What are the origins and customs of China's traditional festival Mid-Autumn Festival?

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a night when the moon is bright and clear, and the ancients regarded the full moon as a symbol of reunion, and therefore called the fifteenth day of the eighth month the "Festival of Reunion". Throughout history, people often use "full moon", "moon" to describe "sadness and happiness", living away from home, more

The moon to send deep feelings. The Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai's "raising his head to look at the bright moon, lowering his head to think of his hometown", Du Fu's "the dew is white from tonight, the moon is the hometown bright", and the Song Dynasty poet Wang Anshi's "the spring breeze is green again on the banks of the south of the Yangtze River, when will the bright moon shine on me back" are all poems. The moon is bright in the hometown", Wang Anshi in Song Dynasty, "The spring breeze is green again on the south bank of the river, when will the bright moon shine on me back" and other poems, all of which have been sung for ages.

Mid-Autumn Festival Customs

The Mid-Autumn Festival is an ancient festival, and moon worship and moon viewing are important customs of the festival. Ancient emperors had the social system of sacrificing the sun in the spring and the moon in the fall, and there was also a style of moon sacrifice in the mid-autumn festival, and after

The moon appreciation was more important than the moon sacrifice, and the serious sacrifice was turned into a relaxing and joyful one. Mid-Autumn Moon Festival custom in the Tang Dynasty was extremely prosperous, many poets

man's famous poems in the moon, the Song Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, the court and civil moon worship and moon worship activities on a larger scale. All over China, there are still many monuments of "moon worship altar", "moon worship pavilion", "moon watching building". Beijing's "Altar of the Moon" is the Ming Jiajing years

Between the royal moon festival for the construction. Whenever the moon rises in the Mid-Autumn Festival, set up a case in the open air, will be moon cakes, pomegranates, jujube and other fruits and vegetables for the table, after the moon worship, the whole family sat around the table, eating and talking, *** enjoy the moon. Now, the moon worship activities have been replaced by a large-scale

grand, colorful and colorful mass moon viewing fun activities.

Eating moon cakes is another custom of the festival, which symbolizes reunion. The production of mooncakes has become more and more elaborate since the Tang Dynasty. Su Dongpo wrote a poem: "small cakes such as chewing the moon, there are crispy and syrup", the Qing Dynasty Yang Guangfu wrote: "moon cake full of peach filling, ice cream sweet laying cane sugar frosting". It seems that the mooncakes of that time were quite similar to those of today.

According to historical records, the term "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the book of Zhou Li. By the time of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was a record of "Oracle Shangshu Zhenniu confuse, Mid-Autumn Festival Eve with the left and right micro-clothing pan river". It was not until the early Tang Dynasty that the Mid-Autumn Festival became a regular festival. The Book of Tang - Taizong records that "August 15 Mid-Autumn Festival". The popularity of the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Song Dynasty, and by the time of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become one of the major festivals in China, on a par with New Year's Day. It is also the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival.

The West Lake Tourism Zhiyu said: "August 15 is called the Mid-Autumn Festival, the folk to the moon cake to send each other, to take the meaning of reunion". The Imperial Capital Scenic Spectacular" also said: "August 15 moon festival, the cake will be round, divided into melons will be wrong teeth, petals carved like a lotus flower. ...... its women return to the Ning, is the day will return to the husband's home, said the reunion festival. Mid-Autumn Festival night, most areas of China and branding "reunion" custom, that is, branding a symbol of reunion, similar to the moon cake small cakes, cakes wrapped in sugar, sesame, cinnamon and vegetables, etc., outside the pressure of the moon, cinnamon trees, rabbits and other patterns. After the moon festival, the elders of the family will cut the cake into pieces according to the number of people, and each person will have one piece, and if someone is not at home, he or she will leave a piece for him or her, which symbolizes the reunion of the whole family.

