August 15th of the lunar calendar is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in China. This is the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. This is also the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival.
The origin of the Mid-Autumn festival
In China's lunar calendar, a year is divided into four seasons, and each season is divided into three parts: Meng, Zhong and Ji, so Mid-Autumn Festival is also called Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon on August 15th is rounder and brighter than the full moons in other months, so it is also called Moon Festival, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, August Festival, August Festival, Moon Chasing Festival, Moon Worship Festival, Daughter's Day or Reunion Festival, which is a traditional cultural festival popular among many ethnic groups in China. On this night, people look up at the bright moon in the sky like jade, and naturally look forward to family reunion. Wanderers who are far away from home also take this opportunity to pin their thoughts on their hometown and relatives. Therefore, Mid-Autumn Festival is also called "Reunion Festival".
It is said that the moon is closest to the earth this night, and the moon is the largest and brightest, so there is a custom of drinking and enjoying the moon from ancient times to the present; The daughter-in-law who goes back to her mother's house will return to her husband's house in the future, in order to express her happiness and good luck. In some places, such as Ningbo, Taizhou and Zhoushan, the Mid-Autumn Festival is scheduled for August 16th, which is related to Fang Guozhen's change to "Lantern Festival on the 14th day of the first month and Mid-Autumn Festival on August 16th" in order to prevent attacks by officers and men of Yuan Dynasty and Zhu Yuantian. Besides, in Hong Kong, after the Mid-Autumn Festival, we will have another carnival in Izayoi called "Chasing the Moon".
The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the book "Zhou Li", and it was in the Tang Dynasty that a national festival really formed. In ancient times, our people had the custom of "autumn dusk and evening moon". The evening moon is to worship the moon god. In the Zhou dynasty, every mid-autumn night was held to welcome the cold and offer sacrifices to the moon. Set up a big incense table, and put moon cakes, watermelons, apples, red dates, plums, grapes and other sacrifices, among which moon cakes and watermelons are absolutely indispensable. Watermelon has to be cut into lotus shapes. Under the moon, put the moon statue in the direction of the moon, and the red candle burns high. The whole family worships the moon in turn, and then the housewife cuts up the reunion moon cake. Cut the people in advance to calculate the number of people in the whole family, at home and in the field, all together, can not cut more or less, the size should be the same.
As for the custom of eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival, it was formed in the Ming Dynasty. Tian Rucheng, a writer in the Ming Dynasty, wrote in "Notes on the Tour of the West Lake": "August 15th is called Mid-Autumn Festival, and the folks take mooncakes as a legacy to get together". Shen Bang, a historian of the Ming Dynasty, wrote in Miscellanies of Wan Department that "the flour cakes are different in size, and they are different in size. The cake is filled with fruit, and the name is different. There is a cake worth hundreds of dollars. " The book also introduces the production process at that time, which has reached a high level. The moon cakes used for the moon in the Beijing Palace are "more than feet in diameter from bottom to top and weigh two pounds." Later, with the evolution of the past dynasties, the varieties and patterns of moon cakes became more and more abundant, the production technology was updated, and the flavor was more. Eating moon cakes on August 15th has become an ancient and very meaningful tradition of the Chinese nation.
In the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Northern Song Dynasty, on the night of August 15th, people all over the city, rich and poor, old and young, put on adult clothes, burn incense and express their wishes to Yue Bai, and pray for the blessing of the moon god. In the Southern Song Dynasty, people gave each other mooncakes as a token of reunion. In some places, there are activities such as dancing grass dragons and building pagodas. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival has become more popular, and many places have formed special customs such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn Festival trees, lighting tower lanterns, putting sky lanterns, walking on the moon and dancing dragon.
Today, the custom of playing under the moon is far from prevailing in the old days. However, feasting to enjoy the moon is still very popular. People drink wine in asking for the moon to celebrate a better life, or wish their relatives far away healthy and happy, and have a wonderful time with their families.
