Yang Cibin of Emei No.7 Middle School: What is the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional festival in China?

Introduction of the Mid-Autumn festival

August 15th of the lunar calendar is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival. This is the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. In China's lunar calendar, a year is divided into four seasons, and each season is divided into three parts: Meng, Zhong and Ji, so the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon on August 15 is rounder and brighter than the full moon in other months, so it is also called "moonlit night" and "August Festival". On this night, people look up at the bright moon like jade in the sky and naturally look forward to family reunion. Wanderers who are far away from home also take this opportunity to pin their thoughts on their relatives in their hometown. Therefore, Mid-Autumn Festival is also called "Reunion Festival".

In ancient China, there was a custom of "autumn and dusk". The moon at night 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. Put a big incense table, with offerings such as moon cakes, watermelons, apples, red dates, plums and grapes, among which moon cakes and watermelons are absolutely indispensable. Watermelon must be cut into lotus shapes. Under the moon, put the moon statue in the direction of the moon, and the red candle burns high. The whole family takes turns in Yue Bai, and then the housewife cuts the reunion moon cakes. The person who cuts the moon cakes has calculated in advance how many people in the whole family, how many people in the family and how many people in other places should be counted together. They can't cut more or less, they have to be the same size.

According to legend, the ugly women in ancient Qi had no salt. When she was young, she was very devout to Yue Bai. When she grew up, she entered the palace with superior moral character, but she was not loved. Seeing the moon on August 15th, the son of heaven saw her in the moonlight and thought she was beautiful and outstanding. Later, he made her queen, and Yue Bai came from the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the middle of the moon, Chang 'e is famous for its beauty, so Yue Bai, a young girl, wants to be "like Chang 'e and have a bright moon".

In the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. During the Northern Song Dynasty. On the evening of August 15, people in the whole city, rich and poor, old and young, put on adult clothes and burned incense to express their wishes to Yue Bai and pray for the blessing of the moon god. In the Southern Song Dynasty, people gave mooncakes to each other, which meant reunion. There are activities in some places, such as dancing grass dragons and building pagodas. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival has become more popular. Many places have formed special customs such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting tower lanterns, putting sky lanterns, walking on the moon and dancing dragons.

Nowadays, the custom of playing under the moon is far less popular than in the old days. However, feasting and enjoying the moon are still very popular. People drink alcohol in the middle of the moon to celebrate a better life, or wish their distant relatives health and happiness and spend a good time with their families.

There are many customs and forms of Mid-Autumn Festival, but all of them are entrusted with people's infinite love for life and yearning for a better life.

Origin and legend

Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history. Like other traditional festivals, it develops slowly. The ancient emperors had a system of offering sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. As early as in Zhou Li, the word "Mid-Autumn Festival" was recorded. Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in China. According to historical records, the word "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the book Zhou Li. In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was a record of "telling Shangshu Town about the cow's confusion, crossing the river in mid-autumn, and traveling incognito around". It was not until the early years of the Tang Dynasty that the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. The Book of Emperor Taizong recorded the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15. The prevalence of Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Song Dynasty, and it became one of the major festivals in China in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This is also the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival.

According to the China calendar, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is in the middle of autumn, and the second month of autumn is called "Mid-Autumn Festival", and August 15th is in the middle of it, so it is called "Mid-Autumn Festival". Mid-Autumn Festival has many nicknames: it is called "August Festival" and "August and a half" because it falls on August 15th; Because the main activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival are all around the moon, it is also commonly known as the "Moon Festival" and "Moon Festival". The full moon in Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes reunion, so it is also called "Reunion Festival". In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was also called "correcting the moon". The record of "Reunion Festival" was first seen in the Ming Dynasty. "Journey to 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. ..... married, mothering, back to my in-laws home, say "reunion festival"? quot。 On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, there is a custom of "reunion" in most parts of our country, that is, flipping a small cake symbolizing reunion, which is similar to a moon cake. The cake contains sugar, sesame, sweet-scented osmanthus and vegetables, and the moon, sweet-scented osmanthus tree and rabbit are pressed outside. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the elders at home will divide the cake into pieces according to the number of people, and each person will have one. If someone is not at home, leave one for them to show family reunion.

Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the ancient custom of worshipping autumn in China and Yue Bai. The Book of Rites states that the son of heaven is in spring, and the sun and moon are in autumn. The Asahi is facing the DPRK, and the evening is in the evening. " "Moon at night" here means Yue Bai. It was formed in the Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, the custom of enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival became popular and was designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Ouyang Zhan (785-827 AD) said in Preface to Poems on the Moon in Chang 'an Opera: "August is in autumn. The beginning and end of the season; At night, the moon is in the clouds. Take it from the sky, it will be cold and hot, and take it from the number of months, it will be round, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. "

The Mid-Autumn Festival reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. "Tokyo Dream" records: "On the Mid-Autumn Festival night, nobles decorate pavilions and people compete for restaurants to play the moon." On this day, all restaurants in Tokyo will redecorate their facades, erect silk arches and sell newly opened good wine. The shops are full of fresh fruits, and the night market is very lively, which is rare in a year. Dignitaries, rich people, pavilions and moonshine, harps and harps are sonorous. Ordinary citizens scrambled to occupy the restaurant in order to see the moonlight first and arrange a family dinner for their children to reunite. "Hundreds of thousands of' Little Red' sheepskin ice lanterns were released in Zhejiang tonight, floating all over the water like stars" (see Legend of the Old Wulin). And "Shi Jing Moon Appreciation Fair" are different from other countries. Children in the city can go to No.12 Middle School or No.13 Middle School by themselves, regardless of the rich and the poor. They are all dressed as adults, and they have their own time when they go upstairs or in Yue Bai in the atrium: men are willing to go to themoon early and climb the fairy laurel. Women want to look like Chang 'e and round like the moon. "(see" new theory of drunkenness ")

Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people have paid more attention to the Mid-Autumn Festival. "Journey to the West, Knowing Your Encounters and Happiness in the Morning" says: "People take moon cakes as their legacy and take the meaning of reunion. In the evening, people hold a feast to enjoy the moon. On the top of Su Causeway, singing together is no different from daytime. "

Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Mid-Autumn Festival, Reunion Festival, August Festival and so on. It is a traditional festival of Han nationality and most ethnic minorities in China, and it is also popular in neighboring countries such as North Korea, Japan and Vietnam. Because autumn (referring to the lunar calendar) is in July, August and September, August is in the middle of the year, and August 30th is in the middle of the year, it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. So there are more people in the sky than family reunion at night, so it is also called reunion festival.

Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the ancient custom of worshipping autumn in China and Yue Bai. The Book of Rites states that the son of heaven is in spring, and the sun and moon are in autumn. The Asahi is facing the DPRK, and the evening is in the evening. " "Moon at night" here means Yue Bai. It was formed in the Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, the custom of enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival became popular and was designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Ouyang Zhan (785-827 AD) said in Preface to Poems on the Moon in Chang 'an Opera: "August is in autumn. The beginning and end of the season; At night, the moon is in the clouds. Take it from the sky, it will be cold and hot, and take it from the number of months, it will be round, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. "

The Mid-Autumn Festival reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. "Tokyo Dream" records: "On the Mid-Autumn Festival night, nobles decorate pavilions and people compete for restaurants to play the moon." On this day, all restaurants in Tokyo will redecorate their facades, erect silk arches and sell newly opened good wine. The shops are full of fresh fruits, and the night market is very lively, which is rare in a year. Dignitaries, rich people, pavilions and moonshine, harps and harps are sonorous. Ordinary citizens scrambled to occupy the restaurant in order to see the moonlight first and arrange a family dinner for their children to reunite. "Hundreds of thousands of' Little Red' sheepskin ice lanterns were released in Zhejiang tonight, floating all over the water like stars" (see Legend of the Old Wulin). And "Shi Jing Moon Appreciation Fair" are different from other countries. Children in the city can go to No.12 Middle School or No.13 Middle School by themselves, regardless of the rich and the poor. They are all dressed as adults, and they have their own time when they go upstairs or in Yue Bai in the atrium: men are willing to go to themoon early and climb the fairy laurel. Women want to look like Chang 'e and round like the moon. "(see" new theory of drunkenness ")

Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people have paid more attention to the Mid-Autumn Festival. "Journey to the West, Knowing Your Encounters and Happiness in the Morning" says: "People take moon cakes as their legacy and take the meaning of reunion. In the evening, people hold a feast to enjoy the moon. On the top of Su Causeway, singing together is no different from daytime. "

Mid-Autumn Festival, Lantern Festival and Dragon Boat Festival are also called the three traditional festivals in China. Investigating the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is closely related to myths and legends such as "the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon", "Wu Gang cutting Guangxi" and "Jade Rabbit smashing medicine". Therefore, the folk customs of Mid-Autumn Festival are mostly related to the moon. Watching the moon, Yue Bai and eating reunion moon cakes all originated from this.

Lantern Festival and Dragon Boat Festival are called the three traditional festivals in China. Investigating the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is closely related to myths and legends such as "the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon", "Wu Gang cutting Guangxi" and "Jade Rabbit smashing medicine". Therefore, the folk customs of Mid-Autumn Festival are mostly related to the moon. Watching the moon, Yue Bai and eating reunion moon cakes all originated from this.

