The origin of the Mid-Autumn festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from the worship of the moon in autumn and evening in ancient times. Sacrificing the moon is a very old custom in China, and it is a kind of worship activity of ancient people in some places in ancient China. In the autumnal equinox of the 24 solar terms, it is an ancient "Moon Festival". The Mid-Autumn Festival comes from the traditional "Autumn Equinox Sacrificing the Moon". In ancient farming society, the ancients believed that the movement of the moon had a lot to do with agricultural production and seasonal changes, so offering sacrifices to the moon became an important ritual activity. Sacrificing the moon, as one of the important customs of folk festivals, has gradually evolved into activities such as appreciating and praising the moon.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is popular in the 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" was first recorded in the documents of the Han Dynasty, and it was written in Zhou Li between the Han Dynasty (handed down by Zhou Gongdan, actually written between the Han Dynasty). It was said that there were activities such as "welcoming the cold in the Mid-Autumn Night", "offering good clothes in the Mid-Autumn Festival" and "Autumn Equinox and Mooning (Yue Bai)" in the pre-Qin period. According to records, in the Han Dynasty, there were activities of respecting and supporting the elderly and giving them coarse cakes on the Mid-Autumn Festival or beginning of autumn. There were also written records of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Jin Dynasty, but it was not very common. Mid-Autumn Festival was not popular in northern China before Jin Dynasty.
In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival custom was popular in northern China. In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival became an officially recognized national festival. The Book of Tang Taizong records the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th. The custom of enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival was very popular in Chang 'an area in the Tang Dynasty, and many poets wrote poems about the moon in their masterpieces. The Mid-Autumn Festival is combined with fairy tales such as the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang's felling of laurel, Jade Rabbit's smashing medicine, Yang Guifei's changing the moon god, and Tang Minghuang's visiting the moon palace, so that it is full of romance, and the wind of playing with the moon can only flourish. The Tang Dynasty is an important period in which traditional festival customs are mixed and shaped, and its main part has been passed down to this day.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, August 15th of the lunar calendar was officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. There are seasonal foods in literary works, such as "small cakes are like chewing the moon, and there are crisps and fillings in them". For example, Meng Yuan's "Tokyo Dream Record" said: "On the Mid-Autumn Night, your family is decorated with pavilions, and the people compete for the restaurant to play with the moon"; Moreover, "the string is full of enthusiasm, and it is close to the residents. At night, it is like a cloud. Children in the room, even the night wedding drama; As for the night market, as for familiarity. "
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the secular interest in Japan and China became more and more intense in the new year. ? In the activities of appreciating the moon in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, "the fruit cake must be round", and each family should set up a "moonlight position" and "worship the moon in the direction of the moon". Lu Qihong's "Beijing's Year of China" contains: "On the Mid-Autumn Night, people have their own symbols of the Moon Palace, and the symbols are free from standing like people; Chen melon and fruit are in court, and the cake surface is painted with moon palace toad exemption; Men and women worship incense and burn it. " "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of Dijing" also said: "On the 15th of August, when the moon is sacrificed, the cakes will be round, the melons will be wrongly divided, and the petals will be carved like lotus flowers. ..... Those who have a wife who will return to Ning will return to their husband's house one day, which is also called the Reunion Festival. "
Up to now, eating moon cakes has become a necessary custom for Mid-Autumn Festival in northern and southern parts of China. Moon cakes symbolize a happy reunion. People regard them as holiday food, and use them to worship the moon and give them to relatives and friends. In addition to moon cakes, all kinds of seasonal fresh fruits and dried fruits are also delicious food on Mid-Autumn Festival. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are few clouds and fog, and the moonlight is bright and bright. There are a series of festivals such as watching the moon, offering sacrifices to the moon, eating moon cakes, eating sweet potatoes, carrying lanterns, dancing grass dragons, planting trees and building pagodas.
Mid-autumn festival custom
First, sacrifice to the moon
Sacrificing the moon is a very old custom in China, and it is actually a worship activity of the ancients to the "Moon God". In ancient times, there was a custom of "autumn dusk and evening moon". Evening moon, that is, worship the moon god. From ancient times to the present, in some parts of Guangdong, people have the custom of worshipping the moon god on the Mid-Autumn Festival night.
Second, enjoy the moon
The custom of enjoying the moon comes from offering sacrifices to the moon, and serious sacrifices have become relaxed pleasures. It is said that the moon is closest to the earth this night, and the moon is the largest, roundest and brightest, so there is a custom of drinking and enjoying the moon since ancient times. In the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival, and many poets wrote poems about the moon in their masterpieces.
Third, eat moon cakes
Moon cakes, also known as moon cakes, harvest cakes, palace cakes, reunion cakes, etc., are offerings to worship the moon god in ancient Mid-Autumn Festival. Moon cakes were originally used as sacrifices to the moon god. Later, people gradually regarded the Mid-Autumn Festival as a symbol of family reunion.
Fourth, play with lanterns
Mid-Autumn Festival, there are many game activities, the first is to play with lanterns. Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the three major lantern festivals in China, so we should play with lanterns on holidays. Of course, there is no large lantern festival in Mid-Autumn Festival like Lantern Festival, and playing with lanterns is mainly between families and children.
5. Enjoy osmanthus and drink osmanthus wine.
On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, people look up at the osmanthus in the middle of the month, smell the Gui Xiang, drink a cup of osmanthus honey wine, celebrate the sweetness of the family and get together, which has become a beautiful enjoyment of the festival. People often eat moon cakes and enjoy osmanthus in the Mid-Autumn Festival, and eat all kinds of foods made of osmanthus, among which cakes and sweets are the most common.
The above is a brief introduction of the origin and customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival that I know. What other customs do you know, my friends? Welcome to add, let's meet in the comment area ~