Mid-Autumn Festival, clouds and fog less, the moonlight bright and bright, in addition to the folk to be held in the moon, moon festival, eat moon cakes to bless the reunion of a series of activities, some places there are also dancing grass dragons, laying pagodas and other activities. In addition to moon cakes, a variety of seasonal fresh and dried fruits are also Mid-Autumn Festival night food.

Another theory for the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is that the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar coincided with the time when rice was ripening, and families worshipped the God of Land. The Mid-Autumn Festival may be a remnant of the Autumn Report.

The Origin and Customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival

The fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in China, which is also the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival. It is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Festival of Reunion, the August Festival, etc. It is a traditional festival of the Han Chinese and most of the ethnic minorities in China, and it is also popular in neighboring countries such as North Korea, Japan and Vietnam. Because of the fall of the seven, eight, nine months (refers to the lunar calendar), August in the middle, and thirty days in August, but also the fifteenth in the middle, so it is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. And this night, the moon in the sky, folk more in this night family reunion, so also known as the reunion festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in China's ancient autumn rituals, moon worship custom. The Book of Rites" contains "the Son of Heaven spring sunrise, the moon in the fall. The sun in the morning, the moon in the evening." Here the "moon" is to worship the meaning of the moon. The two Han Dynasty has taken shape, Tang Dynasty, Mid-Autumn Moon Festival custom began to prevail, and designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Ouyang Zhan (785 AD - about 827 years) in the "Chang'an play moon poem preface" cloud: "August in the fall. The season begins and ends; the fifteenth day of the month is at night, and the moon is in the clouds. In the way of heaven, the cold and heat are even, and in the number of the moon, the toad soul is round, so it is called mid-autumn."

Mid-Autumn night, the moon is bright, the ancients regarded the full moon as a symbol of reunion, therefore, also known as the 15th of August for the "reunion festival". Throughout history, people often use the "full moon", "moon" to describe the "sadness and happiness", living away from home, but also to the moon to send deep feelings. In the Tang Dynasty, Li Bai said, "Raise your head to look at the bright moon, and lower your head to think of your hometown", Du Fu said, "The dew is white from tonight, and the moon is bright in your hometown", and in the Song Dynasty, Wang Anshi said, "The spring breeze is greening up again on the banks of the south of the river, and when will the bright moon shine on me again? The moon is bright in the hometown", Wang Anshi of Song Dynasty said, "The spring breeze is green again on the south bank of the river, when will the bright moon shine on me?

The Mid-Autumn Festival is known as one of the three traditional festivals in China, along with the Lantern Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival. The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is closely related to the myths and legends such as "Chang'e Runs to the Moon", "Wu Gang Loves Gui" and "Jade Rabbit Pounds Medicine". Therefore, the folk customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival are mostly related to the moon. Moon worship, worship the moon, eat reunion moon cakes, etc., all originated from this. Ancient emperors had the social system of sacrificing the sun in spring and the moon in autumn, and folk families also had the wind of sacrificing the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Later on, appreciating the moon was more important than sacrificing the moon, and the serious sacrifices were turned into relaxing entertainment. Mid-Autumn Moon Festival custom in the Tang Dynasty flourished, many poets in the famous poem there are moon poems, Song Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty court and folk moon worship and moon worship activities on a larger scale. Many monuments of "moon worship altar", "moon worship pavilion" and "moon watch tower" remain in different parts of China. Beijing's "Altar of the Moon" is the Ming Jiajing years for the royal moon festival built. Whenever the moon rises in the Mid-Autumn Festival, set up a case in the open air, mooncakes, pomegranates, jujube and other fruits and vegetables for the table, after the moon worship, the whole family sat around the table, eating and talking, *** enjoy the moon. Now, the moon worship activities have been replaced by a large-scale, colorful mass moon viewing fun activities.