There are many customs and forms of Mid-Autumn Festival, but they all entrust people with infinite love for life and yearning for a better life.
On Mid-Autumn Festival, people eat moon cakes to show "reunion". Moon cakes, also known as Hu cakes, palace cakes, moon groups, harvest cakes, reunion cakes, etc., are offerings to worship the moon god in ancient Mid-Autumn Festival. According to historical records, as early as 3,000 years ago, in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, there was a "Taishi cake" in memory of Taishi Wen Zhong. In the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian sent a mission to the Western Regions, introduced walnuts and sesame seeds, and a round "Hu cake" with walnut kernel as the stuffing appeared. When Tang Gaozong was in China, Li Jing went to the Xiongnu and returned home triumphantly in the Mid-Autumn Festival. At that time, a Tibetan businessman presented Hu cakes, and Li Yuan was very happy. He pointed the Hu cakes at the bright moon in the sky and said, "We should invite toads (the moon) to Hu cakes." Then give it to the ministers to eat. If this is true, this may be the beginning of sharing moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival. However, the word "moon cake" was first found in Hong Ling cakes made by Wu Zimu in the Southern Song Dynasty. Moon cakes are round, and the time when they are endowed with the meaning of reunion is the Ming Dynasty. Liu Dong's "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" says: "On August 15th, when the moon is sacrificed, its fruit cakes will be round." Tian Rucheng's Notes on Visiting the West Lake said: "August 15th is called Mid-Autumn Festival, and people also take mooncakes as a symbol of reunion." In Miscellaneous Notes of Wan Department, Shen Bang also described the grand occasion of making moon cakes in Beijing during the Mid-Autumn Festival in the Ming Dynasty: all the people in the Fang Dynasty "made moon cakes with different sizes, so they were called moon cakes. The market is even filled with fruit, and the name is different. There is a cake worth hundreds of dollars. " Ingenious cake-making workers are surprisingly renovated, and various patterns are made on the moon cakes. Peng Yunzhang's "Youzhou Folk Songs" describes: "The moon palace symbol is painted as a jade rabbit kiln dwelling; Moon palace cake, made of silver toad purple house shadow. A pair of toad rabbits are all over the world, regretting the year when Chang 'e stole medicine; I can't go back to the cold, and I am in Danyan. "
There is also a custom that people eat moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival to show "reunion". Moon cakes, also known as Hu cakes, palace cakes, moon groups, harvest cakes, reunion cakes, etc., are offerings to worship the moon god in ancient Mid-Autumn Festival. According to historical records, as early as 3,000 years ago, in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, there was a "Taishi cake" in memory of Taishi Wen Zhong. In the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian sent a mission to the Western Regions, introduced walnuts and sesame seeds, and a round "Hu cake" with walnut kernel as the stuffing appeared. When Tang Gaozong was in China, Li Jing went to the Xiongnu and returned home triumphantly in the Mid-Autumn Festival. At that time, a Tibetan businessman presented Hu cakes, and Li Yuan was very happy. He pointed the Hu cakes at the bright moon in the sky and said, "We should invite toads (the moon) to Hu cakes." Then give it to the ministers to eat. If this is true, this may be the beginning of sharing moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival. However, the word "moon cake" was first found in Hong Ling cakes made by Wu Zimu in the Southern Song Dynasty. Moon cakes are round, and the time when they are endowed with the meaning of reunion is the Ming Dynasty. Liu Dong's "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" says: "On August 15th, when the moon is sacrificed, its fruit cakes will be round." Tian Rucheng's Notes on Visiting the West Lake said: "August 15th is called Mid-Autumn Festival, and people also take mooncakes as a symbol of reunion." In Miscellaneous Notes of Wan Department, Shen Bang also described the grand occasion of making moon cakes in Beijing during the Mid-Autumn Festival in the Ming Dynasty: all the people in the Fang Dynasty "made moon cakes with different sizes, so they were called moon cakes. The market is even filled with fruit, and the name is different. There is a cake worth hundreds of dollars. " Ingenious cake-making workers are surprisingly renovated, and various patterns are made on the moon cakes. Peng Yunzhang's "Youzhou Folk Songs" describes: "The moon palace symbol is painted as a jade rabbit kiln dwelling; Moon palace cake, made of silver toad purple house shadow. A pair of toad rabbits are all over the world, regretting the year when Chang 'e stole medicine; I can't go back to the cold, and I am in Danyan. "
Simple: solve riddles on the lanterns, eating moon cakes, burning lanterns, enjoying the moon, playing with the moon, burning incense, planting the Mid-Autumn Festival, lighting tower lanterns, putting sky lanterns, walking the moon, dancing fire dragons, crossing Nanpu Bridge, hanging lanterns, inviting the moon's aunt when you are in Yue Bai, burning crock, lighting orange lanterns, "watching the meeting", offering sacrifices to the gods of the earth and the valley, going to the grave to worship ancestors, keeping vigil and blowing along the door.
