Homesickness for Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on the 15th day of August in the lunar calendar, is an ancient festival in China. Because it falls in the middle of autumn, it is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival features eating moon cakes and carrying lanterns.
Mid-Autumn Festival, like Lunar New Year, is a day of family reunion. On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon is the roundest and brightest, and the moonlight is the most beautiful. Every household puts melons, fruits, moon cakes and other foods on the table in the courtyard, and the family eats moon cakes while enjoying the moon. It is precisely "a round in the sky is held out, and everyone in the world looks up". What a beautiful picture.
The traditional food of Mid-Autumn Festival is moon cakes, which are round and symbolize reunion, reflecting people's good wishes for family reunion. Eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival is said to have started in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang led the Han people to resist the tyranny of the Yuan Dynasty, and agreed to revolt on August 15th, and put notes in the moon cakes to convey the news. The custom of eating moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival spread among the people.
Later, Zhu Yuanzhang finally overthrew the Yuan Dynasty and became the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Although the Manchu people later entered China, people still celebrated this festival symbolizing the overthrow of foreign rule.
The origin of Mid-Autumn Festival-Five Views
Mid-Autumn Festival is full moon
Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history. Like other traditional festivals, it is also slowly developed and formed. Ancient emperors have a ritual system of offering sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. As early as in the book Zhou Li, the word "Mid-Autumn Festival" has been recorded. Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in China. According to historical records, the word "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the book Zhou Li. By the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was a record of "telling Shangshu Town that cattle were confused, and mid-autumn evening and the left and right traveling incognito across the river". It was not until the early years of the Tang Dynasty that the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. The Book of Tang Taizong records the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th. The prevalence of Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Song Dynasty, and by the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was as famous as New Year's Day and became one of the major festivals in China. This is also the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival.
according to the Chinese calendar, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is in the middle of autumn, which is the second month of autumn, and the fifteenth day of August is in the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. 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". The record of "Reunion Festival" was first seen in the Ming Dynasty.
Mid-Autumn Festival full moon
In Notes on the West Lake Tour, it is said: "August 15th is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people send moon cakes as a token of reunion". "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 are married and mothering will return to their in-laws' homes, saying "Reunion Festival"? On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, there is a custom of "reunion" in most parts of our country, that is, a small cake symbolizing reunion and similar to moon cakes is branded, which contains sugar, sesame, osmanthus and vegetables, and the moon, osmanthus trees and rabbits are pressed outside. After the moon festival, the elders in the family will divide the cake into pieces according to the number of people, one for each person, and if someone is not at home, leave a copy for them to show family reunion.
Statement 1: The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of emperors.
It is said that it has a history of more than 2, years. "Book of Rites" records: "The son of heaven springs in the morning and the sun rises in the autumn, and the moon falls in the autumn. Asahi is facing the DPRK, and the evening is in the evening. " "Evening Moon" here means "Yue Bai". Sacrificing the moon was originally a ritual system of emperors, but later, officials and scribes followed suit, and this trend gradually spread to the people. Form a traditional activity. Later, appreciating the moon was more important than offering sacrifices to the moon, and serious sacrifices turned into relaxed entertainment.
statement 2: the origin and prosperity of August festival are related to Nanjing.
The Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th, also known as August Festival in Jiangnan, is related to Nanjing.
As the season of the New Year, the Mid-Autumn Festival came into being late, but playing with the moon has a long history. In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, "playing with the moon in Niuzhu" in Nanjing was the most influential story so far, which even evolved into the Mid-Autumn Festival that the broad masses of the people enjoyed for thousands of years.
