The origin, history and story of Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Origin and Legend of Mid-Autumn Festival

Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in China with a long history. Like other traditional festivals, it is also slowly developed. The ancient emperors had a system of offering sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. According to historical records, the word "Mid-Autumn Festival" was recorded as early as 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. Later, aristocratic scholars followed suit. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, they watch and worship the bright and round moon in the sky to express their feelings. This custom spread to the people and formed a traditional activity. Until the Tang Dynasty, people paid more attention to this custom of offering sacrifices to the moon, and the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. Emperor Taizong recorded the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15, which was very popular in the Song Dynasty. 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.

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".

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. ..... Anyone who returns to Ning with a wife will return to her husband's family one day, which is called "Reunion Festival". 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.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are fewer clouds and more fog, and the moonlight is bright and bright. In addition to a series of activities such as enjoying the moon, offering sacrifices to the moon, eating moon cakes and wishing for reunion, there are activities such as dancing grass dragons and building stupas in some places. In addition to moon cakes, all kinds of seasonal fresh fruits and dried fruits are also delicious in the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Another explanation for the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival is that the 15th day of the eighth lunar month happens to be the time when rice is ripe, and all families worship the land god. Mid-Autumn Festival may be the legacy of Qiubao.

This is also the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history, and the legends about it are also very rich. Fairy stories such as the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang cutting laurel 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 instantly ascend to heaven and become immortal. 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 sacrifice to Chang 'e who was attached to him at 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.

WU GANG, the second legend of Mid-Autumn Festival, 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 so happy that he quickly sent a message that all the soldiers should have fun with the people in the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and 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.

The Fourth Legend of Mid-Autumn Festival-Houyi Shooting the Sun

According to legend, Hou Yi and Chang 'e were both Yao people. According to the myth, during the Yao period, ten suns appeared in the sky at the same time, scorching the land and drying the crops. People are breathless and unconscious. Due to the hot weather, some strange birds and animals also ran out from the dry rivers and lakes and the fiery forests, causing harm to people everywhere.

The human disaster alarmed the gods in heaven, and the heavenly emperor Chang Jun ordered Hou Yi, who was good at archery, to come down to earth to help Yao get rid of the people's suffering. Hou Yi came to the world with a red bow, a bag of white arrows and his beautiful wife Chang 'e.

Hou Yi immediately started shooting at the sun. He took the red bow from his shoulder, took out the white arrows and shot them at his arrogant grandson one by one. In an instant, nine out of ten suns were shot. It was only because Yao thought that leaving a grandson was useful to the people that Hou Yi was prevented from continuing shooting. This is the story of the famous Houyi Shooting Day.

However, Hou Yi's great achievements were envied by other gods, who went to the Heaven Emperor to spread rumors and slander, so that the Heaven Emperor finally alienated Hou Yi and sentenced him to the world forever. After being wronged, Hou Yi and his wife Chang 'e had to live in seclusion and hunt for a living by Hou Yi.

How did Chang 'e fly to the moon? There are different versions in ancient books. According to Huai Nan Zi, Hou Yi sympathized with his wife who was exiled to the world because of her troubles, and went to the Queen Mother of the West to ask for the medicine of immortality, so that the husband and wife could live in harmony forever. However, Chang 'e is not used to living a poor life. When Hou Yi was not at home, she stole all the pills and fled to the moon. Another way of saying it is that Qu Yuan (about 340 letters? 78) According to Tian Wen, Hou Yi later cheated on Chang 'e and had an affair with Hebo's wife, which aroused Chang 'e's great dissatisfaction, so he left Hou Yi and ran to the sky. After the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, I soon regretted it. She remembered her husband's kindness to her at ordinary times and the warmth of the world. Compared with the loneliness on the moon, she felt desolate.

Regarding the death of Hou Yi, Mencius, a thinker in the Warring States period (about 372 BC? Mencius (89) and Liu An (BC 179? 22) In the book Huai Nan Zi, it is said that he was assassinated by a renegade disciple, Feng Meng. There are different records about the means of ambush, some say that they were killed with mahogany sticks, and some say that they were killed with dark arrows. In short, the hero of the earth died at the hands of a schemer.