● Shandong
Jimo and other places eat a festive food called "wheat arrow" during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
● Shanxi
Lu 'an people will entertain their son-in-law in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Datong county moon cakes are called reunion cakes, which are as big as two or three feet, and there is a custom of vigil in mid-autumn night.
● Shaanxi
On mid-autumn night in Xixiang County, men went boating and climbed the cliff, and women also arranged a good banquet. No matter rich or poor, people must eat watermelons, which must be cut into lotus shapes.
● Shanghai
Shanghainese Mid-Autumn Festival banquet is accompanied by osmanthus honey wine.
● Jiangsu
Nanjing people love to eat moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival, and they must eat osmanthus duck, a famous Jinling dish. "Sweet-scented osmanthus duck" should be in the market when cinnamon is fragrant, fat but not greasy, and delicious. After drinking, you must eat a small piece of sugar taro and pour it with cinnamon pulp. The beauty goes without saying. "Cinnamon pulp" is named after Qu Yuan's "Songs of the South, Less Commandments" and "Helping the North to close its doors and drink cinnamon pulp". Cinnamomum cassia pulp, a sweet osmanthus, was picked around the Mid-Autumn Festival and pickled with sugar and sour plum. Women in the south of the Yangtze River are handy and turn the chanting in poems into delicacies on the table. Nanjing people enjoy the moon with their families, which is called "celebrating reunion", group sitting and drinking is called "full moon", and traveling in the market is called "walking on the moon".
● Zhejiang
The reason why Hangzhou's water shield bass stew became a dish at the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet was not only because the water shield bass was delicious at this time, but also because of the historical fact that Hans Zhang abandoned his official position and returned to his hometown in Jin Dynasty with the help of homesickness. This story not only became a beautiful talk for generations, but also made water shield a symbol of homesickness.
Water shield is a Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner and a seasonal dish soup in August. Water shield, also known as horseshoe grass and watercress, is an aquatic perennial leafy grass plant. The roots, stems and leaves of water shield are not only green and fragrant, fresh and delicious, but also nutritious. Water shield can be picked in spring and autumn, but it is better to pick more water shield in autumn.
● Sichuan
In addition to eating moon cakes, Sichuanese also kill ducks, eat sesame cakes, honey cakes and so on during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
In western Sichuan, smoked ducks are a must-have for Mid-Autumn Festival, because at that time, the raw ducks had grown up and were fat and thin. The master selects the ducklings born in the same year, removes all feathers after slaughter, gut them, washes them, removes the wing tips and duck feet, marinates them with salt for one night, scalds them slightly in boiling water until their skins are tight, removes them, puts them in a smoking stove, smokes them with straw until they are brown, takes them out of the oven, marinates them in a pot, and changes the knife to a plate when eating, thus obtaining the smoked duck with golden red color, tender meat and strong smoke smell. The preparation of brine is very important in making smoked duck. Old bittern should be used for bittern, and timely spices, salt and sugar color should be added every time bittern is marinated. When bittern is marinated, the duck should be fully pressed into bittern with heavy objects, and the marinating time is generally about 20 minutes. If the time is too long, the duck meat will be old, which will affect the quality and taste.