Niuzhu (now Caishiji) belonged to Moling, Danyang County (now Nanjing) in Han Dynasty. "The History of the Continued Han Dynasty, County and Country" says that Moling County has "Niuzhu in the south". As early as 1,6 years ago, the Eastern Jin Dynasty established its capital in Nanjing (then called Jianye), and Xie Shang, who was guarding Niuzhu, went boating on the Niuzhu River on a moonlit night. When he heard that he had satirized his poem "Ode to History" on a charter boat, he was greatly appreciated, so he invited him to cross the boat. This person was Yuan Hong. As soon as they hit it off, they recited poems and talked straight
Mid-Autumn Festival full moon
till dawn. At that time, Xie Shang was a general in Zhenxi, while Yuan Hong was just a poor scholar who made a living by renting. Because of their respect for talents, they broke the status barrier between them. Yuan Hong was praised by Xie Shang, and became famous from then on. Xie Shang plays with the moon, and Yuan Hong sings about history before him, and scholars follow him, so there are endless boaters and moonwalkers. When Li Bai, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, arrived in Jinling to learn about this, he wrote a poem saying, "I heard about the five chapters of Niu Zhu's swimming in the past, but why thank Yuan Jialang now?" Emotionally, I went to Sun Chu Restaurant in the west of the city to "play with the moon". The Preface to Poems on the Moon written by Ouyang Zhan in the Tang Dynasty also said: "Playing with the ancient moon, thanking Fu and Bao Shi, overlooking the pavilion and in the bright building, all play with the moon." Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty visited the Moon Palace at night, and these are the stories that have been passed down to this day.
August 15th is in the middle of Sanqiu, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Mid-Autumn Festival, the temperature is cool, the sky is crisp, and the moon is in the middle of the sky. In order to play the moon in the best season, people love to play the moon at this time, which has gradually evolved into a festival since the Tang Dynasty. This is the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Statement 3: Mid-Autumn Festival and Seasons
The 15th day of the eighth lunar month happens to be the time when rice is ripe, and all families worship the land god. The Mid-Autumn Festival may be the legacy of the Autumn Newspaper. Seasonal speaking, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the "Autumn Harvest Festival", and the grain sown in summer sowing in spring should be harvested in autumn. Since ancient times, people have been drinking and dancing in this season to celebrate the harvest with joy, which is described in the earliest poetry collection "The Book of Songs" in China. From the origin, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also the "Festival of Sacrificing the Moon", which originated from the worship of nature by ancient humans. In the ritual system of ancient emperors, there were two festivals in spring and autumn: spring festival to the sun and autumn festival to the moon. At first, the day of offering sacrifices to the moon was on the "autumnal equinox", which is different every year in August, so there is not necessarily a moon on the autumnal equinox. It is a big spoil to offer sacrifices to the moon without a moon, and it is gradually established that the day of offering sacrifices to the moon is fixed on August 15th. From the scientific observation, the inclination of the earth and the sun increases in autumn, and the warm and humid air over China gradually fades, while the northwest wind is still very weak. In this way, when the moisture has gone and the dust has not started, the air is particularly fresh, the sky is particularly clean, and the moon looks round and big, which is the best time to enjoy the moon. Just as the ancient poem says, "Brilliant and bright, ancient and modern, but enjoy the mid-autumn moon, wondering if it is the moonlight?" They are all clear in the sky. "
Statement 4: The name of Mid-Autumn Festival
According to the Chinese calendar, August of the lunar calendar is in the middle of autumn, which is the second month of autumn, and August 15th is in the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. 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".
The word Mid-Autumn Festival first appeared in Zhou Li: "In the middle of spring, drummers advocate elegance to welcome the summer; The mid-autumn night is also like a cloud. " According to Ouyang Zhan's Preface to Chang 'an's Poems on Playing with the Moon, "Autumn comes at the time, followed by summer and winter, August comes in autumn, and the season begins at night and ends in the middle of the month. If you take it from heaven, it will be cold and hot, and if you take it from the number of months, it will be the toad soul garden. " That is to say, August 15th of the lunar calendar is the middle of August in autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival.
It is said that the Mid-Autumn Festival took shape in the Han Dynasty, which was on beginning of autumn Day. By the Tang dynasty, there had been activities such as watching the moon on stage, boating and drinking against the moon. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, August 15th was designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival, and there were customs of offering sacrifices to the moon, worshipping Dan, enjoying the moon and eating moon cakes. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, this trend has not declined.
statement 5: the origin of eating moon cakes in the mid-autumn festival
China has a long tradition of eating moon cakes on the mid-autumn festival on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, and there are different opinions about the origin of this custom.
