The traditional history of Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from the worship of the autumn moon in ancient times. Offering sacrifices to the moon is a very old custom in China, and it is a kind of ritual activity of ancient people in some places in ancient China. The autumnal equinox among the 24 solar terms is an ancient Mid-Autumn Festival.

Mid-Autumn Festival comes from the traditional "Autumn Equinox Sacrificing the Moon". In ancient farming society, the ancients believed that the movement of the moon had a great relationship with agricultural production and seasonal changes, so offering sacrifices to the moon became an important sacrificial activity. As one of the important customs of folk festivals, offering sacrifices to the moon has gradually evolved into activities such as appreciating and praising the moon. ?

Mid-Autumn Festival is popular in Han Dynasty, which is a period of economic and cultural exchanges and integration between the north and the south of China, and cultural exchanges between different places spread together. The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the documents of the Han Dynasty and was written in Zhou Li of the Han Dynasty (handed down from Zhou Gongdan, actually written between the Han Dynasty). According to legend, in the pre-Qin period, there were activities such as "Mid-Autumn Festival to welcome the cold night", "Giving good clothes in the Mid-Autumn Festival" and "Moon at the Autumn Equinox (Yue Bai)".

According to records, during the Mid-Autumn Festival or beginning of autumn in the Han Dynasty, there were activities of respecting the elderly and giving coarse cakes. There are also written records about Mid-Autumn Festival in Jin Dynasty, but it is not very common. Before the Jin Dynasty, Mid-Autumn Festival was not popular in northern China.

In the Tang Dynasty, the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival was very popular in northern China. In the Tang Dynasty, Mid-Autumn Festival became an officially recognized national festival. The Book of Emperor Taizong recorded the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15. The custom of enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival was very popular in Chang 'an area in Tang Dynasty. Many poets wrote poems about the moon in their masterpieces.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is full of romance by combining fairy tales such as the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang's felling of laurel, Jade Rabbit smashing medicine, Yang Guifei's changing into the moon god and Tang Dynasty's visiting the moon palace, and the wind of playing the moon can only flourish. The Tang Dynasty is an important period when traditional festival customs are mixed and shaped, and its main part has been passed down to this day.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the 15th day of the eighth lunar month was officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Sometimes food is made in literary works, such as "small cakes are like chewing the moon, with crisp and stuffing inside". For example, Meng Yuan's "Dream of Tokyo" said: "On the Mid-Autumn Festival night, you decorate the pavilion at home, and the people compete for the restaurant to play the moon"; And "string full of enthusiasm, close to the residents. At night, it is like a cloud. Children in the room, even the wedding drama at night; As for the night market, as for familiarity. "

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the secular interests of Japan and China became more and more intense in the new year. In the activities of enjoying the moon in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, "fruit cakes must be round", and each family should set up "moonlight position" and "Yue Bai facing the moon".

Lu's "Year of Jinghua" contains: "On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone has a symbol of the Moon Palace, which symbolizes freedom as a person; Chen melon and fruit are in court, and the moon palace is painted on the cake surface. Men and women worship incense and burn it. " "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. If a wife goes back to Ningxiang, she will go back and forth to her husband's family and say "Reunion Festival". "

Today, eating moon cakes has become an essential custom of Mid-Autumn Festival in northern and southern China. Mooncakes symbolize a happy reunion. People regard them as holiday food, use them to worship the moon and give them to relatives and friends. In addition to moon cakes, all kinds of seasonal fresh fruits and dried fruits are also delicious in the Mid-Autumn Festival. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are fewer clouds and more fog, and the moonlight is bright and bright. There are a series of festivals, such as enjoying the moon, offering sacrifices to the moon, eating moon cakes, eating sweet potatoes, carrying lanterns, dancing grass dragons, planting trees and building stupas.