What does Mid-Autumn Festival mean?

Offering sacrifices to the moon is an activity of offering sacrifices to the "Moon God" in some places in ancient China. The autumnal equinox in the twenty-four solar terms is an ancient "Moon Festival".

The worship of the moon in Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history, which stems from the worship of astronomical phenomena, praying for help to realize one's wishes, so worship. As one of the important ceremonies of the Mid-Autumn Festival, offering sacrifices to the moon has continued from ancient times and gradually evolved into a folk activity of appreciating and praising the moon. At the same time, it has become the main form of modern people's longing for reunion and their desire for a better life.

Sacrificing the moon has a long history. In ancient China, some ancient people offered sacrifices to the Moon God to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, which gradually became a custom. The Han Dynasty was a period of economic and cultural exchanges and integration between the north and the south of China, and cultural exchanges spread together. The custom of Mid-Autumn Festival was popular in northern China in the Tang Dynasty, and it became an officially recognized national festival around the Tang Dynasty. With the development of the festival, the full moon gradually evolved into the meaning of "reunion of people".

Brief introduction of moon festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival is an ancient ceremony, which expresses people's good wishes to pray for the moon god to bless the world. The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the documents of the Han Dynasty and was written in Zhou Li of the Han Dynasty (handed down from Zhou Gongdan, actually written between the Han Dynasty). According to legend, in the pre-Qin period, there were activities such as "Mid-Autumn Festival to welcome the cold night", "Giving good clothes in the Mid-Autumn Festival" and "Moon at the Autumn Equinox (Yue Bai)".

As one of the important ceremonies of the Mid-Autumn Festival, offering sacrifices to the moon has continued from ancient times and gradually evolved into a folk activity of appreciating and praising the moon. Under the moon, put the "Luna God" tablet in the direction of the moon, and the red candle burns high. The whole family took turns in Yue Bai to pray.

The above contents refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-Sacrifice to the Moon.