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What are the traditional activities of Mid Autumn Festival? Customs of Mid Autumn Festival

It is a necessary custom to enjoy the moon and eat moon cakes on the Mid Autumn Festival in all parts of China. As the saying goes, 'August, October and may are just round, and the moon cakes are fragrant and sweet'. Besides eating moon cakes and worshiping the moon, what are the customs of Mid Autumn Festival?

Why do you eat moon cakes on Mid Autumn Festival

Moon cake has a long history in China. According to historical records, as early as in the Yin and Zhou dynasties, there was a kind of thin and heartfelt "grand master cake" in the area of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, which was the "ancestor" of moon cakes in China. When Zhang Qian sent to the western regions in the Han Dynasty, sesame and walnut were introduced, which added auxiliary materials to the moon cake making. At this time, a round cake with walnut kernel as filling appeared, named "Hu cake".

In the Tang Dynasty, there were already bakers engaged in production among the people, and the bakery began to appear in Chang'an, capital. It is said that on the night of the Mid Autumn Festival, when Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty and concubine Yang enjoyed the moon and ate Hu cake, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty thought that the name "Hu cake" was not pleasant. Concubine Yang looked up at the bright moon and blurted out "moon cake". Since then, the name "moon cake" has gradually spread among the people.

However, the moon cake became the official food for the Mid Autumn Festival, which began in the Ming Dynasty. And in all kinds of books of Ming Dynasty, there began to appear a lot of descriptions about eating moon cakes on the Mid Autumn Festival. At that time, the ingenious bakers often printed the myths and stories related to the moon, such as Chang'e running to the moon, on the moon cakes, making the moon cakes a popular mid autumn food. By the Qing Dynasty, the production technology of moon cakes had been greatly improved, and the varieties were also increasing. With the increasing experience of making mooncakes, the types of mooncakes in the market are emerging in an endless stream, and the technology is more and more exquisite.

The custom of Mid Autumn Festival

Sacrificing, appreciating and worshiping the moon

In the book of rites, it has long been recorded that "the moon at the end of autumn" means to worship the moon god. At this time, a memorial ceremony will be held to welcome the cold and the moon. In the Zhou Dynasty, every mid autumn night will be held to welcome the cold and sacrifice the moon. Set up a large incense table, and put on the moon cake, watermelon, apple, red dates, plums, grapes and other sacrifices, among which moon cake and watermelon are absolutely indispensable, and watermelon should be cut into lotus shape. Under the moon, put the moon god in the direction of the moon. The red candle burns high. The whole family worships the moon in turn, and then the housewife cuts the reunion moon cake. The cutter shall calculate in advance how many people there are in the whole family. Those who are at home and those who are out of town shall be counted together. They shall not cut too much or too little. They shall be the same size. Among the ethnic minorities, the custom of sacrificing the moon is also popular.

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. Chang'e in the middle of the moon is famous for its beauty. Therefore, a girl prays to the moon and wishes to look like Chang'e and face like the bright moon. On the night of the Mid Autumn Festival, the Dai people in Yunnan also have the custom of worshiping the moon.

The custom of appreciating the moon in the Mid Autumn Festival is very popular in Tang Dynasty. Many famous poems of poets have verses of chanting the moon. In the Song Dynasty, the mid autumn moon is more popular. On this day, 'your family decorates the pavilion, and the people compete for the restaurant to play the moon'. The activities of worshipping the moon and appreciating the moon in the Ming and Qing Dynasties are more extensive. There are many relics such as "worshipping the moon altar", "worshiping the moon Pavilion" and "moon tower" in China. Literati and officialdom are especially fond of moon watching. They either go to the building to look for the moon or go boating to invite the moon. They drink wine and write poems, leaving many well-known masterpieces. For example, Du Fu's "the 15th night moon in August" contrasts his wandering melancholy with the 15th moon symbolizing reunion; Su Shi, a literary giant in the Song Dynasty, drank the Dadan in the Mid Autumn Festival and wrote "the tune of the water" when he was drunk, which is a metaphor for people's separation and reunion. Until now, the family sit together and enjoy the bright moon in the sky is still one of the indispensable activities of the Mid Autumn Festival.

Tidal bore watching

In ancient times, in addition to enjoying the moon in the Mid Autumn Festival, watching the tide in Zhejiang was another mid autumn festival event. The custom of watching the tide in the Mid Autumn Festival has a long history, as early as in the Fu Qi Fa of Mei Cheng in Han Dynasty. After the Han Dynasty, the mid autumn tide is more popular. Zhu Tinghuan's supplement to the old stories of Wulin and song Wu's self-cultivation of Mengliang are also recorded.

light a lamp

On the night of the Mid Autumn Festival, it is customary to light a lamp to help the moon. Today, there is still a festival custom that tiles are stacked on the pagoda and lights are lit in Huguang area. There is a festival custom of making lightboats in Jiangnan. The custom of lighting lanterns was more popular in the Mid Autumn Festival. Today's Zhou Yunjin and he Xiangfei said in their article "idle talk about the season": "Guangdong is the most prosperous city with lanterns. Every family uses bamboo strips to make lanterns ten days before the festival. Make fruit, birds and animals, fish and insects, and & lsquo; celebrate the Mid Autumn Festival & rsquo; and other words, paste color paper to draw various colors. The mid autumn night lamp is tied to a bamboo pole with a rope, which is erected on a tile eaves or a terrace, or is built into a shape or various shapes with a small lamp, and hung on a high place in the house. It is commonly known as the Mid Autumn Festival of the & lsquo; tree or the & lsquo; Mid Autumn Festival of the vertical & rsquo;. The lamp hung by the rich family can be measured high. The family gather under the lamp to enjoy drinking. Ordinary people set up a flagpole and two lanterns to enjoy themselves. A city full of lights is like a world of glass. 'it seems that from ancient times till now, the scale of the Mid Autumn Festival lighting seems to be second only to the Lantern Festival.

