China has had the custom of enjoying the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival since ancient times. In the Book of Rites, it is recorded that "the moon is set in autumn", which means that the moon god is worshipped. People put mooncakes, watermelons, apples, plums, grapes and other seasonal fruits on a large incense burner and began to worship the moon when it hung in the sky. During the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

In the Song Dynasty, the winds of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival were even more prevalent. Tokyo Meng Hua Lu recorded: "On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, noble families decorated their platforms and pavilions, and folk competed to occupy the restaurants to play with the moon." All the stores in the capital, restaurants in this day are to redecorate the facade, the pagoda on the tie silk hanging color, selling fresh fruit and refined food, the night market is bustling, most of the people on the platform. Some rich families in their own pavilions and pavilions on the moon, and set up food or arrange a family dinner, reunion of children, *** with the moon and talk.

Mid-Autumn Festival customs - eating moon cakes

Eating moon cakes is the custom of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, high and clear, the moon is the fullest, the whole family reunion - "the human moon **** round". It is this desire for reunion that led to the custom of eating mooncakes at the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Imperial Capital Scenic Spectacle" recorded: "August 15, the cake will be round ...... its women who return to the Ning, when the day will return to the husband's home, is the reunion of the festival also." Ming Tian Rucheng in his "West Lake Excursion Zhiyu" in the Mid-Autumn Festival and moon cakes directly linked: "August 15 is called Mid-Autumn Festival, folk to moon cakes to leave (gift), take the meaning of reunion." Mooncakes symbolize reunion and are a must-have for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Who invented the Mid-Autumn Mooncake? The ancient emperors of China had the ritual of sacrificing the sun in spring and the moon in fall. In the folk every August Mid-Autumn Festival, there is also around the custom of worshiping the moon. Mooncakes were the ancient mid-autumn festival offerings to the moon god. According to historical records, as early as three thousand years ago in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other areas there is a commemorative master Wenzhong's "Master Cake", which is China's moon cake "ancestor". After Zhang Qian's mission to the West in the Han Dynasty, the introduction of sesame seeds, walnuts, moon cakes for the production of additional ingredients, then appeared to Hu (walnuts) for the filling of the round cake, called "Hu cake". Tang Dynasty, the folk have been engaged in the production of cake masters, the capital Chang'an also began to appear cake store. According to legend, one year in the Mid-Autumn Moonlight Night, Emperor Tang Minghuang and Yang Guifei enjoy the moon to eat Hu cake, Emperor Tang Minghuang smacked "Hu cake" name is not good, Yang Guifei looked up at the bright moon, heart pounding, blurted out: "moon cake." Since then, the name "moon cake" has gradually spread.

Mid-Autumn Festival Customs-Playing Patty Cake

Similar to eating mooncakes, playing patty cake on the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a Mid-Autumn Festival custom.

Mooncakes are round, symbolizing reunion; patties are also round, meaning reunion, reunion, and because they are made of sticky glutinous rice, they symbolize sticking everyone together, never to be separated. The mooncake is a good gift, and the mochi is also a gift.

The difference is that the scope of eating mooncakes is nationwide, while the custom of playing mochi is mainly distributed in the Yangtze River Basin rice cultivation area, especially in Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei and Hunan. There is a folk proverb that says, "If you don't play mochi during the Mid-Autumn Festival, your mother-in-law's children will not return home."