1, the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon
The first story is the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, which we are familiar with since childhood. According to legend, a long time ago, ten identical suns appeared in the sky at the same time. The intense sunlight cracked the earth and dried up the river, which made people feel miserable as if they were in a steam furnace with extremely high temperature.
Fortunately, there was a hero who could not bear to watch the people suffer again, so he opened a bow of divine power at the top of the mountain and shot down all the nine suns in one breath, leaving only one to bring light to the people. People no longer have to endure the pain of ten suns, and they have great respect and love for this hero who shoots at the sun. This hero is the famous Hou Yi.
Houyi set up Sheyang magic power, which solved the problem of people coming out of the quagmire. This feat reached the ears of the Queen Mother, who was moved by her bravery and kindness and specially gave him a fairy medicine. After eating it, she can get rid of her physical illness and soar to immortality. But Hou Yi and his first wife, Chang 'e, were so in love that they couldn't bear to leave Chang 'e alone to become immortal, so they quietly hid the fairy medicine.
However, it reached the ears of Feng Meng. He wanted to seize the elixir of life, but Chang 'e had no choice but to swallow it herself and become a fairy and fly to the moon. After returning home, Hou Yi was heartbroken and missed his wife. Fortunately, a fairy told him that as long as a cake made of full moon flour was put on the full moon night on August 15, his wife could go home for reunion. This kind of cake is now moon cake, and the custom of people eating moon cakes and reuniting with their families on the Mid-Autumn Festival has been handed down.
2. Moon cake uprising
Another story is the "moon cake uprising" in the Yuan Dynasty. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial court was fatuous and decadent, and the people's life was very difficult under the cruel hegemonic rule, and finally they rose up in oppression. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang combined with the resistance forces of the People's Army to prepare for a big counterattack. However, in the face of the rigorous search by court officers and soldiers, it is quite difficult to contact each other and pass on news.
At this time, a clever strategist came up with a good idea. They made a very big round cake out of flour, and then hid a note with the key information of the "August 15 Uprising" in the cake. Soon the news spread, and finally the people's resistance won.
After Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne, he issued an imperial decree that all soldiers could rest and go home to reunite with their loved ones on August 15, and specially made cakes for them to convey the information at that time. After the improvement and perfection of later generations, a variety of moon cakes have been formed.
What is the development process of Mid-Autumn Festival?
1. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from the worship of the autumn moon in ancient times. Offering sacrifices to the moon has a long history, and it is a kind of ritual activity of ancient people in some places in ancient China. The autumnal equinox in the twenty-four solar terms is an ancient "Moon Festival". Mid-Autumn Festival is popular in Han Dynasty, which is a period of economic and cultural exchanges and integration between the north and the south of China, and cultural exchanges between different places spread together. The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the documents of Han Dynasty and was written between Han Dynasties (it was handed down from generation to generation by Dan, but it was actually written between Han Dynasties). According to legend, in the pre-Qin period, there were activities such as "Welcome to the Cold in Mid-Autumn Night", "Give Good Clothes in Mid-Autumn Festival" and "Autumn Equinox Moon (Yue Bai)". According to records, in the Han Dynasty, there was an activity of respecting the elderly and sending coarse cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival or beginning of autumn. There are also written records about Mid-Autumn Festival in Jin Dynasty, but it is not very common. Mid-Autumn Festival in Jin Dynasty was not very popular in northern China.
2. The custom of Mid-Autumn Festival was popular in northern China in Tang Dynasty. The Book of Emperor Taizong recorded the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15. The custom of enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival was very popular in Chang 'an area in Tang Dynasty. Many poets wrote poems about the moon in their masterpieces. The Mid-Autumn Festival is full of romance by combining fairy tales such as the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang's felling of laurel, Jade Rabbit smashing medicine, Yang Guifei's changing into the moon god and Tang Dynasty's visiting the moon palace, and the wind of playing the moon can only flourish. The Tang Dynasty is an important period when traditional festival customs are mixed and shaped, and its main part has been passed down to this day.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, Mid-Autumn Festival has become a popular folk festival, and August 15th of the lunar calendar was officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Sometimes food is made in literary works, such as "small cakes are like chewing the moon, with crisp and stuffing inside".
In Ming and Qing Dynasties, Mid-Autumn Festival has become one of the main folk festivals in China. During the New Year's holiday, Japanese and China are increasingly interested in secularization, and utilitarian worship, prayer and secularized feelings and wishes constitute the main forms of Mid-Autumn Festival customs for ordinary people. In the activities of enjoying the moon in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, "fruit cakes must be round", and each family should set up "moonlight position" and "Yue Bai facing the moon".
Since Mid-Autumn Festival, there have been customs such as offering sacrifices to the moon, enjoying the moon, eating moon cakes, playing with lanterns, enjoying osmanthus and drinking osmanthus wine. It has been circulating for a long time. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are fewer clouds and more fog, and the moonlight is bright and bright. In addition to a series of activities, such as enjoying the moon, offering sacrifices to the moon, eating moon cakes and wishing for reunion, there are activities such as dancing grass dragons and building stupas in some places. Today, eating moon cakes has become an essential custom of Mid-Autumn Festival in all parts of China. In addition to moon cakes, all kinds of seasonal fresh fruits and dried fruits are also delicious in the Mid-Autumn Festival.