It is generally said that in the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, made his general Li Jing personally lead his troops to the frontier fortress in order to conquer the northern Turks and pacify their repeated
moon cake
violations, and as a result, he repeatedly made outstanding achievements. On August 15th, he returned to Beijing triumphantly. In order to celebrate the victory, guns were fired and music was played inside and outside Chang 'an, Kyoto, and the soldiers and civilians reveled all night. At that time, there was a Tubo who went to Chang 'an to trade, and specially presented round cakes to the emperor to celebrate his victory. Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, was overjoyed. He took the beautifully decorated cake box, took out colored round cakes, and pointed to the bright moon hanging in the sky, saying,
"We should invite toads, that is, the moon, to Hu cakes." Subsequently, the round cakes were distributed to the civil and military officials. Since then, the custom of eating moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival has been handed down.
The saying began in the Song Dynasty. In the Northern Song Dynasty, in Tokyo, Kyoto (now Kaifeng, Henan), every Mid-Autumn Festival night, people climbed buildings and mountains, and when the moon rose, they began to worship the moon. The offerings used were moon cakes, melons and fruits, cockscomb flowers and the like, but the moon cakes were the main ones. Su Dongpo, a poet in the Song Dynasty, said: "A small cake is like chewing the moon, and there is crispness and satiety in it." The moon cakes at that time were very similar to the moon cakes now.
Today, we eat moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival, not only to celebrate the harvest, but also to look forward to the reunion of relatives.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is very lively in Singapore. One month before the festival, mooncake lanterns began to go on sale. Moon cakes not only satisfy people's taste, but also are used to pay homage to their ancestors Yue Bai, and even more, they are holiday gifts for relatives and friends. In addition to moon cakes, another good holiday for Mid-Autumn Festival is "pomelo".
For young people, what interests them is all kinds of beautifully made lanterns. They also take the opportunity of festivals to show their talents in making lanterns. Adults can also enjoy themselves in the annual lantern making competition and lantern exhibition.
Singaporeans can also attend Mid-Autumn Festival parties hosted by people's liaison offices or clubs. It is also a beautiful thing for a family to enjoy the moon together. Putting melons and fruits, moon cakes and children's lanterns at home is a warm and harmonious Mid-Autumn Night.
In order to make the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere stronger and the celebrations more common, we suggest putting up lanterns in public places and hosting solve riddles on the lanterns and other activities.
Mid-Autumn Festival legends The legends of Mid-Autumn Festival are very rich: fairy tales such as the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang's felling of Guangxi and Jade Rabbit's smashing medicine are widely spread.
One of the Mid-Autumn Festival legends-[the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon]
the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon
According to legend, in ancient times, there were ten days in the sky at the same time, and the crops were scorched to death, and the people were in dire straits. A hero named Hou Yi had infinite strength. He sympathized with the suffering people, climbed to the top of Kunlun Mountain, took full advantage of his divine power, opened his bow, and shot down more than nine suns in one breath, and ordered him to do so.
Hou Yi was respected and loved by the people. He married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang 'e. In addition to hunting, Hou Yi spent all his time with his wife, and people envied this beautiful and loving couple.
Many people with lofty ideals have come here to study as teachers, and Peng Meng, who has ulterior motives, has also mixed in.
One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek the Tao. He happened to meet the Queen Mother who passed by and asked her for a pack of elixir. It is said that taking this medicine can instantly ascend to heaven and become immortal. However, Hou Yi could not bear to leave his wife, so he had to give the immortal medicine to Chang 'e for the time being. Chang 'e hid the medicine in the treasure box of the dresser, only to be seen by the villain Peng Meng. He wanted to steal the immortal medicine and become immortal himself.
