The Origin of Mid-Autumn Festival and the Development and Evolution of Mid-Autumn Festival Customs in Past Dynasties

According to China's calendar, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is in the middle of autumn, that is, the second month of autumn. It is called "Mid-Autumn Festival" because it is related to the ritual of offering sacrifices to the moon in ancient times. It originated from ancient human worship of nature. In the ritual system of ancient emperors, there were two festivals in the Spring and Autumn Period: the Spring Festival for the sun and the Mid-Autumn Festival for the moon. The first day in Yue Bai is the autumnal equinox, a solar term in August, and the date is different every year. Therefore, there is not necessarily a moon in the autumnal equinox. Yue Bai, which has no moon, is a great spoil, and gradually becomes popular at any time. The date of Yue Bai is set at August 15. August 15 falls on the Mid-Autumn Festival, so it is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. The word Mid-Autumn Festival first appeared in Zhou Li: "In mid-spring, drummers advocate elegance and welcome the heat of summer;" Mid-autumn night is also like a cloud. "

Mid-Autumn Festival has many nicknames: it is called "August Festival" because it falls on August 15th.

"August 30th" or "August15th"; "The sun shines in spring and the moon shines in autumn. The Asahi is facing the DPRK, and the evening is in the evening. " (Book of Rites) So it is also commonly known as "Moon Festival" and "Moonlit Night". The record of "Reunion Festival" was first seen in the Ming Dynasty. Travel Notes on the West Lake says: "August 15th is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people send moon cakes to show their reunion". "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" also said: "On August 15th, the moon was sacrificed, the cakes were round, the melons were wrongly divided, and the petals were carved with lotus flowers. ..... people who marry their relatives in the province will return to their husband's family in the future. This is the so-called reunion festival ". Seasonally, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the "Autumn Harvest Festival", and the grain sown in summer and spring should be harvested in autumn. Since ancient times, people have been drinking and dancing to celebrate the harvest in this season, which is described in China's earliest collection of poems, The Book of Songs.

(2) Historical evolution

The origin of Mid-Autumn Festival is related to ancient autumn worship and Yue Bai customs. In the pre-Qin period, there was a system of worshipping the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. "Book of Rites" records "autumn dusk and evening moon", that is, to worship the moon god. In the Zhou Dynasty, every Mid-Autumn Festival night, activities to welcome the cold and offer sacrifices to the moon were held. Later emperors followed this custom. The "Moon Altar" in Beijing was built for Emperor Yue Bai in Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty. Up to now, there are still many historical sites in China, such as the Yue Bai Altar, the Moon Pavilion and the Moon Tower.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival in the Northern Song Dynasty, people first climbed the mountain and stairs to see the bright moon, and then held a Yue Bai ceremony to worship round cakes. The explanation says, "Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, stores sold new wine, your home decorated pavilions, and people competed for food and play with the moon. They sang songs at a distance and sat until dawn (Volume 8 of Dream of China in Tokyo). Wu (living around 1270) also recorded in the fourth volume of Meng Lianglu that more people arranged for their families to buy food and wine to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in the Southern Song Dynasty. Jin Yingzhi (living near 1 126) recorded the custom of people going to Yue Bai from enjoying the moon at that time: "The meeting of enjoying the moon in Beijing is different from other counties. The whole family, rich or poor, can go to twelve or thirteen by themselves and dress up as adults. Yue Bai has his own way of climbing stairs or burning incense in the court. Men are willing to go to the toad palace early and climb the fairy turtle ... women want to look like Chang' e and be as round as a clean moon. "

Besides league members, entertainment and Yue Bai, there is also the custom of enjoying lanterns. Zhou Mi (1232- 1308) recorded the Mid-Autumn Festival night in Hang Cheng: "Lights and candles shine until dusk". It's night, people enjoy the moon, or go to the lake and the seaside and swim along it. Above Su Causeway, it is no different from stepping on songs together during the day. And cast 10,000 "Little Red" (small sheepskin lamps) on the river, dazzling like stars. It is said that water lanterns are for the benefit of Jiang Shen, not just for viewing. Since the Song Dynasty, watching tide in Qiantang, Hangzhou has also become the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival.

