August 15 of the lunar calendar is the Mid Autumn Festival, which is an ancient festival in China for thousands of years. Do you know why August 15 is called the Mid Autumn Festival? What is the origin of the name of the Mid Autumn Festival? Today, let's talk about the origin of the name of the Mid Autumn Festival.
The word "Mid Autumn Festival" was first found in Zhou Li. According to the ancient Chinese calendar, the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar falls in the middle of August of the autumn of the year. There are four seasons in a year, and each season is divided into three parts: Meng, Zhong and season. The second month of the third autumn is called mid autumn, so it is also called 'mid autumn'. In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there are records of "Yu Shang Shu Zhen Niu Huan, Mid Autumn Festival Eve and about Wei Fu Pan Jiang". It was not until the early Tang Dynasty that the mid autumn festival became a regular Festival. The Mid Autumn Festival is recorded in the book of Tang Dynasty. The popularity of the mid autumn festival began in the Song Dynasty, to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, has become one of the main festivals in China. This is also China's second largest traditional festival after the Spring Festival.
According to the Chinese calendar, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is in the middle of autumn, the second month of autumn, which is called 'mid autumn'. And August 15 is also in the 'mid autumn', so it is called 'mid autumn'. The Mid Autumn Festival has many other names: because the festival is on August 15, it is called 'August Festival' and 'August half'; because the main activities of the Mid Autumn Festival are carried out around the 'moon', it is also commonly known as' Moon Festival 'or' Moon Eve '. The moon is full, symbolizing reunion, so it is also called' reunion festival '. In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid Autumn Festival was also known as' Duan Zhengyue '. The earliest records of the festival were found in the Ming Dynasty. "West Lake Tour records" said: "August 15 is the Mid Autumn Festival, folk send each other with moon cakes, take the meaning of reunion.". "A brief introduction to the scenery of the imperial capital" also says: "on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the cakes must be round, the melons must be toothed wrongly, and the petals are carved like lotus flowers. &Hellip & hellip; when a woman returns to her husband's home, it is called reunion day.