How to worship the moon at Mid-Autumn Festival

As follows:

Worshiping the moon is a very ancient custom in our country, which actually originated from a worship activity of the ancient people in some places of China to the "moon god".

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a remnant of the ancient custom of honoring the moon, and moon worship, as one of the important rituals of the Mid-Autumn Festival, has continued from ancient times, gradually evolved into folk activities of moon worship and moon appreciation, and has become the main form of modern people's longing for reunion, and the main form of their hopes for a better life.

Customs:

The 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in China, which is also the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival. August 15 is exactly in the middle of the fall, so it is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. China's ancient calendar in the middle of the fall in August, called "mid-autumn", so the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called "Mid-Autumn Festival".

The night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon is bright, the ancients regarded the full moon as a symbol of reunion, therefore, also known as the 15th of August for the "reunion festival". Throughout history, people often use the "full moon, the moon" to describe the "sadness and happiness", living away from home, but also to the moon to send deep feelings. Since ancient times, in some areas of Guangdong, people have the custom of paying homage to the moon god (moon goddess, moonlight) on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival.

To pay homage to the moon, a large incense burner is set up with offerings such as mooncakes, watermelons, apples, jujubes, plums and grapes. Under the moon, the "moon god" tablet is placed in the direction of the moon, red candles are lit, and the whole family pays homage to the moon in turn, praying for blessings. There is also a custom to worship the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival, but it is a women's affair, so-called "men don't worship the moon, women don't worship the stove".

In Zhenghe, the Mid-Autumn Festival night, the woman set up incense set moon cakes, fruits and so on, the unmarried more on the case in front of the worship, said "moon worship". Liancheng folk called the moon god as "moonlight mom", the custom of moon worship when enjoying the moon. Zhangzhou, Shanghang and other places call it "inviting the moon goddess". The custom in Shanghang is even more strange. When inviting the moon god, a small basket is placed on a plate, and it is said that when the moon god descends, the basket will rise automatically, and there is a sound of pecking, so the woman counts the number in order to divine the calamity.

In Jianning, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, some women asked the moon for luck or misfortune, commonly known as the "wooden ladle god". In the area of Taining and Yongding, women not only ask for the moon, but also wait for the moon. "Waiting for the moon", also known as "to be the moon", folk legend has it that on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chang'e thought twice about the earth, and then scattered some of the treasures in the Moon Palace, and whoever could pick them up would be able to get happiness. This custom in the Fuzhou area, Putian, Xianyou area also have.