● Guangdong
There are many kinds of food in Chaoshan Mid-Autumn Festival, which has a lot to do with the cultural connotation, tidal climate and agricultural production of the Mid-Autumn Festival. It can be mainly divided into three categories: first, cakes, moon cakes from all over Chaoshan, sweet, salty, meaty, assorted and multi-flavored. There are also cakes, soft cakes and cloud cakes, all of which are Mid-Autumn Festival cakes, which are good for hipsters to send relatives. It can be said that it is a custom for hipsters to send moon cakes to relatives. Second, the Mid-Autumn Festival in the tidal land, when the sky is crisp and the fruit is ripe, pomelo, persimmon, carambola, pineapple, pomegranate, olive and banana are another kind of food for the influx of people in the Mid-Autumn Festival; Third, agricultural taro and pumpkin, which are used by hipsters to make taro paste and melon pulp, are also popular among hipsters. Among them, the Mid-Autumn Moon Cake is an annual traditional food for hipsters. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is not a Chaoshan person who doesn't taste the moon cake. Although moon cakes can have various shapes and Chaoshan areas have their own characteristics, they all have the same feature, that is, they are required to be round. Taro, Ciba, etc. are also necessary for hipsters in the Mid-Autumn Festival.
● Guizhou
Guizhou-style moon cakes are different from Cantonese-style moon cakes. They are baked and mixed with 500 grams of flour, pork suet, syrup and water.
Knead into water-oil skin; 250 grams of flour is mixed with lard and rubbed into "dry pastry". After dosing separately, the dry pastry is wrapped in water-oil skin, and the pastry is made into 40 grams of pastry blanks, and then each pastry is pressed into a round cake skin for later use. Bake sesame seeds, melon seeds and walnuts, chop them into fine particles, mix them, add cooked ham powder, jujube, melon paste, cooked flour, rock sugar and salt, and mix well to form a filling.
A proper amount of stuffing is wrapped in the skin blank agent, closed downwards, pressed into an oblate shape, put into an oiled baking pan, and baked in an oven at the temperature of 2 10℃ for the top fire and 0 180℃ for 5-20 minutes until the surface is golden and the inside is mature. Golden color, crisp shell and distinct layers; The stuffing is sweet and salty, sweet and refreshing, and rich in nutrition. The master said that the pastry layer should be thin and even, and a piece of white oil paper should be put on the baking tray when the moon cake blank is put into the baking tray.
● Taiwan Province
There is a strong atmosphere of raising water ducks in Kaohsiung County. Before and after the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is the time when the water duck is the most tender. Hakkas in Meinong area often slaughter the water duck and add vegetables in the Mid-Autumn Festival, which has become a local Mid-Autumn Festival feature. In addition to eating moon cakes, the Mid-Autumn Festival in Yilan area also eats a kind of food called "vegetable cakes". The vegetable cake is made of flour and baked with brown sugar in the middle. In Tainan, there is a custom of eating potato on Mid-Autumn Festival.
In recent years, the Mid-Autumn Festival in Taiwan Province has developed a new activity-barbecue.
In addition, a food company in Taiwan Province launched a brand-new concept of Mid-Autumn Snow Moon Cake according to the different demands of consumption levels and the characteristics of the lingering summer heat during the Mid-Autumn Festival. What is snow moon cake? Snow moon cakes are ice cream moon cakes, which are cool and cool, and have a smooth taste. The stuffing is divided into three flavors-champagne sweetheart, Hawaiian party and Vienna coffee. This moon cake is also fully packaged in Japanese exquisite packaging, and the Baolilong packaging box with heat preservation function ensures that the snow moon cake will not melt in a certain period of time.