Guessing riddle

There are many lanterns hanging in public places on the full moon night of the Mid Autumn Festival. People gather together to guess the riddles written on the lanterns. Because they are the favorite activities of most young men and women, love stories also spread out in these activities. Therefore, guessing lantern riddles in the Mid Autumn Festival has also derived a form of love between men and women.

Eat moon cakes

It is a necessary custom to enjoy the moon and eat moon cakes on the Mid Autumn Festival in all parts of China. As the saying goes, 'August, October and may are just round, and the moon cakes are fragrant and sweet'. 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 Xiamen, Fujian Province, there is also the custom of Bobing, which is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage project.

Enjoy osmanthus and drink osmanthus wine

People often eat moon cakes to enjoy osmanthus in Mid Autumn Festival, and eat all kinds of food made of osmanthus, most of which are cakes and sweets.

On the night of the Mid Autumn Festival, looking up at the mid autumn laurel, smelling the fragrance of the laurel, drinking a cup of sweet osmanthus wine and celebrating the sweetness of the family have become a kind of beautiful enjoyment of the festival. In modern times, people often use red wine instead.

lanterns

There is no big lantern festival like the Lantern Festival in the Mid Autumn Festival. Playing with lanterns is mainly between families and children. As early as in the old stories of the Wulin in the Northern Song Dynasty, it was recorded that there was a & lsquo; activity of putting a little red light into the river to drift and play. In the Mid Autumn Festival, most of the lanterns are in the south. For example, at Foshan Autumn Festival, there are various kinds of colorful lights: Sesame lamp, eggshell lamp, shaving lamp, straw lamp, fish scale lamp, chaff lamp, melon seed lamp, bird, animal, flower and tree lamp, etc. Lanterns in Guangzhou, Hong Kong and other places, the Mid-Autumn night to carry out tree mid-autumn activities, trees are also vertical, that is, the meaning of high lights. Children, with the help of their parents, use bamboo paper to make Bunny lamps, carambola lamps or square lamps, hang them horizontally in short poles, and then erect them on high poles. With high technology, the colorful light shines, adding another scene to the Mid Autumn Festival. The children often compete with each other to see who stands high, how much, and the most exquisite lights. In addition, there are lanterns in the sky, that is, Kongming lanterns, which are made of paper. They burn candles under the lanterns and heat up, making the lanterns fly in the air, making people laugh and chase. In addition, there are all kinds of lanterns carried by children playing under the moon. In Nanning, Guangxi, in addition to making paper and bamboo lanterns for children to play, there are also simple grapefruit lamps, pumpkin lamps and orange lamps. The so-called grapefruit lamp is to empty the grapefruit, carve a simple pattern, put on a rope, and light a candle inside. It is light and elegant. Pumpkin lamp and orange lamp are also made by removing the flesh. Although simple, it is easy to make and very popular. Some children also float the grapefruit lamp into the pool water for games. There is a simple household autumn lamp in Guangxi, which is made of six bamboo strips, pasted with white gauze paper and inserted with candles. It can also be hung beside the moon sacrificing table for moon sacrificing, and it can also be used for children to play.

Burning tower

In the south, the game of burning tile lamp (or burning flower tower, burning tile tower, burning fan tower) is widely spread. For example, on the night of the Mid Autumn Festival in Jiangxi Province, children pick up tiles in the wild and pile them into a round tower with many holes. At dusk, it is burned in a wood tower under the bright moon. As soon as the tiles are red, then pour kerosene on them, and refuel on the fire. All of a sudden, everything is red and shining like day. Until the deep night, no one watched, and then they began to pour their breath. It's called burning tile lamp. In Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, the brick burning tower is also built into a hollow tower, filled with branches and burned. At the same time, it also burns smoke piles, that is, heaps of straw and firewood, and burns them after the end of the worship of the moon. The burning of Fanta in Guangxi border area is similar to this kind of activity, but the folklore is to commemorate the heroic battle that Liu Yongfu, a famous anti French general in Qing Dynasty, burned the fangui (French invader) who escaped into the tower. In Jinjiang, Fujian Province, there is also the activity of "burning Tadao". It is said that this custom is related to the righteous act of resisting the yuan soldiers. After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the Han people had a bloody rule, so the Han people carried out an unyielding resistance. They met each other on the Mid Autumn Festival and set fire to the top of the pagoda. Similar to the fire in fenghuotai, this resistance was suppressed, but the practice of burning pagodas remained.