Eating moon cakes is another custom of the festival, moon cakes symbolize reunion. The production of mooncakes has become more and more elaborate since the Tang Dynasty. Su Dongpo wrote a poem: "small cakes such as chewing the moon, there are crispy and syrup", the Qing Dynasty Yang Guangfu wrote: "moon cakes full of peach filling, ice cream sweet laying cane sugar frosting". It seems that the mooncake at that time and now has been quite similar.

Many people usually say that the Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the story of Chang'e running to the moon. According to the history books, "In the past, Chang'e took the medicine of immortality from the Queen Mother of the West and ran to the moon as the moon spirit." The price Chang'e paid for this act was to be punished with hard labor and not be able to return to earth for the rest of her life. Li Bai was very sad about this and wrote the following poem: "The white rabbit pounds medicine in the fall and then in the spring, who is the neighbor of the female Chang'e who lives alone?" Although Chang'e herself felt the good of the Moon Palace, she could not bear the loneliness, and returned to the earth to be reunited with her husband when the moon was full and the night was clear on the 15th day of the 8th month of every year, but she had to go back to the Moon Palace before the day dawned. Whenever the Mid-Autumn Festival comes around, people in the future generations would like to go to the moon and get together with Chang'e, and they also hope that Chang'e will come down to the earth to have a glimpse of her face. Therefore, many people in the burning incense to worship the moon, praying for "men wishing to early step toad palace, high climb Xian Gui ...... women wish to look like Chang'e, round as the white moon." Year after year, people celebrate this day as a holiday.

Some people, on the other hand, believe that the Mid-Autumn Festival was started by Emperor Ming Huang of the Tang Dynasty, who enjoyed the moon. The Tang Dynasty "Kaiyuan Legacy" book records: Mid-Autumn Festival night, Tang Ming Huang and Yang Guifei in the moon swim play, swim to the rise, the two logged on to the moon palace, Tang Ming Huang also learned in the moon palace half of the "Nishang Yuyi song", and later supplemented the integrity of the work of heirlooms. Tang Ming Huang can not forget this trip to the Moon Palace, every year to this moment, necessary to enjoy the moon. Hundreds of people also come to follow suit, when the moon is full to get together and enjoy the beauty of the world. Over time, it has become a tradition that has been passed down.

And it has been suggested that the Mid-Autumn Festival was originally the anniversary of an uprising that overthrew the Yuan Dynasty. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the people could not stand the rule of the government, so during the mid-autumn season, they hid the note written with "kill the Tartars, destroy the Yuan Dynasty; on August 15, every family does it together" in the chrome small round cake and passed it to each other. On the night of August 15, every family took action to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty. Later, every Mid-Autumn Festival, they ate mooncakes to commemorate this historic victory.

It has also been suggested that the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is related to agricultural production. Autumn is the season of harvest. The explanation of the word "autumn" is: "Crops are ripe in autumn". In the middle of August, crops and various fruits mature one after another, and in order to celebrate a good harvest and express their joy, farmers take the day of "Mid-Autumn Festival" as a holiday. "Mid-Autumn" means the middle of autumn, and the eighth month of the lunar calendar is the middle month of autumn, and the fifteenth day is the middle day of the month.

The word "mid-autumn" appeared in the Zhou Li, but it did not refer to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but to the second month of autumn. In the Han Dynasty, there was the "Autumn Festival", which was held on the day of the first day of Autumn, not on the 15th of August, and in the Tang Dynasty, there was the Four Seasons and Twelve Seasons, but there was no Mid-Autumn Festival, but there was the "Mid-Autumn Moon" in Tang poems. "The moon is full in the mid-autumn of August, and I am sending you to the Mulan boat" (Wei Zhuang, "Sending Li Xiucai back to Jingxi"). The first clear record of the Mid-Autumn Festival was made by Wu Zicheng of the Southern Song Dynasty, who said in his book "Mengliang Lu": "The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on August 15, the day when the three autumns are in the middle of each other, so it is called 'Mid-Autumn Festival'. This night the moon is twice as bright as usual, and is also called 'Moon Festival'." The book also depicts the moonlit night market in Lin'an (present-day Hangzhou), the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

