It is said that this custom is related to the righteous act of resisting Yuan soldiers.

After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, it carried out bloody rule over the Han people, so the Han people resisted unyieldingly. Various places gathered to hold uprisings on the Mid-Autumn Festival and lit fires on the top of the pagoda as a sign. Similar to the Fenghuo Tower lighting uprising, although this kind of resistance was suppressed, the custom of burning pagodas remained. This legend is similar to the legend of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

In the Northern Song Dynasty's "Old Martial Arts", it is recorded that the customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival include "putting a "little red" lantern into the river to float and play." People who play with lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival are mostly concentrated in the south. For example, at the Foshan Autumn Color Fair mentioned above, there are various kinds of lanterns: sesame lanterns, eggshell lanterns, wood shaving lanterns, straw lanterns, fish scale lanterns, chaff lanterns, melon seed lanterns, bird and animal flower tree lanterns, etc. People admire.

Mid-Autumn Festival customs in various places: playing with lanterns

In Guangzhou, Hong Kong and other places, the Mid-Autumn Festival activity is carried out on the Mid-Autumn Festival night, and the trees are also erected, which means to put up the lanterns high. With the help of their parents, children tie up rabbit lanterns, carambola lanterns or square lanterns with bamboo paper, hang them horizontally on short poles, and then erect them on high poles. When they are skilled, the colorful lights shine, adding to the Mid-Autumn Festival. A scene. Children often compete with each other to see who can erect taller, more lanterns and the most exquisite lights. There are also sky lanterns, that is, Kongming lanterns, which are made into large-shaped lanterns with paper. Candles are burned under the lanterns, and the heat rises, making the lanterns fly in the air, attracting people to laugh and chase. In addition, there are various lanterns carried by children to enjoy under the moonlight.

In Nanning, Guangxi, in addition to various lanterns tied with paper and bamboo for children to play with, there are also very simple grapefruit lanterns, pumpkin lanterns, and orange lanterns. The so-called grapefruit lamp is made by hollowing out the grapefruit, carving a simple pattern, putting it on a rope, and lighting a candle inside. The light is elegant. Pumpkin lanterns and orange lanterns are also made by removing the flesh. Although simple, it is easy to make and very popular. Some children even float grapefruit lanterns into the pond and river as a game.

Guangxi has a simple household autumn lantern, which is made of six circles of bamboo strips tied into a lantern, with white gauze paper on the outside and candles inserted inside. Hang it next to the moon festival table to worship the moon, and it can also be played by children.