The 15th day of August in the lunar calendar is a traditional Mid-Autumn Festival. This is the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. In China's lunar calendar, a year is divided into four seasons, and each season is divided into three parts: Meng, Zhong and Ji, so Mid-Autumn Festival is also called Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon on August 15th is rounder and brighter than the full moons in other months, so it is also called "Moon Night" and "August Festival". On this night, people look up at the bright moon in the sky like jade, and naturally look forward to family reunion. Wanderers who are far away from home also take this opportunity to pin their thoughts on their hometown and relatives. Therefore, Mid-Autumn Festival is also called "Reunion Festival".
In ancient times, the Chinese people had the custom of "Evening in autumn and the moon in the evening". The evening moon is to worship the moon god. In the Zhou dynasty, every mid-autumn night was held to welcome the cold and offer sacrifices to the moon. Set up a big incense table, and put moon cakes, watermelons, apples, red dates, plums, grapes and other sacrifices, among which moon cakes and watermelons are absolutely indispensable. Watermelon has to be cut into lotus shapes. Under the moon, put the moon statue in the direction of the moon, and the red candle burns high. The whole family worships the moon in turn, and then the housewife cuts up the reunion moon cake. Cut the people in advance to calculate the number of people in the whole family, at home and in the field, all together, can not cut more or less, the size should be the same.
According to legend, the ugly women in ancient Qi had no salt. When they were young, they were devout to Yue Bai. When they grew up, they entered the palace with superior moral character, but they were not favored. Seeing the moon on August 15th, the son of heaven saw her in the moonlight and thought she was beautiful and outstanding. Later, he made her the queen, from which the Mid-Autumn Festival Yue Bai came. In the middle of the moon, Chang 'e is famous for her beauty, so Yue Bai, a young girl, wishes to be "like Chang 'e, and her face is like a bright moon".
In the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the northern song dynasty. On the night of August 15th, people all over the city, rich and poor, old and young, put on adult clothes, burn incense and express their wishes to Yue Bai, and pray for the blessing of the moon god. In the Southern Song Dynasty, people gave mooncakes to each other, which meant reunion. In some places there are activities such as dancing grass dragons and building pagodas. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival has become more popular. Many places have formed special customs such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn Festival trees, lighting tower lanterns, putting sky lanterns, walking on the moon and dancing dragon.
Today, the custom of playing under the moon is far less popular than in the old days. However, feasting to enjoy the moon is still very popular. People drink wine in asking for the moon to celebrate a better life, or wish their relatives far away healthy and happy, and have a wonderful time with their families.
There are many customs and forms of Mid-Autumn Festival, but they all entrust people with infinite love for life and yearning for a better life.
The origin and legend of Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history, which, like other traditional festivals, developed slowly. The ancient emperors had a ritual system of offering sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn, and the word "Mid-Autumn Festival" was recorded as early as in Zhou Li. Later, aristocrats and scholars followed suit. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people watched and worshipped the bright and round moon in the sky, placing their feelings. This custom spread to the people and formed a traditional activity. Until the Tang Dynasty, people paid more attention to this custom of worshipping the moon, and the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. Taizong Ji recorded "Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th", which was popular in the Song Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was as famous as New Year's Day and became one of the major festivals in China.
The legend of Mid-Autumn Festival is very rich, and fairy tales such as the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang's felling of Guangxi and Jade Rabbit's smashing medicine are widely spread.
One of the Mid-Autumn Festival legends-the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon
According to legend, in ancient times, there were ten days in the sky at the same time, and the crops died in the sun, and the people were miserable. A hero named Hou Yi had infinite strength. He sympathized with the suffering people, climbed to the top of Kunlun Mountain, took full advantage of his divine power, opened his bow, shot down more than nine suns in one breath, and ordered the last sun to rise and fall on time to benefit the people.
Hou Yi was respected and loved by the people. He married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang 'e. In addition to hunting, Hou Yi spent all his time with his wife, and people envied this beautiful and loving couple.
Many people with lofty ideals have come here to study as teachers, and Peng Meng, who has ulterior motives, has also mixed in.
One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek the Tao. He happened to meet the Queen Mother who passed by and asked her for a pack of elixir. It is said that taking this medicine can immediately ascend to heaven and become immortal. However, Hou Yi could not bear to leave his wife, so he had to give the immortal medicine to Chang 'e for the time being. Chang 'e hid the medicine in the treasure box of the dresser, only to be seen by the villain Peng Meng. He wanted to steal the immortal medicine and become immortal himself.
