The Origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a remnant of the ancient custom of worshiping celestial phenomena and respecting the moon. According to "Zhou Li Chunguan", in the Zhou Dynasty, there were activities such as "welcoming the cold on Mid-Autumn Night", "offering good furs at Mid-Autumn Festival", and "worshiping the moon at the equinox"; in the Han Dynasty, people also respected the elderly on the day of Mid-Autumn Festival or Beginning of Autumn. , support the elderly, and give them thick cakes. The practice of admiring the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival was also practiced in the Jin Dynasty, but it was not very common. It was not until the Tang Dynasty that the Mid-Autumn Festival was combined with mythological stories such as Chu'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang cutting laurels, the Jade Rabbit pounding medicine, Yang Guifei turning into a moon god, and Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty visiting the Moon Palace. It is full of romantic color, and the trend of playing with the moon has just become popular.
In the Northern Song Dynasty, August 15th was officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the seasonal food "small cakes are like chewing the moon, with crispy and sweet fillings" appeared. Meng Yuanlao's "Tokyo Menghua Lu" said: "On the Mid-Autumn Festival night, noble families decorated their pavilions, and people competed for restaurants to play in the moonlight." Moreover, "strings are heavy and cauldrons are boiling, and residents nearby hear the sound of sheng and taro in the middle of the night, just like clouds." Outside, there are children playing all night, and the night market is full of people. "Wu Zimu's "Meng Liang Lu" said: "At this time, the golden phoenix is ??refreshing, the jade dew is refreshing, the osmanthus is fragrant, and the silver toad is shining. Rich families with huge houses all go to the dangerous towers, play under the moon in the pavilion, or open the pavilion, prepare banquets, play the piano and the harp, drink wine and sing, so as to predict the joy of the evening. , arrange a family banquet, gather around the children, to celebrate the festival. Although the poor people in the back alleys are drinking in the farmers market, they are reluctant to spend the night selling and buying in the streets, until the five drums are played, and the mother-in-law is there. The market is burning." What's more interesting is that "New Drunkard's Talk" records the custom of worshiping the moon: "Children of Qingcheng families do not think they are rich or poor, but they are all decorated with adult eyes. , climb the tower or burn incense in the atrium to worship the moon, and each has his own way; men would like to go to the Toad Palace early and climb up to the fairy osmanthus... Women would like to look like Chang'e and be as round as the bright moon."
Appreciation of the moon in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Activities remain popular. "The fruit cakes they offer must be round"; each family must set up a "moonlight position" and "offer offerings to the moon" in the direction of moonrise. Lu Qihong's "Beijing Suihua Ji" records: "On the Mid-Autumn Festival night, people put up symbols of the Moon Palace, with the symbols on them standing like people; they put melons and fruits in the courtyard, and the cakes were painted with Moon Palace symbols; men and women worshiped and burned incense. "Tian Rucheng's "West Lake Tour Notes" says: "It's evening, people have a moon-viewing banquet, or they take a boat on Baihu Lake to swim along the sun. On the Su Di, they join hands in singing, just like the daytime"; "People use moon cakes. Inviting each other brings the meaning of reunion." Fucha Dunchong's "Yanjing Years' Notes" said: "The Mid-Autumn Mooncakes are the best in Kyoto from the Qianmen Zhimeizhai, and there is not enough food elsewhere. Moon cakes are available everywhere. The big ones are more than a foot long, and have moon palace wax painted on them. "In the shape of a rabbit." "Every Mid-Autumn Festival, the noble families of the mansion offer moon cakes and fruits. When the fifteenth month comes, they put melons and fruits in the courtyard to offer sacrifices to the moon. This is the time for Hao Po. In the sky, the colorful clouds are beginning to disperse, cups are being washed, and children are making noises. It is truly a festival. Only when the moon is offered, many men do not bow." At the same time, in the past five hundred years, "burning buckets of incense", "walking on the moon" and "walking on the moon" were also introduced. Festive activities such as "letting sky lanterns", "Tree Mid-Autumn Festival", "lighting tower lanterns", "dancing fire dragons", "trailing stones", "selling rabbits", etc. Among them, customs such as admiring the moon, eating moon cakes, and having reunion dinners have been spread to today.
The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history. Like other traditional festivals, it also developed slowly. Ancient emperors had the ritual system of worshiping the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. As early as in the book "Zhou Rites", The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" has been recorded. Later, nobles and literati also followed suit. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, they would look at the bright and round moon in the sky, watch and worship, and express their feelings. This custom was spread to the people and became a traditional activity until the Tang Dynasty. After that, people paid more attention to the custom of worshiping the moon, and the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. "Book of Tang·Taizong Ji" records the "Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th". This festival was popular in the Song Dynasty and became popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is as famous as New Year's Day and has become one of the major festivals in our country.
The legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival are very rich. Mythical stories such as Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang conquering Gui, and the Jade Rabbit making medicine are widely circulated.
One of the legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival - Chang'e flying to the moon
According to legend, 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, who Infinitely, he sympathized with the suffering people, climbed to the top of Kunlun Mountain, exerted his magical power, drew his magical 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.
