The origin of the Mid-Autumn festival

The origin of Mid-Autumn Festival is related to the moon.

Mid-Autumn Festival is a relic of the custom of worshipping the moon in ancient astronomical phenomena. At the autumnal equinox, it is an ancient festival to worship the moon. Sacrificing to the moon is a very old custom in China. In fact, it is the ancient worship of luna in some places in ancient China. Mid-Autumn Festival comes from the traditional autumnal equinox. Mid-Autumn Festival is popular in Han Dynasty, which is a period of economic and cultural exchanges and integration between the north and the south of China, and cultural exchanges between different places spread together.

In traditional culture, the moon and the sun are the same, and these two alternate celestial bodies become the objects of ancestor worship. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the ancient people's sacrifice to the moon, which is the legacy and derivative of China people's custom of offering sacrifices to the moon. Mid-Autumn Festival is a synthesis of autumn seasonal customs, most of which have ancient origins.

Another name for Mid-Autumn Festival

At first, the festival of offering sacrifices to the moon was held on the autumnal equinox day in 24 solar terms, a dry calendar, and later it was moved to August 15 in the summer calendar. According to the calendar of China, August of the lunar calendar is in the middle of autumn, which is the second month of autumn, and August 15th is in the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival.

There are many nicknames for Mid-Autumn Festival. In ancient times, there were autumnal equinox and moon activities, so it was called Moon Festival or Moon Festival. Because this festival falls on August 15, it is called August Festival and August 30th. Because the main activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival are around the moon, it is also commonly known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. The full moon in Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes reunion, so it is also called Reunion Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is also called Reunion Festival and Daughter's Day, because the moon is full, families get together, and married daughters go home for reunion.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Mid-Autumn Festival