Three days later, Hou Yi led his followers out hunting, and Peng Meng, who had ulterior motives, pretended to be ill and stayed. Soon after Hou Yi led the crowd away, Peng Meng broke into the backyard of the inner house with a sword in his hand, threatening Chang 'e to hand over the elixir. Chang 'e knew that she was no match for Peng Meng. When she was in a crisis, she made a decisive decision, turned around and opened the treasure box, took out the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp. Chang 'e swallowed the medicine and immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window and flew to the sky. Because Chang 'e was concerned about her husband, she flew to the nearest moon and became a fairy.
In the evening, Hou Yi came home, and the maids cried about what happened during the day. Hou Yi was both surprised and angry, and drew his sword to kill the villains. Peng Meng fled early. Hou Yi was so angry and heartbroken that he looked up at the night sky and called out the name of his beloved wife. At this time, he was surprised to find that today's moon was exceptionally bright and bright, and there was a swaying figure resembling Chang 'e. He chased after the moon desperately, but he chased three steps, the moon retreated three steps, he retreated three steps, and the moon advanced three steps, but he couldn't catch up with him anyway.
Hou Yi was helpless and missed his wife, so he had to send someone to Chang 'e's favorite back garden, set up a table incense, put on her favorite honey and fresh fruit, and pay a tribute to Chang 'e in the moon palace. After hearing the news that the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon became an immortal, people set up incense tables under the moon to pray for good luck and peace to the kind Chang 'e.
Since then, the custom of Yue Bai in Mid-Autumn Festival has spread among the people.
Legend No.2 of Mid-Autumn Festival-WU GANG's laurel
There is another legend about Mid-Autumn Festival: It is said that the laurel tree in front of the Guanghan Palace on the moon grows luxuriantly, with a height of more than 5 feet. There is a man who often cuts it down below, but every time he cuts it down, the cut place is closed immediately. For thousands of years, this laurel tree can never be cut down. It is said that this tree-chopping man named WU GANG, a native of Xihe, Han Dynasty, once followed the immortal to the heaven, but when he made a mistake, the immortal relegated him to the Moon Palace, and did this kind of futile drudgery every day to show his punishment. In Li Bai's poems, there is a record that "if you want to be in the middle of the moon, you will pay for the cold."
the third legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival-Zhu Yuanzhang and the moon cake uprising
It is said that eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the broad masses of people in the Central Plains could not bear the cruel rule of the ruling class in the Yuan Dynasty and rebelled against the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang joined forces with various resistance forces to prepare for the uprising. However, the officers and men of the court searched very closely and it was very difficult to pass on the news. Strategist Liu Bowen came up with a plan and ordered his subordinates to hide the note containing the "August 15th night uprising" into the cake, and then sent someone to send it to the uprising troops in various places separately to inform them to respond to the uprising on August 15th night. On the day of the uprising, all the rebels responded together, such as single spark can start a prairie fire.
Soon, Xu Da captured the capital of Yuan Dynasty, and the uprising was successful. When the news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy that he quickly gave a message that all the soldiers would have fun with the people in the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, and he would give the "moon cakes" that were sent in secret when he started fighting that year as seasonal cakes to his ministers. Since then, the production of "moon cakes" has become more and more elaborate, with more varieties, such as discs, and has become a good gift. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the custom of eating moon cakes spread among the people.
Customs of Mid-Autumn Festival
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people's main activities are enjoying the moon and eating moon cakes.
Appreciating the Moon
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, China has had the custom of appreciating the Moon since ancient times. It is recorded in the Book of Rites that "the moon falls at dusk in autumn", that is, worshipping the moon god. In the Zhou dynasty, every mid-autumn night was held to welcome the cold and offer sacrifices to the moon. Set up a big incense table and put on seasonal fruits such as moon cakes, watermelons, apples, plums and grapes, among which moon cakes and watermelons are absolutely indispensable. Watermelon has to be cut into lotus shapes.
In the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Song Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was more popular to enjoy the moon. According to "Dream of Tokyo", "On the Mid-Autumn Night, your family decorated the Taiwan Pavilion, and the people competed for the restaurant to play with the moon". On this day, all the shops and restaurants in Beijing have to redecorate their facades, tie silk on the archway, sell fresh fruits and refined food, and the night market is very lively. Many people board the balcony, and some rich families enjoy the moon on their own pavilions, and arrange food or family banquets to reunite their children.
