Introduction and development of Mid-Autumn Festival Part I
Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history. Ancient emperors had the 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" was recorded. Later, nobles and scholars followed suit. In the Mid-Autumn Festival, this custom spread to the people and formed a traditional activity. In the Tang Dynasty, people paid more attention to this custom of offering sacrifices to the moon. The Book of Tang Taizong recorded the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th, which was popular in the Song Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was as famous as New Year's Day and became one of the major festivals 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.
Introduction and development of Mid-Autumn Festival Part II
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, Moon Chasing Festival, Moon Festival, Daughter's Day or Reunion Festival, which is a traditional cultural festival popular among many nationalities. 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". The fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in China. August 15th is just in the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. China's ancient calendar called August in the middle of autumn "Mid-Autumn", so the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called "Mid-Autumn Festival".
The ancients regarded the full moon as a symbol of reunion, so it was also called "Reunion Festival" on August 15th. Throughout the ages, people often use "full moon" and "lack of moon" to describe "joys and sorrows". Poet Li Bai's "lifting myself to look, I found that it was moonlight, sinking back again, I thought suddenly of home", Du Fu's "he knows that the dews tonight will be frost, how much brighter the moonlight is at home!" and other poems, are all eternal songs.
Brief introduction and development of Mid-Autumn Festival Part III
Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, Moonlight Birthday, Moon Festival, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Festival, Moon Festival and Reunion Festival, is a traditional folk festival in China. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from the worship of the moon in autumn in ancient times. At first, the festival of "Sacrificing the Moon" was held on the day of "Autumn Equinox" in the 24th solar term of the Ganzhi calendar, and later it was transferred to August 15th of the summer calendar (lunar calendar). In some places, the Mid-Autumn Festival was set on August 16th of the summer calendar. Since ancient times, Mid-Autumn Festival has had folk customs such as offering sacrifices to the moon, enjoying the moon, eating moon cakes, playing with lanterns, enjoying osmanthus flowers, drinking osmanthus wine, etc., which have spread to this day and lasted for a long time. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in ancient times, popularized in the Han Dynasty, shaped in the early years of the Tang Dynasty and prevailed after the Song Dynasty. Mid-Autumn Festival is a synthesis of seasonal customs in autumn, and most of the festival customs contained in it have ancient origins. [5] The Mid-Autumn Festival is a colorful and precious cultural heritage, which is based on the reunion of people with the full moon, with the hope of missing their hometown and their loved ones, and praying for a bumper harvest and happiness.
Mid-Autumn Festival, Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day and Dragon Boat Festival are also called the four traditional festivals in China. Influenced by Chinese culture, Mid-Autumn Festival is also a traditional festival for overseas Chinese in some countries in East and Southeast Asia, especially local Chinese. On May 20th, 2006, the State Council was included in the first list of intangible cultural heritage. Mid-Autumn Festival has been listed as a national legal holiday since 2008.
Introduction and development of Mid-Autumn Festival Part IV
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, August Festival, Moon Chasing Festival, Moon Festival, Daughter's Day or Reunion Festival, is a traditional cultural festival popular in many ethnic groups in China and countries in the Chinese character cultural circle. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, hence the name "Mid-Autumn Festival" because it is just half the value of Sanqiu. In some places, the Mid-Autumn Festival is set on the 16th of August. The Mid-Autumn Festival began in the early years of the Tang Dynasty and prevailed in the Song Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become one of the major festivals in China with the same reputation as the Spring Festival. Influenced by Chinese culture, Mid-Autumn Festival is also a traditional festival for overseas Chinese in some countries in East and Southeast Asia, especially local Chinese. Mid-Autumn Festival has been listed as a national legal holiday since 2008. On May 20th, 2006, the State Council was included in the first list of intangible cultural heritage.
The Mid-Autumn Festival has had the custom of offering sacrifices to the moon, enjoying the moon, eating moon cakes, enjoying osmanthus, drinking osmanthus wine, etc. since ancient times, and it has spread to this day and lasted for a long time. The Mid-Autumn Festival takes the full moon as a sign of people's reunion, which is based on the feeling of missing one's hometown and relatives. Pray for a bumper harvest and happiness, and become a rich and precious cultural heritage. Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Spring Festival and Tomb-Sweeping Day are also called the four traditional festivals in China.
Introduction to the origin and development of Mid-Autumn Festival Part V
There are many opinions about the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival. The word Mid-Autumn Festival was first seen in Zhou Li, and The Book of Rites and the Moon Order said: "Mid-Autumn Moon nurtures aging and practices Mid-Autumn Festival porridge diet." One said: It originated from the sacrificial activities of ancient emperors. It is recorded in the Book of Rites that "the sun rises in the spring, and the moon falls in the autumn", and the moon is a sacrifice to the moon, indicating that as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, emperors began to sacrifice to the moon and Yue Bai. Later, aristocratic officials and scholars followed suit and gradually spread to the people.
Second, the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival is related to agricultural production. Autumn is the harvest season. The word "autumn" is interpreted as "autumn when the crops are ripe". Mid-Autumn Festival in August, crops and various fruits are maturing one after another. In order to celebrate the harvest and express their joy, farmers take "Mid-Autumn Festival" as a festival. "Mid-Autumn Festival" means the middle of autumn. The August of the lunar calendar is a month in the middle of autumn, and the 15th is a day in the middle of this month. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival may be a custom inherited from the ancient autumn newspaper.
Three said: Some historians also pointed out that the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival should be Tang Jun at the end of Sui Dynasty on August 15th, 13th year of Daye, and Pei Ji of Tang Jun successfully invented moon cakes with the idea of full moon, and distributed them to the army as military pay, which successfully solved the problem of military food derived from absorbing a large number of anti-Sui rebels.
Four: At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Liu Bowen, the counselor of Zhu Yuanzhang, the leader of the anti-Yuan uprising, took advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival people to give each other round cakes, and included the note "Kill the Tartars on the night of August 15th" in the cakes. When everyone saw the note in the cakes, it was agreed to kill the unscrupulous "Tartars" (Yuan soldiers) together on this night. Afterwards, everyone ate cakes to celebrate the victory of the uprising, and officially called the Mid-Autumn Festival round cakes moon cakes.
Five Theories (Myth): It is said that in ancient times, there were ten days in the sky at the same time, which caused crops to wither and the people to be miserable. A hero named Hou Yi was of infinite strength. He sympathized with the suffering people, drew his bow, shot down more than nine suns in one breath, and ordered the last sun to rise and fall on time to benefit the people. Houyi shot nine suns, which was respected and loved by the people. Chang 'e was the wife of Houyi, the hero who shot the sun. The Queen Mother thanked Houyi for her contribution to shooting the sun and gave her the immortal medicine. Chang 'e, however, had no choice but to eat this fairy medicine because of her distress, so she could not stay on the ground and flew to the moon. When Hou Yi went home to find his wife, he beat his chest, looked up at the moon and called Chang 'e's name for a long time. His call shocked the sky, and the figure of Chang 'e appeared on the bright moon. Hou Yi hurriedly put on the incense table, put on her favorite honey and fresh fruit, and offered a remote sacrifice to Chang 'e in the moon palace. When people heard the news that the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon had become an immortal, they also arranged incense tables under the moon to pay homage to Chang 'e. Later, the mother moon was moved by Yi's true feelings and allowed Chang 'e to meet Yi under the laurel tree on the full moon. Since then, the custom of Yue Bai in Mid-Autumn Festival has spread among the people, and later, the folklore of "Wu Gang cutting Guangxi" and "Jade Rabbit tinkering with medicine" has emerged.