The Traditional Origin of Mid-Autumn Festival

There are many theories about the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival. The word Mid-Autumn Festival first appeared in Zhou Li.

1 The Book of Rites and the Moon Order says: "Mid-autumn moon nurtures aging, and Mid-autumn porridge diet." One theory originated from the sacrificial activities of ancient emperors. It is recorded in the Book of Rites that "the sun rises in spring and the moon sets in autumn", and the moon is a sacrifice to the moon, indicating that as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, emperors began to offer sacrifices to the moon and Yue Bai.

Later, aristocratic officials and scholars followed suit and gradually spread to the people.

August 15th of the lunar calendar is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival every year. This is the middle of autumn, so it is called 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".