What is the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival?

Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival are collectively called the four traditional festivals in China. The Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month is a traditional festival in China. It is also called Mid-Autumn Festival, Daughter's Day and Reunion Festival among the people. It is a traditional festival popular in many nationalities and countries in the cultural circle of Chinese characters. So do you know the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival? Let's take a look at it ~

The origin of the Mid-Autumn festival

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. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there were records of "Niu Xiao in Yushangshu Town, Mid-Autumn Festival and Panjiang in Zuoyouweifu". It was not until the early Tang Dynasty that Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed solar term. According to the records of Emperor Taizong, the Mid-Autumn Festival is on August 15. It was not until the Northern Song Dynasty that August 15 was officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival.

According to the China calendar, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is in the second month of autumn, which is called the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the fifteenth day of August is in the Mid-Autumn Festival, so it is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition, there are many names for Mid-Autumn Festival, such as "August Festival" and "August and a half"; Because the activities of Mid-Autumn Festival are mainly around the "Moon", it is also commonly known as "Moon Festival" and "Moonlit Night". The moon on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month is particularly round, symbolizing reunion, so it is also called "Reunion Festival". In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was also called "correcting the moon".

The origin of the "Reunion Festival" was first recorded in the Ming Dynasty's "Journey to the West Lake": "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 is sacrificed, cakes are round, melons are deformed, and lotus flowers are carved in petals ... Those who live a quiet life will go home on this day, which is also called the Reunion Festival".

On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, there is a folk custom of flipping "reunion" cakes in most parts of China, that is, flipping a small cake that symbolizes reunion and looks like a moon cake, and wrapping it with sugar, sesame, osmanthus and vegetables. In the cake, the shape is smaller than the moon, osmanthus tree, rabbit and other patterns. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the elders will divide the cake into pieces according to the number of people, one for each person. If someone is not at home, they will also leave a copy for them to show their family reunion.

Another way of saying about the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival is: Because the 15th day of the eighth lunar month is when the rice is ripe, people have to worship the land god in order to thank him, so it is a sacrificial activity. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival may be the heritage of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Mid-Autumn Festival is also a relic of ancient celestial worship-the custom of worshipping the moon. According to Li Zhou Guan Chun, there have been activities in the Zhou Dynasty, such as "welcoming the cold in the mid-autumn night, offering robes in the mid-autumn festival" and "the autumn equinox". In the Han Dynasty, there was a Mid-Autumn Festival or beginning of autumn to respect and take care of the elderly and give them rough cakes. This point is vividly reflected in the picture of the old-age care and the picture of the moon god in the Han Dynasty portrait bricks.

The custom of Mid-Autumn festival

1, sacrifice to the moon

In ancient China, there was a custom of "Autumn Evening and Twilight Moon", that is, to worship the moon god. On the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, every household will set up a fragrant table to offer sacrifices such as moon cakes, apples, peanuts, watermelons and pomegranates. Among them, all kinds of moon cakes and watermelons are absolutely indispensable. Watermelon needs to be cut into lotus shapes. Under the moon, the moon statue is placed in the direction where the moon comes out, and then red candles and high incense are lit. Under the leadership of the elders, the whole family will worship the moon god in turn, and then the housewife will cut up the reunion moon cake.

Housewives must cut moon cakes according to the number of families in advance. Those at home and those who are not at home should be counted together. When cutting, you can't cut more and less, and the size and shape should be the same. After that, the housewife will distribute it to the family present, first the elders and then the younger generation, and those who go out will keep a copy. This symbolizes family reunion and happiness.

Step 2 eat moon cakes

Mooncake is one of the traditional Chinese cakes with a long history. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, every household should prepare moon cakes. The festival custom of eating moon cakes has a history of thousands of years. Moon cakes are round and shared by the whole family. After eating moon cakes, the whole family is happy, symbolizing family reunion, neighborhood harmony and everyone living in harmony.

In ancient China, mooncakes were eaten as sacrifices during the Mid-Autumn Festival. According to Luo Zhong's records, Tang Xizong ate moon cakes on the Mid-Autumn Festival and found them delicious. He ordered the chef to wrap moon cakes in HongLing and give them to the new scholars. This is the earliest historical record of moon cakes we have seen. In the Song Dynasty, it was called "Lotus Leaf", "Golden Flower" and "Hibiscus", and its production method was more exquisite. Su Dongpo, a great writer and poet, praised in his poem that "small cakes are like chewing the moon, with crispy inside and stuffing outside". Crisp is crispy, the filling is sugar, and the taste is sweet, crisp, fragrant and beautiful.

Step 3 enjoy the moon

There was a Mid-Autumn Festival in Wei and Jin Dynasties, but it was not common. It was not until the Tang Dynasty that the Mid-Autumn Festival was combined with fairy tales such as the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang cutting laurel, Jade Rabbit smashing medicine, Yang Guifei becoming the "Moon God" and Tang Dynasty's visit to the Moon Palace, which made it full of romance and the wind of playing with the moon flourished. A large number of poems about the moon appeared in the famous works of poets in the Tang Dynasty. However, unlike the Tang Dynasty, appreciating the moon in the Song Dynasty is more about feeling things and hurting people. It is often compared with human feelings, that is, the moon is clear on the Mid-Autumn Festival night, and it is difficult to hide the sadness of the Song people.

For the Song people, the Mid-Autumn Festival has another meaning, that is, a secular and joyful festival: "Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, new wines were laid, your home was decorated with pavilions and pavilions, and the people competed for food and played with the moon, listening to music thousands of miles away and sitting happily until dawn." The Mid-Autumn Festival night in the Song Dynasty was still a sleepless night. The night market is open all night, and there are endless tourists playing with the moon. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people miss their relatives and hometown while enjoying the moon, and this custom has continued to this day. Moon-watching activities were more popular in Ming and Qing dynasties, and fruit cakes were bound to be round. Every household should set up "Moonlight Position" and "Yue Bai" in the direction of the moon. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the activities of enjoying the moon by the court and the people had reached a certain scale. Every year, the court and the people will hold activities to enjoy the moon. The serious sacrifice, which began with the sacrifice of the moon, has evolved into a relaxed and happy festival.

Mid-Autumn Festival is a beautiful day for China people to have a family reunion. On this day every year, no matter how busy a wanderer is, he should go home to get together with his parents, relatives and friends and have a good drink. This is the true meaning of Mid-Autumn Festival.