Three days later, Hou Yi led his followers out hunting, and Peng Meng, who had ulterior motives, pretended to be ill and stayed. Soon after Hou Yi led the crowd away, Peng Meng broke into the backyard of the inner house with a sword in his hand, threatening Chang 'e to hand over the elixir. Chang 'e knew that she was no match for Peng Meng. When she was in a crisis, she made a decisive decision, turned around and opened the treasure box, took out the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp. Chang 'e swallowed the medicine and immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window and flew to the sky. Because Chang 'e was concerned about her husband, she flew to the nearest moon and became a fairy.
In the evening, Hou Yi came home, and the maids cried about what happened during the day. Hou Yi was both surprised and angry, and drew his sword to kill the villains. Peng Meng fled early. Hou Yi was so angry and heartbroken that 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 today's moon was exceptionally bright and bright, and there was a swaying figure resembling Chang 'e. He chased after the moon desperately, but he chased three steps, the moon retreated three steps, he retreated three steps, and the moon advanced three steps, but he couldn't catch up with him anyway.
Hou Yi was helpless and missed his wife, so he had to send someone to Chang 'e's favorite back garden, set up a table incense, put on her favorite honey and fresh fruit, and pay a tribute to Chang 'e in the moon palace. After hearing the news that the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon became an immortal, people set up incense tables under the moon to pray for good luck and peace to the kind Chang 'e.
Since then, the custom of Yue Bai in Mid-Autumn Festival has spread among the people.
Legend No.2 of Mid-Autumn Festival-[WU GANG won the laurel]
WU GANG won the laurel
There is another legend about Mid-Autumn Festival: It is said that the laurel tree in front of the Guanghan Palace on the moon grows luxuriantly, with a height of more than 5 feet. A man often cuts it down below, but every time he cuts it down, the cut place is immediately closed. For thousands of years, this laurel tree can never be cut down.
It is said that this tree-chopping man named WU GANG, a native of Xihe in the Han Dynasty, once followed the immortal to the heaven, but when he made a mistake, the immortal relegated him to the Moon Palace, doing this futile hard work every day as a punishment. In Li Bai's poems, there is a record that "if you want to be in the middle of the moon, you will pay for the cold."
the third legend of Mid-Autumn Festival-[Zhu Yuanzhang and the moon cake uprising]
Moon cakes
It is said that eating moon cakes in Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the broad masses of people in the Central Plains could not bear the cruel rule of the ruling class in the Yuan Dynasty and rebelled against the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang joined forces with various resistance forces to prepare for the uprising. However, the officers and men of the imperial court searched very closely and it was very difficult to pass on the news. Strategist Liu Bowen came up with a plan and ordered his subordinates to hide the note containing the "August 15th night uprising" into the cake, and then sent someone to send it to the uprising troops in various places separately to inform them to respond to the uprising on August 15th night. On the day of the uprising, all the rebels responded together, such as single spark can start a prairie fire.
Soon, Xu Da captured the capital of Yuan Dynasty, and the uprising was successful. When the news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy that he quickly handed down a message that all the soldiers would have fun with the people in the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, and he would give the "moon cakes" that sent messages in secret when he started fighting that year as seasonal cakes to his ministers. Since then, the production of "moon cakes" has become more and more elaborate, with more varieties, such as discs, and has become a good gift. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the custom of eating moon cakes spread among the people.
Mid-Autumn Festival poem drinking Alone with the Moon (Tang) Li Bai
from a pot of wine among the flowers, I drank alone. There was no one with me.
till, raising my cup, I asked the bright moon, to bring me my shadow and make us three.
alas, the moon was unable to drink, and my shadow tagged me vacantly;.
but still for a while I had these friends, to cheer me through the end of spring.
I sang. The moon encouraged me, I danced. My shadow tumbled after.
have sex when you wake up, and then I was drunk, and we lost one another.
shall goodwill ever be secure?, I watch the long road of the River of Stars.
Looking at the Moon on Fifteen Nights (Tang) Wang Jian
The white crow in the atrium is cold.