Although the Yuan Dynasty was dominated by foreigners, it was deeply sinicized. Festival customs also follow the old Han system.

By the Ming Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival had already passed on New Year's Day (the Spring Festival was called New Year's Day in ancient times). The custom of enjoying the moon, offering sacrifices to the moon and eating moon cakes has become a common practice. Tian Rucheng (about 1540) recorded in Notes on Traveling to the West Lake and Happy in the Tide that there were more people giving gifts in the Ming Dynasty than in the Mid-Autumn Festival, which meant "reunion". In the evening, there will be a banquet to enjoy the moon, or take wine and vegetables to the lake and sea.

As for the grand gathering of the Ming people enjoying the moon, Zhang Dai (1597- 167 1 year? ) with its beautiful style, made an extremely elegant account for us (Tao An Meng Yi, Volume 5, Tiger Autumn Night):

In August and a half in Huqiu, there are aborigines, floating houses, scholars, family members, female musicians, geisha, famous prostitutes in songs, opera girls, folk young women, good women, young children, child molesters, vagrants, diners, helpers, family children and vacant people. Since the birth of Gongtai, Qianshi, Jianchi, Shenwending Temple, down to Gate 1 and Gate 2 of Shishi, have been sitting on mats and looking up, like geese falling on Pingsha and Xia Guang River. On the day of the moon, there were hundreds of speakers, boasting about it, taking part in it, shaking the earth, thundering and screaming, but they didn't hear the call. What is more certain is that the drums and cymbals are gradually resting, and the silk and bamboo are flourishing, mixed with singing.

We can get a glimpse of people's life interest in the late Ming Dynasty from this song "Autumn Night in Tiger House".

The second volume (1635) of "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" co-authored by Dong Liu and Yu Yizheng describes in detail the Mid-Autumn Festival tribute: "On August 15th, when the moon is sacrificed, there must be fruit cakes; The carved teeth must be staggered, such as lotus paper and moonlight paper.

The "Moonlight Paper" used by Yue Bai in Ming Dynasty was renamed "Moonlight Horse" in Qing Dynasty, which is a paper horse.

There is a custom of offering sacrifices to the moon in the Qing palace. Yue Bai's place is in the Imperial Garden. A screen was erected in the east of the courtyard, with cockscomb flowers, edamame branches and fresh lotus roots on it; In front of the screen, there is a square table with moon palace symbols. On the table, there is a big moon cake with a diameter of 55 cm and a weight of 10 kg. The moon cakes are printed with the words "Yu Yi Palace" and Yutu Daoyao Group. There are one or three pounds of moon cakes on the left and right sides of the big moon cake, several plates of various small moon cakes, and several cups of wine and tea. Seasonal flowers and fresh fruits should also be placed on the altar. Burn incense after the monthly offering. The emperor, queen and others bowed to the moonlight Oracle in turn. The fragrance is exhausted, the moon is exhausted, and the tribute is retired. The important moon cakes weighing 10 kilograms are carefully packaged and preserved until the New Year's Eve of that year, and the whole family will share them together, which is called "eating reunion cakes". An important moon cake weighing three kilograms was cut into several pieces and sent to concubines, civil and military officials, eunuchs, maids and others together with small moon cakes, "lotus root melons" and fresh fruits.

Then there is a grand family dinner. In many places in the Qing Dynasty, local customs such as burning incense, enjoying the moon, lighting lamps, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting lighthouses and dragging stones were also formed.

In short, the custom of reunion, moon viewing and eating moon cakes has a long history. With the continuous addition of new content, this traditional festival with national characteristics has been spread to this day and is still popular.