It is a very ancient custom in China. According to historical records, as early as the Zhou Dynasty, the ancient emperors had the custom of sacrificing the sun at the spring equinox, the earth at the summer solstice, the moon at the autumn equinox and the sky at the winter solstice. The place of worship is called the Altar of the Sun, the Altar of the Earth, the Altar of the Moon, the Altar of Heaven. Set up in the southeast, northwest and north direction. Beijing's Altar of the Moon is the place where the Ming and Qing emperors sacrificed the moon. The Book of Rites: "The Son of Heaven in the spring towards the sun, the moon in the fall. The morning of the sun, the evening of the moon." Here, the evening of the moon of the evening, refers to the night sacrifice to the moon. This custom was not only practiced by the court and the upper class nobles, but also gradually influenced the people as the society developed.

Moon Appreciation by Literati

The custom of moon appreciation originated from the moon sacrifice, and the seriousness of the sacrifice was turned into lighthearted amusement. Folk moonlight appreciation activities during the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Wei and Jin dynasties, but it 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. By the time of Song Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Folk Festival centered on moon viewing activities was formed and officially designated as Mid-Autumn Festival. Unlike the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty people were more sentimental about the moon, often using yin and yang as a metaphor for the state of human affairs, even on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the clear light of the moon couldn't disguise the Song Dynasty people's feelings of sadness. But for the Song people, there is another form of Mid-Autumn Festival, that is, Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival of secular joy: "Mid-Autumn Festival, all the stores are selling new wine, the noble family decorative platforms and pavilions, the people's homes to occupy the restaurant to play with the moon, music and songs heard thousands of miles away, play even sat until dawn" ("Tokyo Dreaming Records"). Mid-Autumn Night in the Song Dynasty is a sleepless night, the night market is open all night, play the moon tourists, up to the end of the day.

Folk moon worship

After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, due to the relationship between the times, the reality of social life in the utilitarian factors prominent, the festival of the year in the secular interest Yu Yiqi thick, "moon" as the center of the lyrical and mythological literati traditions weakened, the utilitarian worship, prayers and secular emotions, aspirations constitute the main form of the common people's Mid-Autumn Festival. The main form of the popular Mid-Autumn Festival customs. Therefore, the "folk moon worship" has become the people's desire for reunion, happiness and well-being; the moon to send love.

Moonlight Horse

The image of the moon god in the Ming and Qing dynasties underwent an important change, from the early purely Taoist colors to Chang'e as the main picture of the Moon Palace evolved into a mixture of Buddhism and Taoism, the moonlight Bodhisattva and the medicine-pounding Jade Rabbit and in the secular image. During this period, people made offerings of moonlight paper painted with the moonlight Bodhisattva, also called "moonlight horses". Fucha Dunchong's "Yenching Youshi ji" (1906) recorded that "the moonlight horse was a symbol of the moonlight of the Buddha. Recorded: "Moonlight horse, paper, painted on the top of the star of Taiyin, such as the Bodhisattva, painted under the Moon Palace and pounding medicine rabbit. People stand and hold a pestle, algae color exquisite, gold and blue brilliant, the marketplace between the many sellers. Longer seven, eight feet, short two, three feet, the top of the two flags, for red and green, fence or yellow, to the moon and offer. Burning incense to perform rituals, after the sacrifice with a thousand sheets, Yuanbao, etc. and burned."

Rabbit masters

Rabbit masters originated around the end of the Ming Dynasty. Ming Jikun (about 1636 years ago) of the "Flower King Pavilion Remaining Drafts": "Beijing Mid-Autumn Festival more than to the clay Tuan rabbit-shaped, dressed and seated like a man, children worship and worship." In the Qing Dynasty, the function of the rabbit has been changed from moon worship to children's Mid-Autumn Festival toys. The production is also increasingly sophisticated, there are dressed as a military general wearing armor, clad in ji robe, there are also back inserted paper flag or umbrella, or sitting or standing. Sitting there are unicorns, tigers and leopards and so on. There are also dressed as a rabbit head and body vendors, or shaving master, or sewing shoes, selling wontons, tea, to name a few.

