I. Sacrificing the Moon, Appreciating the Moon and Yue Bai

1, "Book of Rites" has long recorded "autumn dusk and evening moon", which means to worship the moon god. At this time, it is necessary to welcome the cold and worship the moon, and set up incense tables. 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, and watermelons should 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. Among ethnic minorities, the custom of offering sacrifices to the moon is also popular.

2. According to legend, the ugly woman of the ancient State of Qi had no salt, and she was devout to Yue Bai when she was young. When she grew up, she entered the palace with superior moral character, but she was not favored. Seeing the moon on August 15th, the son of heaven saw her in the moonlight and thought she was beautiful and outstanding. Later, he made her the queen, from which the Mid-Autumn Festival Yue Bai came. In the middle of the moon, Chang 'e is famous for her beauty, so Yue Bai, a young girl, wishes to be "like Chang 'e, and her face is like a bright moon". On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, the Dai people in Yunnan also have the custom of "Yue Bai".

3. The custom of appreciating the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival is very popular in the Tang Dynasty, and many poets have poems chanting the moon in their masterpieces. By the Song Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was more popular to enjoy the moon. On this day, "your family decorated the pavilions and the people competed for the restaurant to play with the moon". The activities of enjoying the moon in Yue Bai in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were even larger. Until today, it is still one of the essential activities for the Mid-Autumn Festival for the whole family to sit together and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the bright moon.

Second, watching the tide

In ancient times, in addition to enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival in Zhejiang, tide watching was another Mid-Autumn Festival event. The custom of watching tide in Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history, which was described in detail in Mei Cheng's Fu of Seven Hair in Han Dynasty. After the Han Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival tide watching became more popular. There are also records of watching the tide in Zhu Tinghuan's Supplementing the Past Events of Wulin in Ming Dynasty and Meng Liang Lu by Zi Mu in Song and Wu Dynasties.

Third, burning lamps

1, Mid-Autumn Festival night, there is the custom of burning lights to help the moonlight. The custom of burning lanterns in modern Mid-Autumn Festival is more prosperous. Today, 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 strips ten days before the festival. Make fruit, birds and animals, fish and insects and' celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival' and so on, and paint various colors on paste paper.

2. The candle burning in the Mid-Autumn Night Lantern is tied to a bamboo pole with a rope, which stands high on the tile eaves or terrace, or is built into a glyph or various shapes with small lights and hung at the height of the house, commonly known as' Mid-Autumn Festival on a tree' or' Mid-Autumn Festival vertically'.

The lamp hung by a wealthy family can be as high as tens of feet. Family members gather under the lamp to enjoy drinking, while ordinary people erect a flagpole and two lanterns to enjoy themselves. The city is full of lights and glass world. It seems that the scale of the custom of burning lanterns in Mid-Autumn Festival from ancient times to the present seems to be second only to the Lantern Festival.

Fourth, guessing puzzles

On the Mid-Autumn Festival full moon night, there are many lanterns hanging in public places. People gather together to guess the riddles written on the lanterns. Because they are the favorite activities of most young men and women, love stories are also heard at these activities, so solve riddles on the lanterns in the Mid-Autumn Festival has also been derived as a form of love between men and women.

Five, eat moon cakes

Watching the moon and eating moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival is a necessary custom for Mid-Autumn Festival in all parts of China. As the saying goes:

August 15th is a full moon, and Mid-Autumn moon cakes are sweet and fragrant. The word moon cake originated from Wu Zimu's "Dream of Liang Lu" in the Southern Song Dynasty, when it was only a snack food. Later, people gradually associate enjoying the full moon together with the mooncakes, symbolizing family reunion and carrying their thoughts. At the same time, moon cakes are also important gifts for friends to contact their feelings during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Six, play with lanterns

There is no large lantern festival in Mid-Autumn Festival, and playing with lanterns is mainly between families and children. As early as the Northern Song Dynasty, in the Old Wulin Story, it was recorded that the Mid-Autumn Festival was a custom, and there was an activity of "putting a little red lamp into the river to drift and play". Playing lanterns in the Mid-Autumn Festival is mostly concentrated in the south. For example, at the autumn festival in Foshan, there are all kinds of colorful lights:

Sesame lamp, eggshell lamp, wood shavings lamp, straw lamp, fish scale lamp, chaff lamp, melon seed lamp, birds and animals flower tree lamp, etc.