The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history. Like other traditional festivals, it developed slowly. The ancient emperors had a ritual system of offering sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. As early as Zhou Li, the word "Mid-Autumn Festival" was recorded. Later, nobles and scholars followed suit. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, they watched and worshipped the bright and round moon in the sky, expressing their feelings. This custom spread to the people and formed a traditional activity. Until the Tang Dynasty, people paid more attention to this custom of sacrificing the moon, and the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. The Book of Tang Taizong recorded the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15, which was popular in the Song Dynasty. The legend of Mid-Autumn Festival is very rich, and the fairy tales such as the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang's felling of laurel and Jade Rabbit's smashing medicine are widely circulated.
One of the Mid-Autumn Festival Legends-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 died in the sun, and the people were in poverty. A hero named Hou Yi was of 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, shot down more than nine suns in one breath, and ordered the last sun to rise and fall on time for the benefit of the people.
Hou Yi was respected and loved by the people, and 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 came here to study as a teacher, and Peng Meng, who had ulterior motives, also mixed in.
One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek 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, when Hou Yi came home, 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 had no choice but to miss his wife, so he had to send someone to Chang 'e's favorite back garden, put on a table sweetmeats, put on her favorite honey and fresh fruits, and pay a remote sacrifice to Chang 'e who was attached to him 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.
The second legend of Mid-Autumn Festival-WU GANG won the laurel.
There is also a legend about the Mid-Autumn Festival: It is said that the osmanthus tree in front of the Guanghan Palace on the moon grows luxuriantly, with a height of more than 500 feet. There is a person who often cuts it down below, but after each cut, the cut place is closed immediately. 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, Han Dynasty, once followed the immortal to the heaven, but when he made a mistake, the immortal relegated him to the Moon Palace, and did this kind of futile drudgery every day to show his 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."
Legend of Mid-Autumn Festival III —— Zhu Yuanzhang and Moon Cake Uprising
It is said that eating moon cakes in Mid-Autumn Festival began in 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 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 Yuan Dynasty and the uprising was successful. When the news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy that he quickly gave 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 were sent 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.
custom
History of riddles
Lantern riddles in China have a long history, with a history of more than 3,000 years. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there appeared the "Ci" and "argot", which were the rudiments of lantern riddles. By the Han Dynasty, "argot" began to divide into two directions. A kind of mystery of things with descriptive characteristics as the main feature; Another kind of literary mystery mainly focuses on the form and meaning of words. In the Wei Dynasty, it was called a riddle. With the prosperity of poetry in Sui and Tang Dynasties, poetry puzzles appeared in large numbers and became the mainstream. Since the Song Dynasty, some scholars have often posted riddles on various lanterns on the Lantern Festival night to attract pedestrians to guess and shoot. This is how the "lantern riddle" came about. After the mid-Qing Dynasty, enigmas flourished and many enigmas emerged. After the Revolution of 1911, lantern riddles formed two styles of "Southern Sect and Northern Sect". In the old society, because most of the enigmas were literati, some literati pretended to be lofty, unilaterally emphasized elegance and rejected folk lantern riddles. After liberation, under the guidance of the party's literary policy of "letting a hundred flowers blossom", lantern riddles have developed more vigorously, and riddles have become increasingly perfect and rich, making great contributions to building socialist spiritual civilization and invigorating the cultural life of the masses. At present, Chinese and overseas Chinese all over the world have lantern riddle activities and lantern riddle academic exchanges.