"Every Mid-Autumn Festival, the city people of the clever, with the yellow earth rolled into a toad rabbit image to sell, called the rabbit." In the old days, Beijing Dongsi Pailou area, there are often rabbit stalls, specializing in the sale of the Mid-Autumn Festival moon ritual with the rabbit. In addition, the southern paper store, incense and candles are also sold. This rabbit master, after the bold creation of folk artists, has been personified. It is a rabbit head and body, holding a jade pestle. Later, some people imitated the characters of the opera, the rabbit carved into a gold helmet and gold armor warriors, some riding a lion, elephant and other beasts, some riding a peacock, cranes and other flying birds. Especially the rabbit riding a tiger, although strange, but it is the bold creation of folk artists. There is also an elbow and lower jaw can move the rabbit, commonly known as "Ba da mouth", more pleasing to the eye. It is a moon worship offerings, but it is really a wonderful toy for children.

Playing lanterns

Mid-Autumn Festival, there are many game activities, the first is to play lanterns. Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the three major lantern festivals in China, and it is important to play with lanterns during the festival. Of course, there are no large-scale lantern festivals like the Lantern Festival in the Mid-Autumn Festival, and playing with lanterns is mainly just done among families and children.

As early as in the Southern Song Dynasty, "Old Story of Wulin", recorded in the Mid-Autumn Festival, there will be 'a little red' lamps into the river to float and play activities. Mid-autumn play lanterns, mostly concentrated in the south. Such as the aforementioned Foshan Autumn Colors, there are all kinds of colorful lanterns: sesame lamps, eggshell lamps, shavings lamps, straw lamps, fish scale lamps, grain lamps, melon seed lamps and birds and animals, flowers and trees lamps, and so on, it is marvelous.

Additionally the south is also widely circulated burn tile sub-lamp (or burn flower tower, burn tile tower, burn fan tower) game, in Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi and other places have been circulated. Such as "Chinese national customs" Volume V: Jiangxi "Mid-Autumn Festival night, the general children in the field to pick up tiles, piled up into a round tower shape, there are many holes. At dusk under the bright moon in the wood tower burned. Once the tile burns red, and then splashed with kerosene, oil on fire, and then all of a sudden the field red, shining like day. Until the end of the night, no one to watch, and then splashed, is the name of the burning tile lights". Chaozhou, Guangdong burning tile tower, is also a hollow tower made of brick and tile, filled with twigs burning fire. At the same time also burning smoke pile, that is, the grass and firewood piled into a pile, burned after the end of the moon worship. In the Guangxi border area of the burning tower, also similar to this activity, but folklore is to commemorate the Qing dynasty resistance to the famous general Liu Yongfu will escape into the tower of the ghosts (French invaders) burned to death of the heroic battle, quite patriotic ideas. In Fujian Jinjiang, there is also the activity of "burning pagodas".

Legend has it that this custom is related to the righteousness of the resistance against the Yuan soldiers. After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the bloody rule of the Han people, so the Han people will be unyielding resistance, all over the Mid-Autumn Festival to meet the uprising, in the top of the pagoda fire as a signal. Similar to the Peak Fire Terrace fire uprising, this resistance was suppressed, but survived the custom of burning pagodas. This legend is similar to the legend of eating mooncakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Other Mid-Autumn Festival customs

China's geography is vast, its population large, and its customs different, so the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in a variety of ways, with strong local characteristics.

