In ancient China, there was a custom of offering sacrifices to the moon for a long time. According to Zhou Li, there were activities of "welcoming the cold in mid-autumn night" and "Yue Bai at the autumn equinox" in the Zhou Dynasty. In the middle of August of the lunar calendar, it is also the harvest of autumn grain. People hold a series of ceremonies and celebrations to thank the gods for their protection, which is called "Autumn Newspaper".

In the Mid-Autumn Festival, the temperature is cool but not cold, the sky is crisp and the moon is bright, which is the best season to watch the moon. Therefore, the composition of the festival was gradually replaced by the appreciation of the moon, and the color of the sacrifice gradually faded, but this festival continued and was given new meaning. This is the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival.

Extended data

The Mid-Autumn Festival is an important traditional festival in the Chinese cultural circle, which falls on the 15th day of August of the lunar calendar every year, from September to1early October of the Gregorian calendar. According to the lunar calendar, August is the second month of autumn, which was called Mid-Autumn in ancient times, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival among the people, also known as Autumn Evening, August Festival, August Half-Day, Moon Evening, and Moon Festival. Fifteen nights is one of the four traditional festivals of the Han nationality. Mid-Autumn Festival is also a traditional festival in Korea, Japan, Taiwan Province, Viet Nam and Ryukyu.

There are many nicknames for Mid-Autumn Festival: it is called "August Festival" and "August and a half" because it falls on August 15th; Because the main activities of Mid-Autumn Festival are all around the "moon", it is also commonly known as "Moon Festival" and "Moon Festival". The full moon in Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes reunion, so it is also called "Reunion Festival". In the Tang Dynasty, Mid-Autumn Festival was also called "Correcting the Moon".

Baidu Encyclopedia-Mid-Autumn Festival