Mid Autumn Festival is a long-standing festival in China. Every family has to eat moon cakes. It is said that it is to commemorate Chang'e running to the moon. What's the date of this year's Mid Autumn Festival? Why do you eat moon cakes? What's the origin of eating moon cakes on Mid Autumn Festival?
The Mid Autumn Festival of 2017 is a national legal holiday on Wednesday, October 4, 2017. 8 days off with national day, i.e. 8 days off from October 1, 2017 to October 8, 2017.
The first saying: Chang'e rushes to the moon
It is said that Hou Yi, a hero who shot at the sun in ancient times, married Chang'e and became a king. However, he became more and more violent and became a tyrant by many times. One day, Hou Yi asked for a package of elixir from his mother's hand. As long as he took elixir, he would live forever. Chang'e knew that in order to save the people from the eternal rule of Hou Yi, she swallowed all the immortal drugs, and then she became a fairy and flew to the Moon Palace. When people learned that Chang'e had become an immortal on the moon, they set up incense plans under the moon and prayed to Chang'e for peace and good luck, which gradually formed the custom of worshiping the moon on the Mid Autumn Festival.
The second view: from Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty
At that time, Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, fought against the Turks in the north, and after many hard attacks, he finally won the victory and returned to the Dynasty on August 15 of that year. The soldiers who had been fighting for several years also had to be reunited with their families and hometown. In celebration of the whole country, there was a Tibetan businessman who was trading with the Tang Dynasty and paid tribute to a kind of sunken dough. Its decoration is gorgeous and taste is sweet. Emperor Taizong is very happy after eating. He points to the bright moon hanging in the sky and preaches: 'Hu cake should be invited to Toad (Moon). So, there will be a festival to eat moon cakes and celebrate the Mid Autumn Festival.
The third view: from the end of Yuan Dynasty to the beginning of Ming Dynasty
It is said that at that time, Zhu Yuanzhang led the Han people to revolt against the tyranny of the Yuan Dynasty, and agreed to revolt on August 15, and pass on the message by giving each other moon cakes. Later, Zhu Yuanzhang finally overthrew the Yuan Dynasty and became the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. The custom of eating moon cakes on the Mid Autumn Festival was spread among the people. Today, mooncakes are also used as gifts for relatives and friends to connect with each other.