1 originated from the sacrificial activities of ancient emperors.
The Confucian classic Book of Rites in the pre-Qin and Western Han dynasties recorded that "the sun rises in spring, the sun rises in autumn and the moon sets at night", which means that emperors began to worship the moon and Yue Bai as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. Later, aristocratic officials and scholars followed suit and gradually spread to the people.
2. Originated from agricultural production
China has been a farming nation since ancient times, and autumn is the harvest season. Especially in the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, all kinds of crops, fruits and vegetables are maturing one after another. People regard the Mid-Autumn Festival, the middle day of autumn, as a festival to celebrate the harvest and express joy. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival may be a custom passed down by the ancients.
3. The moon cake says
Some historians have pointed out that the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival should be August 15th, 13th year of Tang Jun's great cause at the end of Sui Dynasty. Pei Ji and Tang Jun, with the idea of a full moon, successfully invented moon cakes and distributed them to the army as military salaries, which successfully solved the problem of military rations derived from the absorption of a large number of anti-Sui rebel troops and gave birth to the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration.
Second, legends and stories
In the legend of Mid-Autumn Festival, "the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon" is undoubtedly the most talked about.
This is an ancient fairy tale, which originated from the ancient people's worship of stars. According to the existing written records, it first appeared in the Warring States period. Chang 'e, the fairy of the Moon Palace in China mythology, lived in the Guanghan Palace above the moon because she took the elixir of immortality that Dayu got from the Queen Mother of the West.
Chang 'e was forced by Feng Meng. In desperation, she ate two pills of elixir given by the Queen Mother of the West to her husband Hou Yi and flew to the Moon Palace. The myth of "the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon".
The myths and legends about Chang 'e are all recorded in the classic Gui Zang from Shang Dynasty to Warring States Period, among which it can be explained as husband and wife through the comparison of divinatory images. The annotation in Huai Nan Zi of Gaoyou in the Eastern Han Dynasty clearly points out that Chang 'e is the wife of Hou Yi. Chang 'e, Hou Yi's wife, changed her name to Chang 'e, because the Han people avoided the taboo of the then emperor Liu Heng.
Extended data:
"Mid-Autumn Festival" has existed since ancient times, so it has become an excellent theme written by many literati:
I. Chang 'e
Tang Dynasty: Li Shangyin
The mica screen was dyed red by thick candles, and the Milky Way gradually tilted towards the morning star.
Chang 'e, I must regret eating the elixir, and now I am alone, in the blue sky, singing every night.
Translation:
The candle shadow on the mica screen is dim, the milky way is fading, and the morning star is disappearing.
Chang 'e should regret stealing the elixir of life, and now she is lonely every night.
Second, the Mid-Autumn Festival in Yangguan District
Song Dynasty: Su Shi
The twilight clouds are cold, and the silver-haired people silently turn to the tracts.
If you don't meet a good night in this life, where will you see the bright moon next year?
Translation:
As night falls, the clouds are exhausted, the human world is full of cold, the milky way is silent, and the bright moon is idling, as white as a jade plate.
Every Mid-Autumn Festival night in my life, the moonlight is mostly covered by clouds, and I rarely encounter such beautiful scenery as today. It is really hard to get! But where shall I go to enjoy the moon next Mid-Autumn Festival?
Third, cut plum blossoms in January Mid-Autumn Festival.
Song Dynasty: Xin Qiji
Recalling the Mid-Autumn Festival, flowers are also in cups, and the moon is also in cups. There are statues upstairs tonight, cloud wet screens and rain wet screens.
Want to take the wind to ask about chemical industry, the road is also difficult to pass, and the letter is also difficult to pass. Only the candles are red, the songs are quiet, and the cups are quiet.
Translation:
Recalling the sunny Mid-Autumn Festival, I was among the fragrant osmanthus flowers. The flower shadows are reflected in the glass, and the moon waves are rippling in the glass. Tonight, I also raised my glass upstairs and waited for the moonlight, but the dark clouds soaked the screen window and the rain wet the screen window.
I always want to take the wind to ask God, but I can't get through this day, and I can't get through sending letters. Only the candles in the room had a high fever, which made the banquet red. Let's drink a few glasses of wine slowly, and let's sing slowly to the end.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Mid-Autumn Festival