Some legends also say that after the death of Hou Yi, the hero's soul lingered and became a ghostly Zhong Kui god. This statement has been verified by Gu Jiegang (1893- 1980), a famous historian in China, according to the records of Huainanzi and other ancient books. This statement actually reflects the infinite nostalgia of the ancient people of China for this unfortunate lost hero.

Customs of Mid-Autumn Festival in various places

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, red candles burn high, and the whole family

Yue Bai in turn, and then the housewife will cut the reunion moon cakes. If people are laid off in advance, the number of people in the whole family will be counted, including those at home and those from other places. You can't lay off more or less, but the size should be the same.

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 they all embody people's infinite love for life.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people's main activities are enjoying the moon and eating moon cakes.

Appreciate the bright full moon

Whenever the Mid-Autumn Festival comes, China has the custom of enjoying the moon since ancient times, and enjoying the moon has also become an enduring topic that people relish.

Tracing back to the origin of enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival, according to "Preface to Poems on the Moon in Chang 'an Opera", "When autumn is here, summer is in winter; August is in autumn, and the season begins and ends in Meng; Fifteen nights in the middle of the month. If you take it from the sky, it will be cold and hot, and if you take it from the number of months, it will be round. " In other words, August 15th is in the middle of August in autumn, hence the name "Mid-Autumn Festival". Why do people like to enjoy the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival? A poem says, "There is a bright moon at four o'clock, so why celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival?". Yaotai Baojian should be the supreme head of Yuyu; Release Bai Haoqian feet and scatter into space. Everything comes into my eyes, the stars avoid glory, and the wind dew helps calm down. "

From the seasonal point of view, it is the "Autumn Harvest Festival", and the grain sown in summer sowing in spring should be harvested in autumn. Since ancient times, people have been drinking and dancing in this season to celebrate the harvest with joy, which is described in China's earliest collection of poems, The Book of Songs. From the origin, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a "Moon Festival", which originated from the worship of nature by ancient humans. In the ritual system of ancient emperors, there were two festivals in the Spring and Autumn Period: the Spring Festival for the sun and the Mid-Autumn Festival for the moon. At first, the day of offering sacrifices to the moon was at the "autumnal equinox", and August was different every year, so there was not necessarily a moon at the autumnal equinox. Sacrificing the moon without it is a great spoil, and August 15 is gradually established as the day of sacrificing the moon. From the scientific observation, the inclination of the earth and the sun increases in autumn, and the warm and humid air flow over China gradually fades, while the northwest wind is still very weak. In this way, when the moisture has gone and the dust has not yet risen, the air is particularly fresh, the sky is particularly clean and the moon looks round and big, which is the best time to enjoy the moon. Just as the ancient poem said, "Bright and bright, but enjoying the mid-autumn moon in ancient and modern times, I wonder if it is moonlight?" The sky is clear. "

There is a record of "autumn twilight and the moon" in the Book of Rites, that is, worshipping 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 seasonal fruits such as moon cakes, watermelons, apples, plums and grapes, among which moon cakes and watermelons are absolutely indispensable. Watermelon must be cut into lotus shapes.

Folk Mid-Autumn Festival activities began in Wei and Jin Dynasties and flourished in Tang and Song Dynasties. In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was quite popular. According to Song and Zhu Yi's Old News, when did the Mid-Autumn Festival begin? Archaeologists began to write poems in Du Zimei. "Browsing the Tang poetry, there are indeed many Mid-Autumn Festival poems, such as Wang Jianyou's poem:" The moon is like a circle, the color is gradually condensed, and the jade basin is full of water. Let the family sleep through the night. "Xu Ning's poem said:" When the autumn moon is full in August, Chang 'e corrects fresh cassia twig; "A year is not now day and night, and I can't sleep before the Twelve Peaks."

In the Song Dynasty, the folk Mid-Autumn Festival became more prosperous. According to "Tokyo Dream", there is such a description of the grand occasion of enjoying the moon in Kyoto in the Northern Song Dynasty. "On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, your family decorated pavilions, people competed for restaurants, played on the moon and sang, and I heard it all the way. I sat together until dawn." "New Notes on Drunken Weng" records: "Children of Qingcheng people can go to the twelfth and thirteenth, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, all dressed as adults. They go upstairs or in Yue Bai in the atrium, each with its own period: men are willing to go to themoon early and climb Xiangui; Women want to look like Chang 'e and round like the bright moon. "On this day, all shops and restaurants in Beijing have to redecorate their facades, tie silk on archways and sell fresh fruits and refined food. The night market is very lively. Many people visit The Upper Terrace, and some wealthy families enjoy the moon in their pavilions and arrange food or family dinners to reunite their children.

