1. Introduction to the Mid-Autumn Festival: The Mid-Autumn Festival began in the early Tang Dynasty and became popular in the Song Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become one of the major Chinese festivals as famous as the Spring Festival. Influenced by Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a traditional festival in some countries in East and Southeast Asia, especially the local Chinese and overseas Chinese. Since 2008, the Mid-Autumn Festival has been listed as a national statutory holiday.
2. The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival: The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is related to agricultural production. Autumn is the harvest season. The meaning of the word "Autumn" is: "Autumn is when the crops are mature." During the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, crops and various fruits mature one after another. In order to celebrate the harvest and express their joy, farmers use the "Mid-Autumn Festival" as a festival. "Mid-Autumn Festival" means the middle of autumn. The eighth month of the lunar calendar is the middle month of autumn, and the 15th is the middle day of this month. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival may be a custom inherited from the ancients' "Autumn Announcement".
3. The main customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival are: admiring the moon, eating moon cakes, and tasting osmanthus cakes.
Mid-Autumn Festival Folklore Stories:
Mid-Autumn Festival Legend Story 1: Chang'e Flying to the Moon
In ancient times, ten suns appeared in the sky at the same time, which caused the crops to wither and the people to live in dire straits. , a hero named Hou Yi, with infinite strength, sympathized with the suffering people, drew his magic bow, and shot down more than nine suns in one go, and strictly ordered the last sun to rise and set on time to benefit the people. Hou Yi's wife's name was Chang'e. Hou Yi spent all day with his wife except passing on his skills and hunting. Many people with lofty ideals came here to learn skills from the master, and Peng Meng with evil intentions also got in.
One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek enlightenment, and asked the Queen Mother for a packet of elixir. It is said that if you take this medicine, you can immediately ascend to heaven and become an immortal. However, Hou Yi was reluctant to leave his wife and temporarily gave the elixir to Chang'e for collection. Chang'e hid the medicine in the treasure box on the dressing table. Three days later, Hou Yi led his disciples to go hunting. Peng Meng, who had evil intentions, pretended to be sick and did not go out. Shortly after Hou Yi led everyone away, Peng Meng broke into the backyard of the inner house with a sword and forced Chang'e to hand over the elixir. Chang'e knew that she was no match for Peng Meng. When she was in danger, she turned around and opened the treasure box, took out the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp. Chang'e swallowed the medicine, and her body immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window, and flew to the sky. Because Chang'e cared about her husband, she flew to the moon closest to the world and became an immortal.
In the evening, Hou Yi returned home, and the maids cried about what happened during the day. Hou Yi was frightened and angry, so he drew his sword to kill the villain, but Peng Meng had already escaped. Hou Yi was so angry that he beat his chest and was distraught. He looked up at the night sky and called Chang'e. Then he found that today's moon was particularly bright and bright, and there was a person. The shaking figure resembles Chang'e. Hou Yi missed his wife, so he sent someone to Chang'e's favorite back garden, set up an incense table, placed the sweetmeats and fresh fruits that Chang'e loved to eat, and offered sacrifices to Chang'e in the moon palace. After the people heard the news that Chang'e flew to the moon and became an immortal, they all set up incense tables under the moon and prayed to the kind-hearted Chang'e for good luck and peace. From then on, the custom of worshiping the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival spread among the people.
Mid-Autumn Festival legend story 2: Wu Gang cut down the osmanthus
It is said that there are osmanthus trees in the moon. "Huainanzi" has said that "there are osmanthus trees in the moon". Later legends are more specific. Next to the osmanthus tree, Wu Gang, a man who cut osmanthus, was added. The legend of the osmanthus tree and Wu Gang in the moon is most detailed in the first volume of "Youyang Zazu" written by Duan Chengshi of the Tang Dynasty. A different book says that the laurel tree is five hundred feet high, and there is a man who often cuts it. His name is Wu Gang. He is from Xihe. He has a history of learning from immortals and was ordered to cut down the tree. "This means that Wu Gang once followed the immortals to practice Taoism and went to heaven. , but he made a mistake, so the immortal sent him to the moon and ordered him to cut down the laurel tree, the tree of immortality. The laurel tree is five hundred feet high and can be cut back together. Emperor Yan used this endless labor as a punishment for Wu Gang. There is a record in Li Bai's poem "If you want to cut the laurel in the moon, you will hold on to the salary of those who are cold".
Mid-Autumn Festival Legend Story 3: The Jade Rabbit Pounds Medicine
This legend was first seen in "Han Yuefu·Dong Jingxing": "The Jade Rabbit knelt down to pound medicine into toad pills, and offered a jade to His Majesty. Pan, take this medicine and you will get immortality." According to legend, there is a rabbit in the moon, which is as white as jade, so it is called "Jade Rabbit". This kind of white rabbit holds a jade pestle and kneels down to pound medicine into toad pills. Taking these pills can lead to immortality.
The Jade Rabbit was probably Chang'e's earliest playmate in Guanghan Palace.