What the Mid-Autumn Festival can also be called

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Moon Festival, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, August Festival, August Meeting, Moon Chasing Festival, Moon Playing Festival, Moon Worshipping Festival, Daughters' Festival or Reunion Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar every year, and is a traditional cultural festival popular among many ethnic groups across the country. The Mid-Autumn Festival evolved from the ancient moon festival. The ancient calendar divides each season into three months, namely, the month of Meng, the month of Zhong, and the month of Quarter. The eighth month of the lunar calendar is the second month of autumn, known as "mid-autumn", and the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar is exactly one half of the day of autumn, so it is also known as "mid-autumn".

The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in the ancient times, became popular in the Han Dynasty, and was finalized in the Tang Dynasty. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a synthesis of the seasonal customs of autumn, and most of the festive elements it contains have ancient origins. As one of the most important folk rituals of the festival, the Moon Festival has gradually evolved into activities such as Moon Appreciation and Moon Celebration. Mid-Autumn Festival to the moon's full omen of reunion, in order to send thoughts of their hometowns, missing their loved ones, praying for a good harvest, happiness, has become a colorful and precious cultural heritage.

Originally, the "Moon Festival" was held on the day of the "Autumn Equinox" in the twenty-fourth solar term of the dry calendar, and was later transferred to the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the summer calendar. The Mid-Autumn Festival, together with the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival and Dragon Boat Festival, are known as the four major traditional festivals in China. Influenced by Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a traditional festival in some East and Southeast Asian countries, especially for local Chinese.

Customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival:

1, moon festival: in China is a very ancient custom, in fact, the ancients of the "moon god" a worship activity. In ancient times, there is a "moon in the autumn sunset" custom. The moon is set on the eve of the moon, i.e., to worship the moon god. Since ancient times, in some areas of Guangdong, people have the custom of worshipping the moon god (moon goddess, moonlight) in the evening of Mid-Autumn Festival.

2. Lighting: On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is the custom of lighting lamps to help the moon. Nowadays, there are still tiles stacked tower on the tower of the festival custom of burning lamps. Jiangnan area has a system of lights boat custom. In recent times, the custom of burning lamps on the Mid-Autumn Festival has become more prevalent.

3. Moon Festival: The custom of moon festival originated from the moon sacrifice, and the seriousness of the sacrifice was turned into a light-hearted entertainment. It is said that the moon is the closest to the earth on this night, and the moon is the largest, roundest and brightest, so from ancient times to the present there has been the custom of enjoying the moon.

4, eat moon cakes: moon cakes, also known as moon ball, harvest cake, Palace cake, reunion cake, etc., is the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival offerings to worship the moon god. Mooncakes were initially used as offerings to the moon god, and then people gradually took the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival to enjoy the moon and taste mooncakes as a great symbol of family reunion. The mooncake symbolizes a great reunion, and people treat it as a festive food, offering it to the moon and presenting it to friends and relatives.