As a result, Hou Yi was respected and loved by the people. Hou Yi married a beautiful and kind-hearted wife named Chang'e. In addition to spreading his skills and hunting, Hou Yi stayed with his wife all day long. People envied this loving couple with talent and beauty.
Many people with lofty ideals came here to learn from Tou Shi, and Peng Meng with evil intentions also got in.
One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek enlightenment. He happened to meet the Queen Mother who was passing by, and asked the Queen Mother for a package 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, so he had to temporarily give the elixir to Chang'e for collection. Chang'e hid the medicine in the treasure box on the dressing table. Unexpectedly, the villain Peng Meng saw it. He wanted to steal the elixir and become an immortal himself.
Three days later, Hou Yi led his disciples out for hunting. Peng Meng, who had evil intentions, pretended to be sick and stayed behind. Soon 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. In the critical moment, she made a prompt decision, turned around, 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 heartbroken. He looked up at the night sky and called out the name of his beloved wife. At this time, he was surprised to find that the moon today was particularly special. It is bright and bright, and there is a swaying figure that looks like Chang'e. He chased the moon desperately, but he chased three steps, the moon took three steps back, he took three steps back, and the moon took three steps forward. No matter what, he couldn't catch up.
Houyi had no choice but to miss his wife, so he had to send people to Chang'e's favorite back garden, set up an incense table, put her favorite sweetmeats and fresh fruits, and offer sacrifices to him in the moon palace. of Chang'e. 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.
Since then, the custom of worshiping the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival has spread among the people.
Mid-Autumn Legend 2 - Wu Gang won the laurel
There is another legend about the Mid-Autumn Festival: It is said that the osmanthus tree in front of the Guanghan Palace on the moon grows luxuriantly and is more than 500 feet tall. There is a man below who is always cutting it down, but every time he cuts it down, the cut place immediately closes up again. For thousands of years, this osmanthus tree has been cut down as it goes. This osmanthus tree can never be cut down. It is said that the man who cut down the tree was named Wu Gang, who was from Xihe in the Han Dynasty. He once followed the immortals to practice Taoism and reached the heaven. However, he made a mistake, and the immortals demoted him to the Moon Palace, where he did such futile and hard work every day as punishment. . 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".
The third legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival - Zhu Yuanzhang and the Mooncake Uprising
Eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival is said to have begun in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the vast number of people in the Central Plains could not bear the cruel rule of the Yuan Dynasty's ruling class, and they revolted against the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang united various resistance forces to prepare for the uprising. However, the officers and soldiers of the court conducted a very strict search, making it very difficult to convey the news. Military counselor Liu Bowen came up with a plan and ordered his subordinates to hide the note with "uprising on August 15th" in the cakes, and then sent people to deliver it to the insurrectionary armies in various places, informing them to respond to the uprising on the night of August 15th. . On the day of the uprising, all rebel armies responded together, and the insurrectionary army was like a spark igniting a prairie fire.
Soon, Xu Da captured Yuan Dadu and the uprising was successful. When the news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy that he quickly passed down an oral order to let all the soldiers and the people have fun during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, and to reward the officials with the "mooncakes" that were used to secretly convey the message when the army was launched as seasonal cakes. Since then, the production of "mooncakes" has become more and more sophisticated, with more varieties, and the big ones are as big as discs, which have become a good gift. From then on, the custom of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival spread among the people.
The 15th day of the eighth lunar month every year is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival. This is the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Chinese lunar calendar, a year is divided into four seasons, and each season is divided into three parts: Meng, Zhong and Ji. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called Zhongqiu. The moon on August 15th is rounder and brighter than the full moon in other months, so it is also called "Yuexi" and "August Festival". On this night, when people look up at the bright moon in the sky, they naturally look forward to family reunions. Wanderers who are far away from home also use this to express their longing for their hometown and relatives. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the "Reunion Festival".
Our people have had the custom of "autumn twilight and evening moon" in ancient times. On the eve of the moon, worship the moon god. By the Zhou Dynasty, every Mid-Autumn Festival night would be held to welcome the cold and worship the moon. Set up a large incense table and place mooncakes, watermelons, apples, dates, plums, grapes and other offerings. Mooncakes and watermelons are absolutely indispensable. The watermelon should also be cut into lotus shapes. Under the moon, the moon statue is placed in the direction of the moon, with red candles burning high. The whole family worships the moon in turn, and then the housewife cuts the reunion moon cakes. The person who cuts the food must calculate in advance how many people are in the family. Those who are at home and those who are out of town must be counted together. They cannot cut more or less, and the sizes must be the same.
According to legend, Wu Yan, an ugly girl from the ancient Qi State, worshiped the moon devoutly when she was a child. When she grew up, she entered the palace with outstanding moral character, but she was not favored. On August 15th of a certain year, the emperor saw her under the moonlight while admiring the moon. He thought she was beautiful and outstanding, so he made her his queen. This is how the Mid-Autumn Festival came to worship the moon. In the middle of the moon, Chang'e is famous for her beauty, so the girl worships the moon and wishes that she "looks like Chang'e and has a face like the bright moon."
