What does the autumn equinox mean by offering sacrifices to the moon? What is the reason for eating autumn vegetables at the autumnal equinox?

Autumn is a cool solar term. In autumn, people gradually add clothes and pay attention to health care. The solar term of the autumnal equinox is also one of the solar terms. So what does the autumn equinox mean by offering sacrifices to the moon? What is the reason for eating autumn vegetables at the autumnal equinox? Let's use the old tradition to understand this solar term!

What does the autumn equinox mean by offering sacrifices to the moon? The ancients sacrificed to the moon to protect the safety of the country and people, and at the same time expressed people's good wishes to pray for the moon god to bless the world.

It is understood that the ancients believed that too much yin would affect the peace of the country and the health of the people, so the court had to sacrifice the moon to protect the safety of the country and the people. This is the so-called "late sacrifice to the moon". Sacrificing the moon is a very old custom in China, and it is actually a worship activity of the ancients to the "Moon God". At the autumnal equinox, it is an ancient "Moon Festival". Mid-Autumn Festival comes from the traditional "offering sacrifices to the moon".

Reasons for eating autumn vegetables at the autumnal equinox

Autumn vegetables refer to vegetables harvested in autumn such as radish and Chinese cabbage. Now, autumn vegetables such as carrots, Chinese cabbage, green onions, potatoes and white radishes are on the market.

Picked autumn vegetables are usually boiled with fish fillets at home, which is called "autumn soup". There is a jingle: "autumn soup is dirty, wash the liver and intestines." The whole family is safe and healthy. "Since autumn, people still pray for peace and health at home. So people like to eat okra in the autumnal equinox.

What does the autumnal equinox mean? The midpoint of autumn is divided equally between day and night.

Literally speaking, the autumnal equinox is to separate autumn, and this day is the midpoint of autumn. So on this day, the whole world is as long as day and night, and the sleep state can reach the best. Similarly, the autumnal equinox will bring us a cool climate. The autumnal equinox is a special one among the 24 solar terms. There are two main characteristics: First, the sun reaches the longitude of the Yellow Meridian 180 degrees on this day and goes straight to the equator of the earth, so the 24 hours of this day are divided equally, each with 12 hours, and there is no extreme day and night phenomenon in the world. Secondly, according to the method of seasonal division in ancient China, which took beginning of spring, Changxia, beginning of autumn and beginning of winter as four seasons, the autumnal equinox lived in autumn for 90 days and divided the autumn equally.

"The autumn equinox is half cloudy and half sunny, so it is cold and hot day and night." On the autumnal equinox, day and night are equal, and then the longer the night, the shorter the day. The temperature in most parts of the country has dropped rapidly and obviously. Cool breeze, clear blue sky, fragrant osmanthus and yellow crab fat chrysanthemum are the landmark scenery of the autumn equinox.