Mid-Autumn Festival is the first day of the lunar calendar

What month is the Mid-Autumn Festival? What day of the lunar calendar is the Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival is the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar every year.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, the Autumn Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the August Festival, the August Festival, the August Meeting, the Moon Chasing Festival, the Moon Festival, the Moon Festival, the Moon Festival, the Daughter Festival, or the Festival of Reunion, is a traditional cultural festival that is popular among many ethnic groups in China and the countries of the Chinese character Cultural Circle, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar; because of its value in the third half of the Autumn Festival, it is so named, and there are also some places where the Mid-Autumn Festival is set in the sixteenth day of the eighth month.

The Mid-Autumn Festival began in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, and by the time of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become one of the Chinese traditional festivals on a par with the Spring Festival. Influenced by Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a traditional festival in some East and Southeast Asian countries, especially for local Chinese. Since 2008, the Mid-Autumn Festival has been listed as a national holiday, and on May 20, 2006, the State Council included it in the list of the first batch of national intangible cultural heritages.

The Mid-Autumn Festival has been practiced since ancient times, with customs such as sacrificing to the moon, enjoying the moon, worshipping the moon, eating mooncakes, enjoying osmanthus flowers, and drinking osmanthus wine, which have been passed down to the present day and continue unabated. The Mid-Autumn Festival has become a colorful and precious cultural heritage, with the fullness of the moon signifying the reunion of people, in order to express the feelings of nostalgia for the hometown and relatives, and to pray for a good harvest and happiness. The Mid-Autumn Festival, together with the Dragon Boat Festival, Spring Festival and Ching Ming Festival, are known as the four major traditional festivals in China.

The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival

1, "Chang'e to the moon" legend

Chang'e to the moon, Houyi day and night miss, so let the maid in the moonlight on the table, with Chang'e's favorite fruits. Neighbors and townspeople also set up tables and fruits in their own yards to bless the beautiful and kind Chang'e.

Since then, this has been done year after year and passed down from generation to generation. Every August 15, everyone will go to the moon to worship Chang'e without fail. Since this day falls on the mid-autumn festival, people have designated this day as the Mid-Autumn Festival.

2. Originated from the ancient autumn worship of the land god

In traditional farming societies, spring sowing, summer harvesting, autumn harvesting, and winter storage were the main labor activities. The harvest of the land is of vital importance to the people who make a living from it. Therefore, people still have a deep reverence for the land. In the spring, when seeds are planted, sacrifices are made to the gods of the land to pray for a good harvest, an activity known as "spring praying".

In the fall, which is the harvesting season, sacrifices are also made to the God of the Land to thank him for his protection, which is called the "autumn reward". August 15 is the season of harvesting in the fall, and all families would worship the land god. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival may be a custom inherited from the ancient "autumn report".

3, and the ancient custom of moon festival

Spring equinox festival, the autumn equinox festival, since ancient times, the autumn equinox is the traditional "moon festival". According to historical records, as early as the Zhou Dynasty, ancient emperors had the custom of sacrificing the sun at the spring equinox, the earth at the summer solstice, the moon at the fall equinox, and the sky at the winter solstice. The current Mid-Autumn Festival evolved from the traditional Moon Sacrifice Festival.

Accurate historical data show that the original "Moon Festival" was held on the day of the "Autumn Equinox". However, because this day in the eighth month of the lunar calendar on different days every year, not always have a full moon. It would be a great shame for the festival to be held without a full moon. So, later on, the "Moon Festival" was moved to the 15th day of the 8th month every year, which gave rise to the Mid-Autumn Festival.

What are the customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival

Mid-Autumn Festival, there are eating moon cakes, drinking osmanthus wine, eating osmanthus cake, eating hairy crabs, eating duck, eating taro and other food customs.

The Mid-Autumn Festival has the custom of enjoying the moon, watching the tide, burning lanterns, guessing lantern riddles, eating mooncakes and playing with lanterns.

Mid-Autumn Festival, with the temperature gradually turning cool, everything is also with the cold and gradually depressed, at this time the temperature difference between morning and evening is large, the most important need for maintenance, should be prevented from autumn colds, pay special attention to water supplement, drink more water, eat more fruits containing gelatine and water, avoid strenuous exercise, to maintain a relaxed mood, and eat more soft and moist food, nourishing the kidneys and moistening the lungs.