After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the custom of enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival remains the same. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, when the moon is full, people will put moon cakes, pomelos, pomegranates, taro, walnuts, peanuts, west paws and other fruits on the courtyard and balcony, enjoy the moon and talk until the moon is in the sky, and then share the fruits for the moon, which is happy. 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. In the minority areas of China, Mid-Autumn Festival also has colorful activities, such as "Yue Bai", "Naughty Moon", "Walking Moon", "Jumping Moon" and "Stealing Moon".

The blue sky is like a wash, and the full moon is like a plate. When people enjoy the moon, they can't help but miss their relatives who have traveled abroad and lived in a foreign land. Therefore, Mid-Autumn Festival is also called "Reunion Festival". Many ancient poems expressed people's thoughts at this time. Yin Wengui, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote "The Night of August 15": "Wan Li has nine continents without clouds, and the most reunion night is the Mid-Autumn Festival." Wang Jian's poem "Looking at the bright moon and sending it to Du Lang on fifteen nights" says: "I wonder who will be in Qiu Si tonight." China people have always regarded family reunion, relatives and friends reunion, and * * * is extremely precious in enjoying family happiness, which has always been called "reunion of those who spend a good night together".

Ten places to enjoy the moon

1. Enjoy the moon in Lushan Mountain

Lushan Mountain stands on the south bank of the Yangtze River and the shore of Poyang Lake. On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, enjoying the moon in Kuanglu may be an unforgettable experience in life. Lushan Mountain is known as the "cool world" and "summer resort", and autumn is a good place to enjoy red leaves. The air on the mountain is fresh, and forests, flowers and birds, hot springs, waterfalls, cliffs and villas are all available, forming a perfect leisure resort. The mouth of Lushan Mountain is the best place to watch the sunrise, but it is also a good place to enjoy the moon. Sit down at Wang Po Pavilion. Poyang Lake is rippling with blue waves, full of fishing fires and a cool breeze. Gradually, a bright moon rises slowly from the other side of the lake, and the Mid-Autumn moonlight looks clearer and clearer on the mountain, as if it is within reach, making people want to go with the wind. Or walking in Guling town, looking up at the bright moon like a mirror, the moonlight is scattered on the ground, which looks like a layer of silver luster.

2. Huangshan invites the bright moon

The beauty of Huangshan Mountain is a colorful and pure beauty. In the south, it is still the Mid-Autumn Festival in early autumn, but Huangshan has been completely dyed. The red leaves all over the mountain set off the famous Huangshan welcoming pine more and more green. At night, Yingying Yue Ming gently climbs the treetops and peaks, and the mountain fog covers it like a veil, making it even more hazy and bright. The moon in Huangshan is so pure, and the night in Huangshan is so quiet. At this time, whether walking on the mountain road or enjoying the moon in the mountains, you will involuntarily indulge in this silver world.

3. Three Gorges Sunny Moon

The world-famous Three Gorges of the Yangtze River is magnificent. This canyon is full of mountains and rocks. At night, there is a bright moon on the river, listening to the turbulent Jiang Tao and watching the night view of the distant mountains. The Three Gorges in the night has unique scenery. Influenced by the slogan "Farewell to the Three Gorges Tour" before the closure of the Yangtze River, many tourists mistakenly thought that the water level of the Yangtze River would rise, the scenic spots would be submerged and the Three Gorges could not swim. In fact, after the closure of the Three Gorges, the scenic spots are not only as beautiful as before, but also add the magnificent landscape of the Three Gorges Dam, the largest water conservancy control project in the world. On the moonlit night, it is a great pleasure to have tea and talk with friends on the grand viewing deck of a luxury cruise ship.

