The Mid-Autumn Festival is the name of Taoism, which is called July and a half in folk customs, and is called the Bonin Festival in Buddhism. In the Tang Dynasty, when the rulers praised Taoism, the Taoist Mid-Yuan Festival began to flourish, and gradually fixed "Zhong Yuan" as the name of the festival, which was set on July 15 and has been going on ever since.
This festival originated from the early "July and a half" harvest in autumn to worship ancestors. The birth of "July and a half" can be traced back to the ancestor worship and the harvest festival in ancient times. In ancient times, people often relied on the blessing of the gods for the harvest of farming. Ancestors are worshipped in spring, summer, autumn and winter, but the "autumn taste" in early autumn is very important. Autumn is the harvest season. People hold ceremonies to offer sacrifices to the ancestors' souls, offer the best seasonal products to the gods first, and then taste the fruits of these labors themselves, and pray for a good harvest in the coming year.
The custom of "July and a half"
1, Hebei: Botou City and Nanpi County took fruits, preserved meat, wine, money, etc. to the ancestral graves on July 15th. And hold the hemp valley to the field stalk, which is called "recommending new things" The Mid-Autumn Festival in Guangping County worships ancestors with fresh food, and prepares fruits and vegetables and steamed sheep for grandchildren, which is called "sending sheep". On July 15th, Qinghe County went to the grave to offer sacrifices to sweep, and presented her daughter with steamed sheep.
2. Shanxi: Scholars in Yonghe County sacrificed Kuixing on this day. The shepherd family in Zhangzi County slaughtered sheep in the Mid-Autumn Festival to compete with the gods. It is said that this can increase the production of sheep. Meat was also given to relatives, and those who were poor and had no sheep steamed noodles in the shape of sheep instead. The farmers in Yangcheng County made cats, tigers and grains out of wheat crumbs and sacrificed them in the fields, which is called "going to the fields". Mayi County People's Mid-Autumn Festival takes wheat flour as a child's shape, named "Mianren", and presents children from relatives to each other. Farmers in Xin county hang five-color paper on the stalks of fields on the Mid-Autumn Festival.
3. Henan: When Zhongyuan worships the local officials in Shangqiu County, paper flags are hung at the door, which is said to prevent insects. Flying kites on the Mid-Autumn Festival in Mengjin County. Jia county painted a gray circle in front of the door on July 15th, and burned paper in the circle to worship his ancestors.