festival, we can see that the myth of Chang'e flying to the moon was linked to the Mid-Autumn Festival. By the Song Dynasty, the festival had become very grand. Because of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hangzhou, people are busy buying and selling in the streets until the five drums are played, and tourists are dancing in the city until dawn. 1. Eat mooncakes
Xian Qin Zaisi's "Luozhong Jiwen" said that Emperor Xizong of Tang Dynasty ate mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and they tasted delicious. When he heard that Qujiang, a new Jinshi, was holding a wedding banquet, he ordered the imperial kitchen Mooncakes wrapped in red silk were given to new scholars. This is the earliest record of moon cakes that we can see. By the Song Dynasty, mooncakes had elegant names such as "Lotus Leaf", "Golden Flower", "Hibiscus", etc., and their production methods were more refined. The poet Su Dongpo praised it in a poem, saying, "Small cakes are like chewing the moon, with crisp and sweet cakes in them." The short cakes are pastry, and the sweet cakes are sugar. You can imagine the sweet, crispy and fragrant taste. After the Song Dynasty, making moon cakes not only paid attention to taste, but also designed various patterns related to the legend of the Moon Palace on the cake surface. The pattern on the cake was probably first drawn on paper and then pasted on the cake. Later, he simply used a dough mold to press it onto the mooncake. The full-moon-shaped moon cake also symbolizes reunion like the full moon on the fifteenth day. People regard it as a festival food, use it to worship the moon, and use it to give gifts to relatives and friends. This is undoubtedly a reflection of the national psychology of the Han nation. Legend has it that in the early years of the Yuan Dynasty, the rulers of Yuan and Meng were afraid that the people would revolt, so they adopted a high-pressure policy of sending one soldier to every ten households to monitor them, and only one kitchen knife was allowed for ten households. The people couldn't bear it, so they took advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15 to give each other gifts. On the occasion of the moon cake, a wax ball is placed in the moon cake. The wax ball is wrapped in paper with an oath written on it. A piece of paper is also attached to the bottom of the cake as a hint to call on each other to fight against Mongolia and return to the country. People in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, call this kind of moon cake "Sanjin", and according to the local dialect, the homophone is "Shaqin". This is probably the reason why mooncakes are often pasted with a piece of paper today.
2. Watching the Tide
"I know that the Jade Rabbit is very round, and it is already cold in September due to the frost and wind. I send you a message to close the door and leave the key, and stay to watch the night tide towards the middle of the moon." This is The poem "Watching the Tide on August 15th" written by Su Shi, a great poet of the Song Dynasty.
Tang Li She's poem "Watching the Moon at Junshan Terrace on Mid-Autumn Night": "In front of the Jinjiang River in the flowers on the embankment, we have traveled together with poetry and wine for forty years. The brightest night of the Mid-Autumn Festival is on the day when the moon rises over Dongting Lake." This is evidence of mountaineering and watching the moon. "Jiangnan Chronicles" of the Ming Dynasty records: In Changshu County in August, "tourists sailed boats and gathered on the lake bridge to look at the moon." This is evidence of boating and enjoying the moon. Of course, when the ancients played with the moon, they did not just enjoy the bright moon in the sky, but often viewed the moon together with other scenery in nature. For example, the famous landscapes - Lugou Dawn Moon, Three Pools Mirrored in the Moon, etc., are undoubtedly It is a perfect place for people to play with the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
3. Mid-Autumn Poems
"Moon on the 15th of August" by Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty
The full moon flies into the mirror, returning to the heart to fold the sword.
Wandering around the earth is far away, climbing the osmanthus and looking up to the sky.
There is suspicion of frost and snow on the waterway, and feathers can be seen in the forest.
Looking at the white rabbit at this time, I want to count the hair.
("Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty")
This is the poet's work to avoid chaos in Shu. The first two couplets of the poem are inspired by the rising moon, and use the moon on August 15th, which symbolizes reunion, to reflect the sorrow of wandering in a foreign land; the last two couplets of the poem describe the Mid-Autumn night, with the two lines "seeing feathers" and "counting autumn hairs" written with strange characters. Dangerous and romantic in intention, it is unique among Lao Du's poems.
"Playing with the Moon in Taoyuan on August 15th Night" by Liu Yuxi of the Tang Dynasty
Seeing the moon in the dust makes me feel at ease, especially in the Qingqiu Fairy Mansion.
The condensed light and long cold dew fall, standing on the highest mountain at this time.
There are no clouds in the blue sky, and there is no wind, and there are pines growing on the mountains and water flowing down from the mountains.
Looking at the group of animals leisurely, the sky is as high as the sky and the sky is thousands of miles apart.
The young master led me to the jade altar and invited me to the real immortal official.
The clouds are about to move under the stars, and Tianle makes a sound that makes his muscles and bones feel cold.
The golden clouds and clouds gradually move eastward, and the shadows of the wheel are still seen frequently.
Beautiful scenery and good times are hard to come by again, so he should feel melancholy on this day.
("Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty")
Liu Yuxi (772-842), a writer and philosopher of the Tang Dynasty, named Mengde, was born in Luoyang. This poem has sixteen lines, and every four lines has a rhyme, and each rhyme is a natural paragraph. The first paragraph describes playing with the moon in Taoyuan, with the scenery of the moon and the feeling of play; the second paragraph describes the night of August 15th, with the sky, earth and mountains and rivers illuminated by the moonlight as a contrast to the Mid-Autumn Moon; the third paragraph is romantic and unrestrained, describing the desire for immortality. Feelings arise naturally from scenery and emotions; the last paragraph draws back from imagination, writes about the sunrise and moonset, and expresses emotions about "perfect scenery and good times". After leaving the Taoyuan for a while, it is difficult to revisit it. The scenery in the whole poem changes from time to time, and the mood moves with the scenery, with a sense of ups and downs.
"Looking at the Moon in the Pavilion on the Night of August 15th" by Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty
On the night of August 15th of that year, I was at the apricot garden beside the Qujiang Pool.
On the night of August 15th this year, in front of the Shatou Water Museum in Penpu.
Looking to the northwest, where is my hometown? To the southeast, I can see how full the moon is.
No one could catch the wind yesterday, but tonight the light is as clear as in previous years.
("Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty")
This poem was written when traveling far away from Jiangzhou. It expresses the emotions of things being right and people changing, and it evokes the change of space in the change of time. In addition, the change of time and space reveals the change of emotions, the joy of the past and the sorrow of the present. The sharp contrast reveals the depression of the exiled life.
Tangpi Rixiu's "Guizi on the Night of August 15th in Tianzhu Temple"
The jade stone fell under the moon, and a new dew was found in front of the temple.
Nothing happens in heaven so far, it should be thrown to people by Chang'e.
("Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty")
Pi Rixiu (about 833--?), named Yishao, was from Xiangyang. Poems are as famous as Lu Guimeng's, including "Pi Zi Wen Sou". This quatrain describes the sweet-scented osmanthus. The falling sweet-scented osmanthus is originally as clean as jade, and becomes even more crystal clear when reflected in the moonlight. When you pick up the flower, it still contains dew, which makes you feel more moist. I think it was Chang'e who spread it in the world. The whole poem praises objects with virtual reality and ethereal implications. It uses the Mid-Autumn Festival to express the full emotion of playing with the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is wonderful to see the big from the small.
"Seeing the Moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival and Ziyou" by Su Shi of the Song Dynasty
The bright moon is not yet high in the mountains, and the auspicious light is thousands of feet long.
The silver cup is not empty yet, and the chaotic clouds break away like crashing waves.
Whoever washes his eyes for God should use thousands of dendrobium water from Minghe River.
So I looked coldly at the people in the world, and I couldn't bear to look at Zhanran.
The sparks in the southwest are like projectiles, and the horns and tails are bright and clear.
Tonight I can’t see anything, but the fireflies are fighting to clear away the cold.
Who made a boat in Bian yesterday? Thousands of lights made fish and dragons change at night.
Turning and carelessly chasing the waves, going to the festival with a low head and following the song board.
The green light disappears before turning to the mountain, and the waves and winds will not be strong again.
The bright moon is easy to be low and people are easy to disperse. When you return to drink, you will pay more attention to it.
The moonlight in front of the hall becomes clearer and clearer, and the dew grass hums in the cold throat.
No one is around when the roller blinds are pushed open. Only Old Chu is mute under the window.
Don’t be ashamed of poverty in Nandu, and there are several people who write poems about the moon.
The personnel affairs of the Ming Dynasty follow the sunrise, and suddenly I have a dream of a Yaotai guest.
("Song Poetry Notes")
This long song has fourteen lines and twenty-eight lines, which can be said to be the longest Mid-Autumn Festival poem. The poem is written from the rising to the setting of the moon, which not only vividly depicts the moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival, but also vividly describes the personnel and events of the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the poem, "A cup of unfinished silver surges, and it breaks away like a crashing wave." The momentum is strong. "Whoever washes his eyes for God should use the thousand dendrobium water of the Ming River." The imagination is unique, "A thousand lights make fishes and dragons change in the night." He went to the festival with a low head and followed the song board, "telling the folk customs," "returning to drink wine and paying more attention", "how many people wrote poems to the moon" and expressed their feelings. The whole poem is intertwined with scenery, people and me, and the temperament is upbeat. The poetic mood is full of frustrations, low turns and smooth transitions, and excitement and elegance turn out to be euphemistic. It is indeed a masterpiece among Mid-Autumn Festival poems about the moon.
Song Mi Fu's "Climbing a Tower to Look at the Moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival"
The Huaihai Sea is as full as silver, and thousands of rainbows nurture the treasures of clams.
If there is no moon door in the sky, the osmanthus branches will support the westward wheel.
("Song Shi Chao")
Mi Fu (1051--1107), named Yuanzhang, was from Xiangyang. From an official to a member of the Ministry of Rites, he is a foreign minister. He was good at poetry and prose, especially calligraphy, and his calligraphy was among the masters of the Song Dynasty. This poem quotes two folk legends. One is that the cultivation of pearls is related to the waxing and waning of the moon, and that clams conceive pearls when the moon is full; the other is that the moon is composed of seven treasures, and there are often 82,000 households in the world. It fixes. In this way, chanting the moon through legends adds a mythical color to the Mid-Autumn Moon, making it more charming.