Eat moon cakes
Tang Xizong ate moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival, which was very delicious, and when he heard that Qujiang, a newcomer, held a wedding banquet, he ordered the imperial kitchen to wrap the moon cakes in HongLing and give them to the newcomers. This is the earliest record of moon cakes that we can see. In the Song Dynasty, moon cakes were known as "lotus leaf", "golden flower" and "hibiscus", and their production methods were more clear. Su Dongpo, a poet, praised it in a poem, saying, "Small cakes are like chewing the moon, and there are crisps and fillings in them." Crisps are oil crisps and fillings are sugar, and its taste is sweet, crisp, fragrant and beautiful. After the Song Dynasty, making moon cakes not only pays attention to taste, but also designs various patterns related to the legend of the Moon Palace on the cake surface. At first, the pattern on the cake surface was probably painted on paper and then pasted on the cake surface. Later, it was simply pressed on the moon cake with a dough mold. The moon cake in the shape of a full moon symbolizes a happy reunion just like the full moon in the 15th National Day. People regard it as holiday food, use it to offer sacrifices to the moon and give it to relatives and friends. This is undoubtedly a reflection of the national psychology of the Han nationality. Legend has it that in the early years of the Yuan Dynasty, the rulers of the Yuan and Mongolia were afraid that the people would rise up and resist, and they adopted a high-pressure policy of sending one soldier to monitor every ten families, and only ten families were allowed to use a kitchen knife. The people couldn't bear it, so they took the opportunity of giving each other moon cakes on the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th, and put a wax pill in the moon cake, wrapped in paper, with an oath written on it, and a piece of paper at the bottom of the cake as a hint, so as to call on each other to fight against the rejuvenation of Mongolia. Is this kind of moon cake called in Wenzhou, Zhejiang? quot; "Sanjin", according to the homonym of local dialect, means "kill tight". This is probably the reason why a piece of paper is often attached to the moon cake today.
Burning lamp
On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, the sky is as clear as water and the moon is as bright as a mirror, which can be described as a beautiful scene. However, people are not satisfied with this, so there is the custom of burning lights to help the moonlight. In Huguang area, it is customary to stack tiles on the tower and burn lights on it. In the south of the Yangtze River, there is a custom of making lanterns. In modern Mid-Autumn Festival, the custom of burning lanterns is more prosperous. Modern people Zhou Yunjin and He Xiangfei said in their article "Talking about Seasons in Leisure": "Guangdong has the most prosperous lanterns, and families tie lanterns with bamboo sticks ten days before the festival. Make words such as fruits, birds and animals, fish and insects and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, and paint various colors on paste paper. Mid-autumn night lights are tied to bamboo poles with ropes, and tall trees are placed on tile eaves or terraces, or small lights are used to build fonts or various shapes, which are hung at the height of the house, commonly known as the Mid-Autumn Festival in trees or vertical Mid-Autumn Festival. The lamp hung by a rich house can be as high as tens of feet. Family members gather under the lamp to enjoy drinking, while ordinary people erect a flag pole and two lanterns to enjoy themselves. "The city is full of lights, like a glass world." It seems that since ancient times, the custom of burning lanterns in Mid-Autumn Festival seems to be second only to the Lantern Festival in scale.
This year's Mid-Autumn Festival is a bit special, because it is included in the legal holidays. Today, with developed transportation, smooth information and the replacement of traditional moon cakes to ice cream moon cakes, it seems that a full moon is no longer out of reach, and eating moon cakes for the whole family is no longer the only thing in the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Come for a short trip during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday
For the first Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, travel agencies in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province have launched special tourist routes, among which short-term tourist routes are the most popular among the public.
It is understood that the short-distance tour routes designed by many travel agencies are mainly one-day, two-day and three-day tours, such as Wutai Mountain, Pingyao, Qiaojia Courtyard, Huangcheng Xiangfu, Pingshun Water Town and other provincial tours, including Yuntai Mountain and Baligou in Henan Province. Judging from the current booking situation, there are more individual travelers and more family trips.
In particular, some personalized tourist routes have been launched, such as Taiyuan Yangqu, Qingxu, Jinzhong Yuci, Taigu and other surrounding rural tours, as well as short-distance leisure tours such as Pingshun and Phoenix Happy Valley. At the same time, a fuss has been made about the entertainment and interest of scenic spots, such as picking and drifting.