4. Moon-watching Tour in West Lake

The beauty of West Lake in Hangzhou is world-famous. On the moonlit night of Mid-Autumn Festival, boating on the lake, you can appreciate the poetic artistic conception of "smoke cage, autumn water and moon cage yarn". Santan Yin Yue is one of the three islands in the West Lake, and it has also been a scenic spot for enjoying the moon since ancient times. Three stone pagodas stand gracefully on the sparkling lake. Every moonlit night, especially the Mid-Autumn Festival, candles are lit in the tower, the hole is covered with tissue paper, and the light comes out from it, just like the small moon reflected in the lake. The bright moon is in the sky, moonlight, lights and lake light complement each other, and the moon shadow, tower shadow and cloud shadow converge into a "golden lake that wants to dissolve autumn colors".

5. Stone lake hits the moon

Shihu, nine kilometers southwest of Suzhou City. There is a nine-ring cave bridge in the east of Shihu Lake, also called Xingchun Bridge, which is the best place to enjoy the moon in Shihu Lake. On the night of the seventeenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is westward, the clear light passes through nine round holes and directly hits the northern water surface. At this time, the microwave is sparkling, and the shadow of a string of moons can be seen on the surface of Shihu Lake, which is the wonder of "Shihu String Moon". In these two or three days, the lights and boats in the Shihu Lake shuttled like a shuttle, and the songs of the silk and bamboo strings lasted all night. Yamanoe, under the tower, has a bright moon in the sky, clear skies in Wan Li and clear lakes and Shan Lan.

6. Xiangshan in jathyapple

In Xiangshan, Guilin, Guangxi. There is a hidden moon hole between the trunk and the trunk, through which the river passes. On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, take a boat to the upper reaches of the river and drive into Shuiyue Cave, and you will see "there is a bright moon underwater, and the bright moon floats on the water; Water does not go to the moon, and the moon does not go backwards.

7. The sound of oars and lights shadow the moon in the water town

In Zhejiang, not only the autumn moon in the West Lake, but also the moon in Shaoxing water town is touching. Shaoxing is an ancient city, with winding rivers criss-crossing, stone bridges and hotels. Its water, scenery, calligraphy, yellow wine and moonlight are all intoxicating. The moonlit night in the water town is as smart and elegant as an ink painting. The ferryman sat on Shaoxing's unique Wu Peng boat, paddling his feet at the stern, as if riding a bicycle, tasting rice wine and fennel beans. The faint moonlight flows along the paddle sound of Inai, and the light and shadow reflected in the water in the small building with white walls and blue tiles on the river surface is like a dream, which makes people wonder about the moon and read the plot of the water carefully. In Shaoxing, you can visit Lu Xun's former residence, Baicao Garden, San Tan Yin Yue, Lanting, Ji Shan and Jianshui, which are picturesque and contain culture, each with its own flavor. Ningbo, not far from Shaoxing, has the tradition of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in August 16. Looking at the moon every day, the moonlight is like this year after year. I don't know who it is for. Fenghua Xikou is surrounded by mountains and waters, beautiful and quiet. From Ningbo by boat to Putuo Mountain, a Buddhist country in Haitian, you can see the spectacular sight of the bright moon on the sea. Watching the moon in the tide has a special taste.

8. Emei Mountain holds autumn for half a month.

Emei Mountain, known as "Emei is the best in the world", is one of the four famous Buddhist mountains in China, and is named after its peaks. The whole mountain is more than 200 kilometers long and the main peak of Wanfo Peak is 3099 meters above sea level. It is magnificent and beautiful, with many temples on the mountain, dense shade and misty clouds. Twenty-four ancient temples have their own characteristics. Looking at the moon in the middle of the mountain, the peak is like Emei, and the moon is like a golden plate, which is quiet and strange. Looking at the pool and the autumn moon, the waves are full of shadows, the water is used to wash jade, and the waves are used to find pearls. White water and autumn wind, the sacred midnight bell, the fragrance of Shuangqiao, and the beautiful scenery of Lingyan are one after another, which makes people think. In particular, Jinding's "four wonders of Emei"-sunrise, sea of clouds, Buddha's light, holy lamp and Emei monkeys visible along the way are even more interesting. When you get off Mount Emei, you can visit Leshan Giant Buddha, Pingqiang Three Gorges, 23 kilometers north of Leshan, and the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, and feel the magnificence of the Three Gorges "under the bright moon, leaves fall like waterfalls, and I see the long river rolling in".

Dongting Lake was cleared in two months.