In Pucheng, Fujian Province, women spend the Mid-Autumn Festival walking across the Nanpu Bridge for longevity. In Jianning, the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, hanging lanterns as an auspicious omen to the Moon Palace to seek children. When people in Shanghang County celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, their children mostly invite the Moon Aunt when they worship the moon. When Longyan people eat mooncakes, parents will dig out round cakes two or three inches in diameter in the center for the elders to eat, meaning that secret things should not be known to the younger generation. This custom stems from the legend that the mooncake hides a message against the Yuan and kills the enemy. In Kinmen, before worshipping the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival, one has to pay homage to the God of Heaven.

All over Chaoshan, Guangdong Province, there is a custom to worship the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival, mainly women and children, and there is a proverb that says, "Men don't worship the full moon, women don't worship the stove". At night, when the moon rises, women will set up a case in the yard, on the balcony to pray in the air. Silver candles burning high, smoke, the table is also full of good fruit and cakes as a gift. There is also a local custom of eating taro in the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chaoshan has a proverb: "Hexi to the mouth, taro food to". August, is the taro harvest, farmers are accustomed to taro to worship ancestors. This is certainly related to farming, but there is also a widely circulated folk legend: in 1279, the Mongol nobles destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty and established the Yuan Dynasty, which ruled over the Han Chinese brutally. Ma Fa defended Chaozhou against the Yuan, and when the city was destroyed, the people were massacred. In order not to forget the suffering of the Hu people rule, the descendants of taro and "Hu head" resonance, and resembles a human head, in order to pay tribute to their ancestors, passed down through the generations, and still exists.

Mid-Autumn Night burning tower in some places is also very popular. Tower height ranging from 1-3 meters, mostly made of broken tiles, large towers should also be made of bricks, accounting for about 1/4 of the tower height, and then stacked with tiles and into the top of the tower to leave a mouth, for the release of fuel with. Mid-autumn night will be burning fire, fuel wood, bamboo, husk, etc., when the fire is strong, splash rosin powder, lead flame to help, extremely spectacular. Folk there is a race to burn tower regulations, who burned the whole seat of the tower red through the win, not as good as or in the burning process of the collapse of the negative, the winners by the host to send colorful flags, prizes or prizes. Rumor has it that the burning tower is also the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Han Chinese people against the brutal rulers, in the Mid-Autumn Uprising for the origin of the fire.

Jiangnan folk in the Mid-Autumn Festival people customs are also diverse. Nanjing people love to eat mooncakes on Mid-Autumn Festival, must eat Jinling famous dish osmanthus duck. "Cinnamon duck" in the cinnamon fragrance when the market, fat but not greasy, delicious flavor. After drinking, we must eat a small sweet taro, poured with osmanthus syrup, the beauty of it goes without saying. The name "Gui Pulp" is taken from Qu Yuan's "The Songs of Chu" (楚辞). Shao Siming", "Closed in the North and Drinking Cinnamon Syrup". Osmanthus syrup, a sugar osmanthus, picked around mid-autumn, pickled with sugar and sour plums. The women of Jiangnan are so skillful that they turn the aphorisms in the poem into delicacies on the table. In Nanjing, people enjoying the moon as a family are called "celebrating reunion", sitting and drinking together are called "full moon", and going out to the market is called "walking moon".

In the early Ming Dynasty, Nanjing had the Moon Watch Tower and the Moon Bridge, and in the Qing Dynasty, the Moon Tower was built under the Lion Rock, all for people to enjoy the moon, and the Moon Bridge was the most popular one. People in the bright moon hanging high, with the company of the moon tower, play the moon bridge, to **** see the jade rabbit for fun. "Play Moon Bridge" in the Fuzhi Temple Qinhuai River South, next to the bridge for the famous whore Ma Xianglan residence, this night, scholars gathered at the bridge sheng xiao playing and singing, reminiscent of the cattle islets playing the moon, poetry to the moon, so this bridge for the play moon bridge. After the death of the Ming Dynasty, gradually declining, the descendants have a poem to: "the wind flow of the South Qu has been smoked, left the West Wind Longboard Bridge, but remember the Jade sitting on the bridge, the moon relative to teach blowjob". Longboard Bridge, that is, the original play moon bridge. In recent years, Nanjing Fuzimiao has been repaired, restored some of the pavilions during the Ming and Qing dynasties, dredging the river, to the Mid-Autumn Festival, you can come with a partner to enjoy the fun of playing the moon here.