In addition, many citizens are prepared to change the tradition of spending holidays at home in previous years, and the whole family will go out to stay in a farmhouse in the suburbs for a few days to enjoy a rare leisure.
Mr. Wang, a citizen, said that due to the three-day holiday before and after the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, their whole family planned to enjoy the pastoral fun and taste fresh fruits and vegetables, which must be very pleasant. To this end, various travel agencies have arranged some tourist routes that highlight fresh air, beautiful mountains and beautiful waters, and quaint and wild interests. At present, tourists have booked rooms in the farmhouse to eat farmhouse meals, live in farmhouse houses, do farm work and enjoy the farmhouse.
Mid-autumn festival hopes for reunion and doesn't want overtime pay
The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday and the "Eleventh" holiday are coming one after another, and busy people can finally have a rest. However, many employers in Tianjin have arranged employees to work overtime during these two holidays, and most of them have worked overtime without the consent of the trade union. Some workers have to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day Golden Week at their posts.
Miss Li is a salesman of an advertising company. She just got a project recently, which means that they often have to work overtime to complete the project. "According to company practice, such overtime is not paid. The reason is simple: the company does not advocate overtime, nor does it object to overtime. For those with quick hands and feet and quick brains, they can finish the work without overtime. But sometimes for various reasons, only' active' overtime can complete the work. If you can't finish the work within the specified time, the company thinks that you are not qualified for this position. Now the job competition is fierce, and it is not easy to find a good job. For the sake of the face of banknotes, no one dares to make a strange sound, for fear of being fired because of' incompetence'. " Miss Li said that in a company like theirs, being able to work for two or three years in a row is an old employee.
According to the labor department of this city, at present, the implementation of overtime pay by employers is still relatively good, and most employers can pay overtime pay to employees in accordance with regulations. However, the survey found that many employees would rather give up overtime and reunite with their families on such days as Mid-Autumn Festival and Spring Festival.
Human resources experts believe that we should not just complain about overtime, but the government, enterprises and employees should work together to finally safeguard everyone's "right to rest". For those enterprises that often work overtime, operators should try their best to relieve stress for their employees. Employees should also carry forward the dedication in the workplace and work overtime selectively according to the importance of their work.
Newcomers want to register with the Civil Affairs Bureau to thank guests.
On the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, the marriage registration offices in Guangzhou will not have a holiday, and the marriage registration business will be handled normally. This news makes Foshan people envy, because cities such as Foshan still have normal holidays on the Mid-Autumn Festival and do not register for marriage. However, if citizens really need it, they can also register for marriage by appointment in advance.
Ke Xiao, the grass-roots political power of Foshan Civil Affairs Bureau, believes that citizens should pay attention to new civilization and new fashion when they get married, instead of blindly emphasizing "old customs". The so-called "good days" chosen by the citizens and the "good intentions" in the picture are actually some old ideas.
Ren Liu, a folk expert, believes that the Mid-Autumn Festival is a folk tradition handed down in China for thousands of years, and it is endowed with many beautiful images. Therefore, it is human nature for newcomers to choose such a beautiful and reunion day to complete their marriage. In fact, young people's registration on Mid-Autumn Festival is a kind of respect and inheritance to China's traditional culture, which should be supported.
Turn off the lights and go out to enjoy the bright moon outdoors.
Recently, a Henan poet suggested on his blog that on this day of family reunion, the lights should be turned off for one hour to calm down the noisy city. "Please ask the mayor to put out all the lights on public occasions and let the dew-like moonlight shine on our hearts. Oh, don't think about anything. The moon looks at us, and we look at the moon ..." This blog was compiled and published by Henan media. The netizens who followed the post were either in favor or against it, and they could not agree. The Fujian Environmental Volunteers Association issued an initiative to the whole society: "On Mid-Autumn Night, let's turn off the lights together, enjoy the moon in public places, and have an environmentally friendly and poetic Mid-Autumn Festival."