The legend of Mid-Autumn Festival is very rich, and fairy tales such as the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang cutting Guangxi and Jade Rabbit smashing medicine are widely circulated.

One of the legends of Mid-Autumn Festival-[the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon]

According to legend, in ancient times, there were ten days in the sky at the same time, the crops died in the sun and the people were poor. A hero named Hou Yi has infinite power. He sympathized with the suffering people, climbed to the top of Kunlun Mountain, made full use of his divine power, drew his bow, shot down more than nine suns in one breath, and ordered the last one to rise and fall on time for the benefit of the people.

Hou Yi was respected and loved by the people. He married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang 'e. Besides hunting, Hou Yi spends all his time with his wife, and people envy this beautiful and loving couple.

Many people with lofty ideals came here to study as teachers, and Meng Peng with ulterior motives joined in.

One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek truth. He happened to meet the Queen Mother passing by and asked her for a bag of elixir. It is said that taking this medicine can immediately ascend to heaven. However, Hou Yi was reluctant to leave his wife, so he had to temporarily give the elixir to Chang 'e. Chang 'e hid the medicine in the dresser's treasure chest, but the villain Meng Peng saw it. He wants to steal the elixir to make himself immortal.

Three days later, Hou Yi led his entourage out hunting, while Meng Peng with ulterior motives pretended to be ill. Shortly after Hou Yi led the crowd to leave, Meng Peng broke into the backyard of the back room with a sword in his hand, threatening Chang 'e to hand over the elixir. Chang 'e knew that she was no match for Meng Peng. In times of crisis, she made a decisive decision, turned around and opened the treasure chest, took out the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp. Chang 'e swallowed the medicine and immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window and flew into the sky. Because Chang 'e was worried about her husband, she flew to the nearest moon and became a fairy.

In the evening, when Hou Yi came home, the maids cried and told what happened during the day. Hou Yi was surprised and angry, and drew his sword to kill the villain. Meng Peng escaped early. Angry and heartbroken, Hou Yi looked up at the night sky and shouted the name of his beloved wife. At this time, he was surprised to find that today's moon is exceptionally bright and bright. There is a swaying figure resembling Chang 'e. He chased the moon desperately, but he chased it three times, the moon retreated three times, he retreated three times, and the moon advanced three times. He couldn't catch up anyway.

Hou Yi had no choice but to miss his wife, so he had to send someone to Chang 'e's favorite back garden, put on a table sweetmeats, put on her favorite honey and fresh fruit, and offer a remote sacrifice to Chang 'e who was attached to him in the moon palace. After hearing the news that the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon became an immortal, people made an incense table under the moon and prayed for good luck and peace to the kind Chang 'e.

Since then, the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival in Yue Bai has spread among the people.

The second legend of Mid-Autumn Festival-[WU GANG won the laurel]

There is also a legend about the Mid-Autumn Festival: It is said that osmanthus trees in front of Guanghan Palace on the moon are flourishing, reaching more than 500 feet. There is a man who often cuts down, but every time he finishes cutting, the cut place closes immediately. For thousands of years, this laurel tree can never be cut down. It is said that this tree-chopping man named WU GANG, a native of Xihe in Han Dynasty, once went to heaven with the immortal, but when he made a mistake, the immortal banished him to the Moon Palace and did this kind of hard work in vain every day as a punishment. In Li Bai's poems, there is a record that "if you want to be in the middle of the month, you will pay for the cold."

Legend of Mid-Autumn Festival III-[Zhu Yuanzhang and Moon Cake Uprising]

It is said that eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the broad masses of the people in the Central Plains could not bear the cruel rule of the ruling class in the Yuan Dynasty and rose up against the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang joined forces with various resistance forces to prepare for the uprising. However, the officers and men of the imperial court searched very closely, and it was very difficult to pass on the news. Liu Bowen, a military strategist, came up with a plan and ordered his men to hide a note with the words "Uprising on the 15th of August" in the cake, and then sent people to the uprising troops in different places to inform them to respond to the uprising on the 15th of August. On the day of the uprising, all the rebels responded together, such as a single spark can start a prairie fire.

Soon, Xu Da captured the Yuan Dynasty and the uprising was successful. When the news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed and quickly sent a message saying that all the soldiers should have fun with the people in the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, and they should give the "moon cakes" secretly sent at the time of the war as seasonal cakes to the ministers. Since then, the production of "moon cakes" has become more and more elaborate, and there are more and more varieties, such as dishes, which have also become good gifts. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the custom of eating moon cakes spread among the people.