The grass in Dongting is near the Mid-Autumn Festival, and there is no wind at all. Endless reeds are swaying on the golden lake. The smoke from the eight hundred-mile Dongting is swaying the blue sky, and the Ye Zhou is setting the sun. 1700 years of wind and rain did not make Yueyang Tower old. It climbed the stairs every day, and the water disappeared with the days. When you go upstairs at night, you can see the shadows of the bright moon and the Ming River, which are very clear inside and outside. The Eight Meanings of Xiaoxiang can be seen in Autumn Moon in Dongting, Returning to Sail from Far Pu and Sunset in Fishing Village. Junshan, a small island in the lake, has many places of interest, including ChristianRandPhillips Temple, Liuyi Well, Chuanshu Pavilion, etc. Bambusa bambusa, Lilian Bamboo and other bamboos are dancing. If you have enough time, you can go to Changsha, a 3-hour drive, visit Yuelu Mountain and Yuelu Academy, and see if the kumquat in Orange Island is ripe. The moonlight on the ancient wall of Tianxin Pavilion has a quaint and desolate taste.

10. The boundless moon is silent.

The beautiful prairie south of Lanzhou, Gansu runs through seven provinces and cities including Xiahe, Luqu, Maqu and Hezuo. Although autumn here is not as beautiful as summer, Gesang flowers, incense sticks, chrysanthemums and dandelions are dotted with colors, creating the artistic conception of flowers everywhere in Gannan. Grassland is closely related to mountains, rivers and lakes. In the process of embellishing the ancient temples of Tibetan Buddhism, some mystery and temptation have been added. Xiahe is the first stop of the trip to Gannan. Known as "Little Tibet", it has the largest collection of Tibetan Buddhism in the world-Labrang Temple in gelug sect monasteries. Mulberry grassland, Gesanghua grassland, one after another. The grassland in Maqu is also beautiful, and the Yellow River in Maqu is spectacular. The Yellow River flows through here and turns suddenly, forming the first beautiful landscape of "the Yellow River with nine bends and eighteen bays in the world". In autumn night, half a moon climbs down, and the moonlight shines on the continuous peaks on the bank of the Yellow River. The breeze blows gently, and the grassland becomes quieter and quieter. Even the sheepdogs can't hear it, as if everything is asleep. Under the bright moon, the Yellow River is clean and quiet, with shyness; The grassland under the moon is more empty. The complex between the sky and the wilderness is condensed in the grassland moonlight on the horizon. There are many temples in Luqu langmusi. The temple is set in a lush valley, resplendent and magnificent. Buddha's mansion, monk's room and folk houses are all wooden-topped stone walls with different customs. The scenery of blue sky and white mountains, green grass and green water is like that of Switzerland.

Eat moon cakes

People in urban and rural areas of China have the custom of eating moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival. As the saying goes, "August 15th is full, and Mid-Autumn moon cakes are sweet and fragrant". Moon cakes were originally used to worship the moon god. The word "moon cake" first appeared in Liang Lumeng written by Wu in the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, it was just a cake-shaped food like Ling Hua cake. Later, people gradually combined the Mid-Autumn Festival with tasting moon cakes, which symbolized family reunion.

Mooncakes were originally made at home, and the practice of mooncakes was recorded in Yuan Mei's Menu with the Garden in the Qing Dynasty. In modern times, there are workshops specializing in making moon cakes, and the production of moon cakes is becoming more and more elaborate, with exquisite fillings and beautiful appearance. There are also various exquisite designs printed on the outside of the moon cakes, such as "the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon", "jathyapple of the Galaxy" and "Three Tans Reflecting the Moon". It has become the wish of people all over the world to show people's reunion with a full moon, to show people's eternal life with a round moon cake, to pin their thoughts on their relatives in their hometown and to pray for a bumper harvest and happiness. Moon cakes are also used as gifts to send to relatives and friends and to connect feelings.

Other Mid-Autumn Festival customs

China has a vast territory, a large population and different customs. The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in a variety of ways, with strong local characteristics.

In Pucheng, Fujian, women have to cross nanpu bridge to live longer during the Mid-Autumn Festival. In Jianning, hanging lanterns on Mid-Autumn Festival night is a good omen to ask the Moon Palace for children. People in Shanghang County celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, and most of their children are invited to visit their parents when they are in Yue Bai. When Longyan people eat moon cakes, their parents will dig out round cakes with a diameter of two or three inches in the middle for their elders to eat, which means that they can't tell the secret to the younger generation. This custom stems from the legend that moon cakes contain the message of anti-meta-killing. Before the Mid-Autumn Festival in Kinmen, Yue Bai should worship God.