Zheng Dijian, vice president of the association, said that this year is the first Mid-Autumn Festival. In order to make the traditional festival more flavor, everyone might as well return to the tradition and turn off the lights to enjoy the moon.
Their suggestion was strongly supported by the Astronomical Association of this province. Pan Xiaoqing, deputy secretary-general of the association, said that the light pollution in the city is getting more and more serious, and it is difficult for us to see the real night sky. When night falls, the lights in the city are bright, and the high-rise buildings in the city are projected into the sky with strong floodlights and laser lights. Many high-rise buildings use reflective glass or reflective building materials as external decoration, and the light of the moon is covered. Sometimes, people can't even see the moon. On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, if everyone can turn off the lights, go outdoors and enjoy the beautiful moonlight again, it will be the best commemoration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. At present, many citizens have responded to the initiative of the Provincial Environmental Volunteers Association.
However, Ge Jianxiong, a professor of history at Fudan University, thinks that it is understandable to suggest that the whole city should turn off the lights and enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival, but there are concrete obstacles to the operation. One is the safety of the city without lights, and the other is "the moon is full of rain and shine". What should I do if it rains and clouds cover the moon? This is something that cannot be unified.
He believes that when modern people celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and enjoy the moon, it is more to remember a cultural memory and a cultural heritage of thousands of years. Now the departments concerned have designated a special holiday. If it is meaningless to just take a day off, we should create some new suggestions, besides eating moon cakes, edamame and taro, so that Chinese people can realize some cultural significance and have more secular happiness. He said that some people asked why western festivals are enduring. In fact, western festivals have religious backgrounds, and our Mid-Autumn Festival, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Spring Festival are secular festivals, which require many people to participate in. "The so-called festival is the happiness of most people. Most people think that it is a public holiday to have happy things to do on this day, otherwise it is just a day off."
The Mid-Autumn Festival reunion dinner will be cooked by yourself.
As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, many hotels and restaurants in Shenyang are not interested in the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion banquet, and have not yet launched the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet menu or quoted the price. Hotels and restaurants are not so "cold" about the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion banquet. What about the attitude of the citizens?
"This year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, my son, daughter-in-law, daughter and son-in-law will come back. The whole family will cook together and enjoy the moon while eating at home, which is more Mid-Autumn Festival." Uncle Zhang, who lives in Tiexi District, said.
In addition, many vagrants working in other places are going home to visit relatives and friends during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. Miss Li said that before the Mid-Autumn Festival, there was no holiday and she could not go home at all. This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival has a three-day holiday. Apart from the time taken up on the way back and forth, she can stay at home with her parents for two days. Miss Li said that in addition to reuniting with her family, high school students are organizing a reunion, so that old students who haven't seen each other for several years can get together well.
Family reunion is the happiest life.
This year, after experiencing the great sorrow of snowstorm and earthquake, people are more and more eager for a plain and harmonious life. In the face of the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, people undoubtedly pay more attention to the beautiful wish of the moon cake itself-reunion. In Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, many citizens firmly believe that family reunion and happiness are the core connotation of the Mid-Autumn Festival for thousands of years. Although this year's Mid-Autumn Festival is the first legal holiday, they have no plans to go out, just want to stay at home and spend it with their families, and feel the taste of "home" festival.
"On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, the whole family is together, enjoying the moon, eating moon cakes and lighting lanterns. Old people and children tell some stories about Mid-Autumn Festival, such as the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon and Wu Gangfa Gui. Everyone is talking and laughing. As long as they think of these scenes, they will feel very happy and warm." Aunt Huang said.
Mr. Wu also deeply felt: "I used to think that it was very rustic to eat moon cakes at home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, so I like to go out with a group of friends to enjoy the moon." However, when I saw the scenes of the earthquake, I suddenly realized that even if it is very dull, it is the greatest happiness for a family to reunite. "