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What day is the Mid Autumn Festival 2018? What is the origin of Mid Autumn Festival

The Mid Autumn Festival is a day for family reunion. Is it a very harmonious picture for the family to eat moon cakes, enjoy the moon and talk about family life together? Do you know why the mid autumn festival needs family reunion? What is the origin and origin of the Mid Autumn Festival?

Why the Mid Autumn Festival should be reunited

The 15th day of August in the lunar calendar is the traditional Mid Autumn Festival in China, which is the second largest traditional festival after the Spring Festival. August 15 is in the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid Autumn Festival. In ancient Chinese calendar, August in the middle of autumn is called "mid autumn", so Mid Autumn Festival is also called "Mid Autumn Festival". Because the bright moon in the sky symbolizes reunion, it is also called "reunion day".

Why should the Mid Autumn Festival be reunited? In ancient times, productivity was low and people's ability to resist natural disasters was limited. Since the fifth day of may (Dragon Boat Festival), people have to go through a hundred days of disasters, such as floods and pestilence. Many families are separated by their wives and children and separated by Yin and Yang. By August 15, those who can be reunited are certainly worth celebrating. So there is the Mid Autumn Festival.

On the night of Mid Autumn Festival, the moon is bright. The ancients regarded the full moon as a symbol of reunion. Therefore, it is also called "reunion day" on August 15. In ancient times and modern times, people often use "full moon, lack of moon" to describe "joys and sorrows of separation and reunion". Tourists living in other places are even more deeply touched by the moon. During the festival, there was a folk custom of praying for reunion. Sushi of Song Dynasty had a song of water melody. As early as in Song Dynasty, people used the moon to express their feelings of "wish for a long time and share the beauty of the moon for thousands of miles", giving the theme of "praying for reunion" in the Mid Autumn Festival. Later, the main folk activities of the Mid Autumn Festival are around the theme of "Reunion", so the Mid Autumn Festival is also called reunion festival.

There are so many festivals in a year, the best is the Mid Autumn Festival. The weather is not cold or hot. People who are busy outside can also come back and eat reunion cakes. Mid Autumn Festival is the "reunion of people and months", which means family reunion and harvest.

The Mid Autumn Festival should be reunited, which is also related to the legend of the Mid Autumn Festival. The legends of the Mid Autumn Festival are very rich. Legends like 'Chang'e running to the moon', 'Wu Gang cutting the laurel' and 'jade rabbit making medicine' are widely spread among the people, among which 'Chang'e running to the moon' is the most widely spread.

It's said that Chang'e was Houyi's wife. Houyi shot down nine suns, and then the mother of the Western King gave him elixir, but if Houyi didn't want to eat it, he left it to Chang'e for safekeeping. Peng Meng, one of Hou Yi's disciples, coveted the elixir and forced Chang'e to hand it over. Chang'e swallowed the elixir in desperation and flew away like the sky. It was August 15 that day, and the moon was big and bright. Because she did not give up Houyi, Chang'e stopped at the nearest moon to the earth, and lived in Guanghan palace ever since. Hou Yi's heart ached after he went home, so he put down a banquet on August 15 to reunite with Chang'e in front of the moon.

The custom of Mid Autumn Festival

In the Mid Autumn Festival, facing the bright and round moon in the sky, you can enjoy the worship and express your feelings. At first, this custom only prevailed in the court and upper nobility. Later, with the development of society, it gradually prevailed in the folk. China is geographically vast, with a large population and different customs. The Mid Autumn Festival has a variety of ways and features.

Because this is a festival related to the moon, it is naturally inseparable from the activities of sacrificing, appreciating and worshiping the moon. It is said that the ugly women of the ancient Qi State had no salt. They worshipped the moon when they were young. When they grew up, they entered the palace with superior morality, but they were not favored. One year, on the 15th of August, the emperor saw her in the moonlight. He thought she was beautiful and outstanding. Later, he made her the queen. The Mid Autumn Festival came here to worship the moon.

As for moon cakes, there is a saying: 'August, October and may are just round, and the moon cakes are sweet in Mid Autumn'. The term "moon cake" originated from the book menglianglu by Wu Zimu in the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, it was only a kind of snack food. Later, people gradually combine moon watching with moon cakes, which means family reunion and homesickness. At the same time, moon cakes are also an important gift for friends to connect with each other during the Mid Autumn Festival.

In addition to the most common customs of sacrificing, worshiping, appreciating, chanting and eating moon cakes, in Pucheng, Fujian, women cross Nanpu Bridge to live a long life during the Mid Autumn Festival; in Wuxi County, Jiangsu Province, they burn Dou Xiang on the night of the Mid Autumn Festival; in Ji'an County, Jiangxi Province, they burn pots with straw in the evening of the Mid Autumn Festival. After the pots are red, they put vinegar in to let the fragrance float all over the village, as well as Hong Kong's dancing dragon and Anhui's dancing dragon Dui pagoda, Guangzhou tree Mid Autumn Festival, Jinjiang burning pagoda, Suzhou Stone Lake watching the moon, Dai People's worship of the moon, Miao people's moon dance, Dong People's stealing moon dishes, Gaoshan people's ball dance and so on.

Introduction to the origin of Mid Autumn Festival

It originated from the sacrifice 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.