On the Origin and Legend of Mid-Autumn Festival

About the origin and legend of Mid-Autumn Festival: It evolved slowly from the worship of the moon in ancient times. In the ancient calendar of our country, each season is divided into three months, namely Meng Yue, Mid-Autumn Festival and Yue Ji, and August in the lunar calendar happens to be the second month of autumn. At first, it was designated as the festival of the ancient emperor Yue Bai, and later it gradually evolved into the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The word Mid-Autumn Festival first appeared in the Zhou Dynasty (BC 1046-256 BC), and it was recorded in the Book of Rites and the Moon Order: "Mid-autumn moon nurtures aging, and Mid-autumn moon eats porridge." There are many theories about the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival.

One of the sayings is that the Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of the moon. Like the sun, it turned two alternate celestial bodies into objects of ancestor worship. In the "autumnal equinox" season of the twenty-four solar terms, it is an ancient "Moon Worship Festival" and a sacrificial activity for the "Moon God".

Folk customs of Mid-Autumn Festival

Offering sacrifices to the moon is a very old custom in China. In fact, it is a worship activity of the ancients to the "Moon God". In ancient times, there was a custom of "autumn twilight", that is, offering sacrifices to the moon god. Since ancient times, in some places in Guangdong, people have the custom of offering sacrifices to the moon god (worshipping the moon mother and moonlight) on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Moon cakes, also known as moon group, harvest cake, palace cake and reunion cake, are offerings to worship the moon god in ancient Mid-Autumn Festival. At first, moon cakes were used as offerings to worship the moon god. Later, people gradually regarded Mid-Autumn Festival as a symbol of family reunion. Mooncakes symbolize a happy reunion. People use them as holiday food to worship the moon and give gifts to relatives and friends. Today, eating moon cakes has become an essential custom of Mid-Autumn Festival in northern and southern China.