After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the custom of enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival remained the same. In many places, special customs such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn Festival trees, lighting tower lanterns, putting sky lanterns, walking on the moon and dancing dragon were formed.
Eating moon cakes
People in urban and rural areas in China have the custom of eating moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. As the saying goes, "August 15th is full, and the Mid-Autumn Festival moon cakes are sweet and fragrant". Moon cakes were originally used as sacrifices to the moon god. The word "moon cakes" first appeared in Wu Zimu's Dream of the Liang Lu in the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, it was just a cake-shaped food like Linghua cake. Later, people gradually combined the Mid-Autumn Festival with mooncake tasting, which symbolizes family reunion.
moon cakes were originally made at home, and Yuan Mei in Qing Dynasty recorded the practice of moon cakes in the Sui Garden Food List. In modern times, with workshops specializing in making moon cakes, the production of moon cakes has become more and more elaborate, with exquisite fillings and beautiful appearance. There are also various exquisite patterns printed on the outside of moon cakes, such as "the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon", "jathyapple on the Milky Way" and "Moon on Three Tans". It has become the wish of people all over the world to show people's reunion with the full moon, to show people's eternal life with the full moon cake, to pin their thoughts on their hometown and their loved ones, and to pray for a bumper harvest and happiness. Mooncakes are also used as gifts to send relatives and friends and to connect feelings.
Other Mid-Autumn Festival customs
China has a vast geographical area, a large population and different customs, and the Mid-Autumn Festival customs are also varied with strong local characteristics.
In Pucheng, Fujian, women have to cross Nanpu Bridge during the Mid-Autumn Festival to live longer. In Jianning, hanging lanterns in mid-autumn night is a good omen for asking for children from the moon palace. People in Shanghang County celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, and most of their children are invited to visit their parents when they are in Yue Bai. When Longyan people eat moon cakes, parents will dig out round cakes with a diameter of two or three inches in the center for their elders to eat, which means that the secret can't be told to the younger generation. This custom stems from the legend that moon cakes contain anti-yuan killing messages. Before the Mid-Autumn Festival in Jinmen, Yue Bai should pay homage to God.
There is a custom of Yue Bai in the Mid-Autumn Festival in Chaoshan, Guangdong Province, mainly for women and children. There is a common saying that "men don't have a full moon, and women don't sacrifice stoves". In the evening, when the bright moon rises, women set up a case in the yard and on the balcony to pray. Silver candles are burning high, cigarettes are lingering, and the table is filled with good fruits and cakes as a sacrifice. There is also the custom of eating taro in the Mid-Autumn Festival in the local area. There is a common saying in Chaoshan: "The river is opposite to the mouth, and the taro is eaten." In August, it is the harvest season of taro, and farmers are used to worshipping their ancestors with taro. This is certainly related to farming, but there is also a popular folk legend: in 1279, Mongolian nobles destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty and established the Yuan Dynasty, which brutally ruled the Han people. Ma Fa defended Chaozhou against Yuan Dynasty. After the city was broken, the people were massacred. In order not to forget the suffering of Hu people's rule, later generations took taro as a homonym with "Hu tou" and it looked like a human head, so as to pay homage to their ancestors, which has been passed down from generation to generation and still exists today.
burning towers in mid-autumn night is also popular in some places. Towers vary in height from 1 to 3 meters, and are made of broken tiles. Large towers are made of bricks, accounting for about 1/4 of the tower height, and then stacked with tiles, leaving a tower mouth at the top for fuel delivery. In the Mid-Autumn Festival night, it will be ignited and burned. The fuel is wood, bamboo, chaff, etc. When the fire is prosperous, rosin powder will be poured to cheer, which is very spectacular. There are also folk regulations for burning pagodas. Whoever burns the pagodas to a full house will win, and those who fail or collapse during the burning process will lose. The winner will be awarded colorful flags, bonuses or prizes by the host. It is said that burning the tower was also the origin of the Han people's rebellion against the cruel rulers at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the Mid-Autumn Uprising.
The folk customs in the south of the Yangtze River are also varied during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Nanjing people love to eat moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival, and they must eat osmanthus duck, a famous Jinling dish. "Sweet-scented osmanthus duck" should be in the market when cinnamon is fragrant, fat but not greasy, and delicious. After drinking, you must eat a small piece of sugar taro and pour it with cinnamon pulp. The beauty goes without saying. "Guijiang", named after Qu Yuan's "Songs of Chu"? Shaosi life ","aid the north to close and drink cinnamon pulp ". Cinnamomum cassia pulp, a sweet osmanthus, was picked around the Mid-Autumn Festival and pickled with sugar and sour plum. Women in the south of the Yangtze River are skillful in turning the chanting in poems into delicacies on the table. Nanjing people enjoy the moon with their families, which is called "celebrating reunion", group sitting and drinking is called "full moon", and traveling in the market is called "walking on the moon".