Wuxi County, Jiangsu Province, the Mid-Autumn Festival night to burn incense. The incense is surrounded by gauze and silk, painted with the scenery of the moon palace. There are also incense pipes made of threaded incense, which are inserted with a paper star and colorful flags. Shanghai Mid-Autumn Banquet with osmanthus honey wine.

Ji'an County, Jiangxi Province, in the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival, every village burns a tile pot with straw. When the tiles are burned red, then vinegar is put in. At this time there will be a fragrance wafting all over the village. In Xincheng County, when the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated, the straw lanterns are hung from the 11th night of August until the 17th day of August.

Anhui province wuyuan mid-autumn festival, children to brick pile a hollow pagoda. Pagoda hanging to tent plaque and other decorations, and set a table in front of the tower, furnished with a variety of honor "tower god" apparatus. At night, inside and outside are lit with lights and candles. Jixi Mid-Autumn Festival Children's Mid-Autumn Cannon. The Mid-Autumn Cannon is made of straw tied into a braid, soaked and then picked up and struck at the stone to make a loud noise and the custom of swimming in a fire dragon. The fire dragon is a dragon made of straw, with incense sticks inserted into its body. When the fire dragon swims, there are gongs and drums with the same team, and then sent to the river after traveling all over the village.

Sichuan province people over the Mid-Autumn Festival in addition to eating moon cakes, but also to play poi, kill ducks, eat hemp cake, honey cake. Some places also light orange lanterns and hang them at the door to celebrate. There are also children in the pomelo full of incense, dancing along the street, called "dance meteor incense ball". Jiading County, the Mid-Autumn Festival sacrifices the land god, play miscellaneous dramas, vocal music, cultural relics, known as "see the meeting".

In the north, farming families in Qingyun County, Shandong Province, offer sacrifices to the god of the earth on August 15, called "Qingmiao She". In Zhucheng, Linyi and Jimo, in addition to the moon festival, they also have to go to their ancestors' graves. Landlords in Guanxian, Laiyang, Guangrao and Yucheng also feasted their tenants at the Mid-Autumn Festival. In Jimo, there is a kind of food called "wheat arrow" in Mid-Autumn Festival. Lu'an in Shanxi Province feasted their son-in-laws on the Mid-Autumn Festival. In Datong County, mooncakes are called "reunion cakes", and there is a custom of keeping vigil on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Wanquan County, Hebei Province, called the Mid-Autumn Festival "Little New Year's Day", and the moonlight paper was painted with the star of Taiyin and the image of Guandi reading the Spring and Autumn Festival at night. People in Hetao County believe that mid-autumn rain is bitter rain, and if it rains on the Mid-Autumn Festival, the locals believe that the green vegetables must not taste good.

Xixiang County, Shaanxi Province, the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the men boarded a boat on the cliff, the women arranged a good feast. No matter how rich or poor, they must eat watermelon. Mid-autumn drummers blowing drums along the door to ask for reward money. Luochuan County, the Mid-Autumn Festival parents rate of students with gifts for Mr. worship festival, lunch more than in the school dinner.

Some places have also formed a lot of special mid-autumn customs. In addition to viewing the moon, moon worship and eating moon cakes, there are also Hong Kong's fire dragon dance, Anhui's piling up pagodas, Guangzhou's tree mid-autumn festival, Jinjiang's burning pagodas, Suzhou's Shihu to see the string of the moon, Dai's worship of the moon, Miao's moon jumping, Dong's stealing of the moon's vegetables, and Gaoshan's tokusatsu dance, among others.