Mid-Autumn Festival customs and traditions

Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in China, in which we should eat moon cakes, enjoy the moon, guess the riddles, and watch the tide ...... Here's a specific look at it!

1. moon festival (moon worship) moon festival

In our country is a very ancient custom, in fact, the ancients of the "moon god" a worship activity. In ancient times, there is the custom of "autumn and evening moon". The moon, that is, worship of the moon god. Since ancient times, in some areas of Guangdong, people have had the custom of worshipping the moon god (moon goddess, moonlight) in the evening of Mid-Autumn Festival. To pay homage to the moon, a large incense burner is set up and offerings such as mooncakes, watermelons, apples, jujubes, plums, grapes, etc. are placed on the table. 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. The moon festival is an important part of the Mid-Autumn Festival, as it expresses people's good wishes. As one of the important rituals of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon festival has continued from ancient times to the present day, gradually evolving into a folk activity of moon appreciation and moon glorification, and at the same time, it has also become the main form of modern people's longing for reunion and their wish for a better life.

2. Burning lamps on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival

There is a custom of burning lamps to help the moon. Nowadays, there are still tiles stacked on the tower in the tower of the festival custom of burning lamps. Jiangnan area has the custom of making lamp boats. In recent times, the custom of burning lamps in the Mid-Autumn Festival is even more prevalent. Zhou Yunjin and He Xiangfei said in their article "Leisurely Trying to Talk about Seasonal Events", "The most prevalent lanterns in Guangdong are made of bamboo strips ten days before the festival. The lanterns were made in the shape of fruits, birds, animals, fishes and worms, and the words 'Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival' were painted on colored paper in various colors. Mid-Autumn Festival night lights burning candles with a rope tied to a bamboo pole, erected on the eaves or terrace, or with a small lamp built into a character or various shapes, hanging high in the house, commonly known as 'tree Mid-Autumn Festival' or 'vertical Mid-Autumn Festival'. The lights hung by the rich and noble families, up to several feet high, the family gathered under the lights to drink for fun, the ordinary people are erected a flagpole, two lanterns, but also to take their own fun. The city is full of lights like a glazed world." Mid-autumn custom of burning lanterns seems to be second in scale only to the Lantern Festival.

3. Moon Festival

The custom of moon festival originated from the moon sacrifice, which was a serious ritual turned into a light-hearted entertainment. It is said that this night the moon is the closest to the earth, the moon is the largest, roundest and brightest, so from ancient times to the present day there is the custom of drinking feasts to enjoy the moon; back to her mother's home daughter-in-law is the day must return to her husband's home, in order to symbolize the perfect, auspicious meaning. Folk Mid-Autumn Moon Festival activities in the written records appeared in the Wei and Jin dynasties, but did not become a habit. To the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, play the moon is quite popular, many poets in the famous poem there are moon poems.

4. Chasing the moon so-called "chase the moon"

That is, after the 15th day of the eighth month of the Lunar Calendar, the Xing is not yet finished, so the next night, many people invited friends and relatives, continue to enjoy the moon, called "chase the moon". According to the Qing dynasty Chen Zihou "Lingnan miscellaneous notes" preface cloud: "good people in Guangdong, in the August 16th night, set family and friends to cure wine and food to enjoy the moon, called the chase moon.

"5. Tide watching

In ancient times, in addition to the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival in Zhejiang, tide watching can be regarded as another Mid-Autumn event. Mid-autumn tide-watching custom has a long history, as early as the Han Dynasty, Mei multiplied the "seven hair" fugue in a fairly detailed account. After the Han Dynasty, the custom of watching the tide in mid-autumn was even more prevalent. Ming Zhu Tinghuan "Additions to the Old Story of Wulin" and Song Wu Zimu "Dream Liang Records" also have tide watching records.

6. Guessing riddles

Mid-Autumn Moon Festival night in the public **** place hanging a lot of lanterns, people are gathered together, guessing the riddles written on the lantern body, because it is the majority of young men and women's favorite activities, but also in these activities on the love of the good story, so Mid-Autumn Guessing riddles are also derived from a man and woman in love with each other in the form of.

7. Eating moon cakes

Moon cakes, also known as moon balls, harvest cakes, palace cakes, reunion cakes, etc., are ancient Mid-Autumn offerings to worship the moon god. Mooncakes were initially used as offerings to the moon god, and then people gradually took the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival moon viewing and tasting mooncakes as a great symbol of family reunion. Mooncakes symbolize reunion, and people treat them as festive food, offering them to the moon and presenting them to friends and relatives. So far, eating mooncakes has been a necessary custom of the Mid-Autumn Festival across China, and people have to eat mooncakes on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival to show their "reunion".

8. Appreciate osmanthus flowers and drink osmanthus wine

People often eat mooncakes and appreciate osmanthus flowers on the Mid-Autumn Festival, and consume all kinds of food made of osmanthus flowers, with pastries and candies being the most common. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, looking up at the laurel in the moon, smelling the fragrance of osmanthus, drinking a cup of osmanthus honey wine, celebrating the sweetness of the whole family, has become a kind of enjoyment of the festival. In modern times, people mostly take red wine instead.

9. Vertical Mid-Autumn Festival

In some places in Guangdong, the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is a kind of interesting traditional customs, called "tree Mid-Autumn Festival". Tree is also known as vertical, that is, the meaning of the lamps and lanterns up high, so it is also called "vertical Mid-Autumn Festival". Children, with the assistance of their parents, use bamboo paper to tie up rabbit lamps, popcorn lamps or square lamps, hanging horizontally in a short pole, and then erected on a high pole, held high, the colorful light shines brightly for the Mid-Autumn Festival to add a scene. Children compete with each other to see who can erect the highest and most elaborate lanterns. At night, the city is full of lights, such as stars, and the bright moon in the sky, to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.