In the early Ming Dynasty, there was a Moon Tower and a Moon Bridge in Nanjing. In the Qing Dynasty, a Moon Tower was built under Lion Mountain, all of which were for people to enjoy the moon, especially those who played the Moon Bridge. When the bright moon is hanging high, people go to the moon tower and play the moon bridge together, taking pleasure in seeing the jade rabbit. "Playing Moon Bridge" is located in Qinhuai River, Confucius Temple, next to the famous prostitute Ma Xianglan's mansion. On this night, scholars gathered at the bridge to play flute and sing, reminiscing about Niuzhu's playing with the moon and writing poems to the moon, so it was called Playing Moon Bridge. After the death of the Ming Dynasty, it gradually declined, and later generations had a poem: "The romantic southern song has been sold out, leaving the west wind with a long slab bridge, but I remember sitting on the Jade Man Bridge and teaching the flute in the moonlight." Long Banqiao, the original Moon Bridge. In recent years, the Confucius Temple in Nanjing has been renovated, restored some pavilions in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and dredged rivers. Until the Mid-Autumn Festival, you can enjoy the fun of playing the moon together.
in Wuxi county, Jiangsu province, it is necessary to burn incense in mid-autumn night. There is gauze and silk around the incense bucket, and the scenery in the moon palace is painted. There are also incense sticks woven with thread incense, with paper kuixing and colorful banners inserted on them. Shanghainese Mid-Autumn Festival banquet is accompanied by osmanthus honey wine.
In the evening of Mid-Autumn Festival in Ji 'an County, Jiangxi Province, every village burns crocks with straw. After the crock is red, put the vinegar in it. At this time, there will be a fragrance floating all over the village. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in Xincheng County, grass lanterns are hung from the night of August 11th until August 17th.
Children build a hollow pagoda with bricks during the Mid-Autumn Festival in Wuyuan, Anhui Province. Decorations such as curtains and plaques are hung on the tower, and a table is placed in front of the tower to display all kinds of utensils to worship the "tower god". At night, lights and candles are lit inside and outside. Children in Jixi Mid-Autumn Festival play Mid-Autumn Festival firecrackers. The Mid-Autumn Festival cannon is made of straw tied into a braid, soaked and then picked up to hit the stone, making a loud noise and having the custom of swimming in the dragon. A fire dragon is a dragon made of grass with incense sticks inserted in it. When you visit the dragon, there are gongs and drums teams, which travel around the villages before being sent to the river.
In addition to eating moon cakes, people in Sichuan Province also eat cakes, ducks, sesame cakes, honey cakes and so on. In some places, orange lanterns are also lit and hung at the door to celebrate. There are also children who put incense on grapefruit and dance along the street, which is called "dancing meteor balls". The Mid-Autumn Festival in Jiading County is called "Watching the Meeting" for offering sacrifices to the land gods and performing zaju, vocal music and cultural relics.
in the north, farmers in Qingyun county, Shandong province offer sacrifices to the earth god on August 15th, which is called "Young Miao Society". Zhucheng, Linyi, Jimo and other places have to pay homage to their ancestors in addition to the moon. Landlords in guanxian, Laiyang, Guangrao and Postal City also entertain tenants in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Jimo Mid-Autumn Festival eats a festive food called "Wheat Arrow". Lu 'an, Shanxi Province hosted a banquet for her son-in-law in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Datong county calls moon cakes reunion cakes, and it is the custom to keep vigil in mid-autumn night.
Wanquan county, Hebei province calls the Mid-Autumn Festival "Little New Year's Day", and there are pictures of Taiyin Star Jun and Guandi reading the Spring and Autumn Festival at night on moonlight paper. Hejian county people think that the mid-autumn rain is bitter rain. If it rains on the Mid-Autumn Festival, local people think that vegetables must taste bad.
On mid-autumn night in Xixiang County, Shaanxi Province, men went boating on the cliff, and women arranged a beautiful banquet. No matter rich or poor, you must eat watermelon. In the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are drummers blowing drums along the door to ask for money. In Luochuan County, parents lead students to bring gifts for their husbands, and lunch is more than school dinners.