In the Tang Dynasty, admiring and playing with the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival was quite popular. In the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. On the night of August 15th, people all over the city, rich and poor, old and young, wear adult clothes, burn incense, worship the moon, express their wishes, and pray for the blessing of the moon god. In the Southern Song Dynasty, people gave each other mooncakes as gifts to symbolize reunion. In some places, there are activities such as dancing grass dragons and building pagodas. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival have become more popular; many places have formed special customs such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn Festival trees, lighting tower lanterns, releasing sky lanterns, walking on the moon, and dancing fire dragons.
Today, the custom of playing under the moon is far less popular than in the past. However, it is still very popular to hold banquets to admire the moon. People drink wine to admire the moon to celebrate a good life, or wish their relatives far away to be healthy and happy, and to "live thousands of miles away" with their families.
The Mid-Autumn Festival has many customs and different forms, but they all express people's infinite love for life and yearning for a better life.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is also a day to honor your parents! Don’t forget to pay more attention to your parents!
The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in my country, and it is also the second largest traditional festival in my country after the Spring Festival. August 15th is right in the middle of autumn, so it is called the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The ancient Chinese calendar called August, which is in the middle of autumn, "Zhongqiu", so the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called "Zhongqiu Festival".
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon is bright and clear. The ancients regarded the full moon as a symbol of reunion. Therefore, August 15th is also called the "Reunion Festival". Throughout the ages, people have often used the terms "full moon" and "waning moon" to describe "joys and sorrows", and wanderers living in foreign lands use the moon to express their deep feelings. Poet Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty wrote "Looking up at the bright moon, bowing his head thinking about his hometown", Du Fu's "The dew is white tonight, the moon is bright in my hometown", Wang Anshi of the Song Dynasty wrote "The spring breeze is green again on the south bank of the river, when will the bright moon shine on me again" and other poems, They are all eternal songs.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is an ancient festival, and worshiping and admiring the moon is an important custom of the festival. In ancient times, emperors had a social system of worshiping the sun in spring and the moon in autumn, and people also had the custom of worshiping the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Later, admiring the moon became more important than worshiping the moon, and serious sacrifices turned into relaxed entertainment. The custom of appreciating the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival peaked in the Tang Dynasty. Many poets included poems praising the moon in their famous works. In the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties, the activities of worshiping and appreciating the moon among the court and the people became more extensive. There are many ancient monuments such as "Moon Worship Altar", "Moon Worship Pavilion" and "Moon Watching Tower" remaining in various parts of our country. The "Altar of the Moon" in Beijing was built during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty for the royal family to worship the moon. Whenever the moon rises during the Mid-Autumn Festival, a table is set up in the open air, and moon cakes, pomegranates, dates and other fruits are offered on the table. After worshiping the moon, the whole family sits around the table, eats and talks, and enjoys the bright moon. Nowadays, the activities of worshiping and worshiping the moon have been replaced by large-scale and colorful mass moon-viewing recreational activities.
Eating moon cakes is another custom of the festival. Moon cakes symbolize reunion. The production of mooncakes has become more and more sophisticated since the Tang Dynasty. Su Dongpo wrote in a poem: "Small cakes are like chewing the moon, with crispness and sweetness in the middle." Yang Guangfu of the Qing Dynasty wrote: "Moon cakes are filled with peach and meat fillings, and ice cream is sweet with cane sugar frosting." It seems that the mooncakes at that time are quite similar to those now.
According to historical records, the term "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the book "Zhou Rites". In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was a record of "ordering the minister to suppress the cattle confusion, and on the Mid-Autumn Festival night, the left and right people were incognito and flooded the river". It was not until the early Tang Dynasty that the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. "Book of Tang·Taizong Ji" records the "Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th". The popularity of the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Song Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become as famous as New Year's Day and became one of the major festivals in our country. This is also the second largest traditional festival in our country after the Spring Festival.
" West Lake Tour Zhiyu" said: "August 15th is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people send moon cakes to each other to symbolize reunion." "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" also says: "When worshiping the moon on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, the cakes will be round, the melons will be broken into pieces, and the petals will be carved like lotus flowers. ... Those who have a wife who has returned to peace will return to her husband's house on this day, which is called reunion. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, most areas in my country still have the custom of baking "reunion", which is a small cake that symbolizes reunion and is similar to a moon cake. The cake is filled with sugar, sesame, osmanthus and vegetables, and the moon, osmanthus and rabbit are pressed on the outside. After worshiping the moon, the elders in the family will cut the cake into pieces according to the number of people, and leave one piece for each person if someone is not at home, which means family reunion.
There are few clouds and fog, and the moonlight is bright and clear. In addition to holding a series of activities such as appreciating the moon, worshiping the moon, and eating moon cakes to pray for reunion, some places also have activities such as dancing grass dragons and building pagodas. In addition to moon cakes, various seasonal fresh fruits are also held. Dried fruits are also a delicacy on the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Another theory of the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is that the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month happens to be the time when rice matures, and the Mid-Autumn Festival may be the day when the rice is ripe. Relics.