The Mid Autumn Festival is a very old festival in China, which is very long-standing and also a very famous festival in China, which is very important. The Mid Autumn Festival symbolizes reunion and is the second largest reunion festival after the Spring Festival. Do you know the origin of Mid Autumn Festival? What customs do Chinese people have on the Mid Autumn Festival? Come and have a look.
Mid Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in China. According to historical records, the word "Mid Autumn Festival" appeared in the book Zhou Li. In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there were records of "Yu Shang Shu Zhen Niu Lu, mid autumn Eve and Weifu Pan Jiang". It was not until the early Tang Dynasty that the mid autumn festival became a fixed festival. In the book of Tang Dynasty, there is a record of the Mid Autumn Festival on August 15. The popularity of mid autumn festival began in Song Dynasty and became one of the major festivals in China as well as new year's day in Ming and Qing Dynasties. This is also the second largest traditional festival after the Spring Festival in China.
What is the origin and legend of Mid Autumn Festival
There are many theories about the origin of Mid Autumn Festival. The term "Mid Autumn Festival" was first used in the book of rites and the book of rites called "Mid Autumn Festival". It originated from the sacrificial activities of ancient emperors. In the book of rites, it is recorded that 'the son of heaven worships the sun in spring, and the moon in autumn', which means that the emperor began worshiping the moon as early as the spring and Autumn period.
Later, the noble officials and the literati followed suit and gradually spread to the people. Second, the origin of Mid Autumn Festival is related to agricultural production. Autumn is the harvest season. The word 'Autumn' is interpreted as: 'autumn is when the crops are ripe'. In the Mid Autumn Festival in August, crops and all kinds of fruits gradually mature. In order to celebrate the harvest and express their joy, farmers take the Mid Autumn Festival as a festival. The Mid Autumn Festival means the middle of autumn. The August of the lunar calendar is the middle month of autumn, and the 15th day is the middle day of this month. Therefore, the mid autumn festival may be the custom inherited by the ancients. Some historians also pointed out that the origin of the Mid Autumn Festival should be on August 15, the 13th year of Daye in the late Sui Dynasty. Pei Ji, the Tang army, took the full moon as his conception, successfully invented the moon cake, and widely distributed the army as military pay, successfully solving the problem of military food derived from the massive absorption of anti Sui rebel forces.
According to historians, the custom of appreciating the moon on the Mid Autumn Festival originated from the rise of ancient court literati and then spread to the people. As early as in "midnight forty songs" in the Wei and Jin Yuefu, there is a song "autumn has the moon" which describes: "look up at the bright moon and send love to thousands of miles". In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid Autumn Festival is very popular. Many famous poets have poems about the moon. The mid autumn festival began to become a fixed festival. The book of Tang Dynasty records the Mid Autumn Festival on August 15. It's said that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty went to the Moon Palace in a dream and got the song of rainbow and feather clothes. The folk custom of mid autumn festival began to prevail. In the Northern Song Dynasty, August 15 was officially designated as the Mid Autumn Festival, and the festival food of "small cakes like chewing the moon, including crisp and Yi" appeared. Meng Yuanlao's "Tokyo dreamland record" said: 'on the night of Mid Autumn Festival, your family decorates the pavilion and the people compete for the tavern to play on the moon'; moreover, the strings are in full swing and close to the residents, and the sound of Sheng and taro is heard in the night, just like outside the clouds. Children in the room, marriage drama; night market piantian, as for the well-known. Wu Zimu's "menglianglu" said: 'at this time, the Golden Phoenix recommends cool, the jade dew is cool, the sweet osmanthus is fragrant, and the silver toad light is full. Prince Wang, a wealthy man, never fails to climb dangerous buildings, play the moon in front of the pavilion, or open wide pavilions, make a feast of hawks and a row, and play with the clang of harps and harps, drink wine and sing, so as to make a happy night. When you come to a house like a shop, you can also board a small platform, arrange family banquets and surround your children for the festival. Although the poor people in the poor alleys were willing to live in vain, they were reluctant to welcome the wine of the farming and market. This night, the streets sell and buy, until the five drums, play with the moon tourists, mother-in-law in the city, to burn. 'what's more interesting is that the newly compiled record of drunken man talks about the custom of paying homage to the moon:' the children of the people in the city can go to the twelfth or the third by themselves, all decorated with the eyes of adults. They go upstairs or burn incense in the atrium to pay homage to the moon, and each has its own way; men are willing to go to the toad palace early and climb high. &Hellip; hellip; female would like to look like Chang'e, round like the bright moon. The activities of appreciating the moon in Ming and Qing Dynasties were popular. Every family should set up a "Moonlight place" to offer sacrifices to the moon in the direction of the moon rising.
According to Lu Qihong's Chronicles of Beijing, on the night of the Mid Autumn Festival, people set up symbols of the Moon Palace, which are free from being set up like people. Chen melon and fruit are in the court, and the Moon Palace toad is painted on the surface of the cake. Men and women worship and burn incense. Tian Rucheng's journey to the West Lake says: 'it's the night. People have a feast to enjoy the moon, or take a boat to swim along the lake. On the top of the SUDI, we can sing together, just like the day ';' people invite each other with moon cakes, and take the meaning of reunion '. "When Yanjing is old," said Fucha dunchong, "the moon cake of the Mid Autumn Festival, in the past, the people who went to the gate to pray for the beautiful house were the first in Kyoto, and there was not enough food in other places. There are moon cakes everywhere. The big one is more than a foot long. It's painted in the shape of a wax rabbit in the Moon Palace. "Every Mid Autumn Festival, Zhumen presents moon cakes and fruits. To the full moon, Chen melons and fruits in the court for the month, and sacrifice to Maodou, cockscomb. It's the same time. The bright soul is in the sky. The clouds are beginning to disperse. It's called the festival. Only when the moon is offered, many men do not kowtow. At the same time, in the past five hundred years, festivals such as "burning joss sticks", "walking on the moon", "setting off the sky lamp", "Mid Autumn Festival of trees", "lighting the tower lamp", "dancing the fire dragon", "dragging the stone" and "selling the rabbit" have been launched. Among them, the customs of moon watching, moon cake eating and reunion dinner have been spread to today. Mid Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in China. According to historical records, the word "Mid Autumn Festival" appeared in the book Zhou Li. In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there were records of "Yu Shang Shu Zhen Niu Lu, mid autumn Eve and Weifu Pan Jiang". It was not until the early Tang Dynasty that the mid autumn festival became a fixed festival. In the book of Tang Dynasty, there is a record of the Mid Autumn Festival on August 15.
The popularity of mid autumn festival began in Song Dynasty and became one of the major festivals in China as well as new year's day in Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is also the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival.
The custom of Mid Autumn Festival
When the Mid Autumn Festival comes, there are customs everywhere. But the customs of the Mid Autumn Festival have nothing in common but offering sacrifices to the moon, appreciating the moon, watching lanterns and eating moon cakes. In addition, there are also: Folk worship of the moon, moonlight horse, rabbit son, Mid-Autumn feast custom, fire dragon dance, burning pagoda lamp, stealing vegetables to pray for Lang, stealing melon to pray for son, Mid-Autumn Festival cake, sacrificing the moon to burn incense, begging the moon to shine on the moon to climb the moon, walking the moon to walk three bridges, etc.
The custom of Mid Autumn Festival has been handed down from generation to generation. In today's information age, we feel the cultural diversity of the Mid Autumn Festival. We are all responsible for inheriting and carrying forward this excellent tradition, making family love eternal and our life more colorful!