There is a custom of Mid-Autumn Festival Yue Bai in Chaoshan, Guangdong, which is mainly aimed at women and children. As the saying goes, "men are dissatisfied with the moon, and women don't sacrifice stoves." At night, when the bright moon rises, women set up a box in the yard and balcony to pray. Silver candles burned high, cigarettes filled the air, and the table was filled with good fruits and cakes as sacrifices. There is also the custom of eating taro in the Mid-Autumn Festival. There is a saying in Chaoshan: "River to mouth, taro to eat." August is the harvest season of taro, and farmers are used to using taro to worship their ancestors. Of course, this has something to do with farming, but there is also a popular folk legend: 1279, Mongolian nobles destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty, established the Yuan Dynasty, and brutally ruled the Han people. Mafa defended Chaozhou against the Yuan Dynasty. After the city was broken, the people were slaughtered. In order not to forget the suffering of Hu people's rule, later generations used taro as a homonym with "Hu tou", which looked like a human head, in order to pay homage to their ancestors and pass it on from generation to generation, and it still exists today.

Burning towers on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival is also very popular in some places. The height of the tower varies from 1-3 meters, mostly made of broken tiles. The tower is also made of bricks, accounting for about 1/4 of the tower height, and then stacked with tiles, leaving a tower mouth at the top for fuel transportation. On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, it will be lit and burned. The fuel is wood, bamboo, chaff, etc. When the fire is booming, rosin powder will be poured to cheer, which is very spectacular. There are also folk rules for burning stupas. Whoever burns the stupa to the whole house wins, and those who fail or collapse in the burning process lose. The winner will be presented with colorful flags, bonuses or prizes by the host. It is said that burning towers is also the origin of Han people's resistance to cruel rulers and Mid-Autumn Uprising at the end of Yuan Dynasty.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the folk customs in Jiangnan are also varied. Nanjing people love to eat moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival, so they must eat osmanthus duck, a famous Jinling dish. "Sweet-scented osmanthus duck" should be listed in Gui Xiang. It is fat but not greasy and delicious. After drinking, you must eat a small piece of sugar taro and pour cinnamon pulp on it. Beauty speaks for itself. "Guijiang" was named after Qu Yuan's "Helping the North to close its doors and drink Guijiang" in Chu Ci Shao Si Ming. Cinnamon pulp is a kind of sweet-scented osmanthus, which is picked around the Mid-Autumn Festival and pickled with sugar and sour plum. Jiangnan women are good at turning poems and songs into delicacies on the table. People in Nanjing enjoy the moon with their families, which is called "celebrating reunion", the group sitting and drinking is called "full moon", and the market trip is called "walking on the moon".

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, there were Moon Tower and Moon Bridge in Nanjing. In the Qing Dynasty, there was a moon-watching building under Lion Mountain, all of which were for people to enjoy the moon, and most people played the Moon Bridge. When the bright moon is high, people go to the Moon Tower to play the Moon Bridge, so as to enjoy watching the Jade Rabbit. "Xiyue Bridge" is located in the Confucius Temple on Qinhuai River, next to the mansion of Ma Xianglan, a famous prostitute. On this night, the literati gathered on the bridge to play the flute, sing songs and reminisce about Niuzhu playing with the moon and writing poems for the moon, so it was called playing with the moon bridge. After the death of the Ming Dynasty, it gradually declined. Later generations have a poem saying: "The romantic Southern Song Dynasty has been exhausted, leaving the west wind to be a long Banqiao, but remember to take the Yuren Bridge and teach the flute under the moon." Longbanqiao, the original Moon Bridge. In recent years, the Confucius Temple in Nanjing has been renovated, some pavilions and pavilions in the Ming and Qing Dynasties have been restored, and the rivers have been dredged. Until the Mid-Autumn Festival, you can enjoy playing with the moon together.

In Wuxi County, Jiangsu Province, incense is burned on Mid-Autumn Festival night. Yarn is stuck around the incense barrel.