1. Go to the moon
In the past, women in Jiangsu had to "walk on the moon" on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival. Generally speaking, they will play together under the moon, or visit each other, or visit Buddhist temples, or hold cultural activities. It is said that Suzhou women have to cross at least three bridges to walk on the moon, which is called "walking three bridges". Some have to cross more bridges without repetition, which requires not only physical strength but also intelligence. "Walking on the moon" is different from walking in the moonlight, and it is not full of worries, but deliberately walking and walking in the moonlight, so the statement of "walking on the moon" is full of poetry.
It is not difficult to see that this "Moon Walk" is actually a "Mid-Autumn Festival Temple Fair", which can even be understood as being specially designed for women. From the Mid-Autumn Festival party, local women dressed up beautifully, took care of the old and the young, and went out to set foot on the moon.
dragon dance
Dragon Dance is a traditional folk cultural activity on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month (Mid-Autumn Festival). Its representative places are Shima Village, Qinghu Village, Pingsha Village, Xiamao Village, Da Lang Village and Jiangcun Village in Baiyun District of Guangzhou. It is said that after the dragon dance, you can get lucky and avoid evil spirits, and the weather is good. In the past, rice stalks were tied into the shape of a dragon head and a dragon body, and incense was inserted. Young and strong boys went shirtless and waved and danced. Modern is made of rattan grass, banyan leaves and so on. And the average faucet is about 50 kilograms. Legend has it that dragons can sow clouds and rain, eliminate disasters and reduce happiness, symbolizing good luck, so it has become a custom in all parts of the country to dance dragons to pray for a safe harvest.
3. Sacrifice the moon
In the Book of Rites, it has been recorded that "autumn twilight and the moon" means to worship the moon god. At this time, a ceremony to welcome the cold Yue Bai will be held, and an incense table will be set up. In the Zhou Dynasty, every Mid-Autumn Festival night, activities to welcome the cold and offer sacrifices to the moon were held. Put a big incense table, with 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 takes turns in Yue Bai, and then the housewife cuts the reunion moon cakes. If people are laid off in advance, the number of people in the whole family will be counted, including those at home and those from other places. You can't lay off more or less, but the size should be the same. Among ethnic minorities, the custom of offering sacrifices to the moon is also very popular.
Play with lanterns
Playing lanterns on Mid-Autumn Festival is mainly between family and children. In the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a record of putting the "Little Red" lamp into the river to drift and play. Lantern playing in Mid-Autumn Festival is mostly concentrated in the south. For example, in the autumn festival in Foshan, there are all kinds of colored lights: sesame lights, eggshell lights, wood shavings lights, straw lights, fish scales lights, chaff lights, melon seeds lights, birds and animals, flowers and trees lights and so on.
In addition, there are sky lanterns, that is, Kongming lanterns, which are made of paper and tied into large lanterns. Light a candle under the lamp, and the heat rises, making the lamp fly in the air. In addition, there are children carrying all kinds of lanterns to enjoy in the lower reaches of the moon. In Nanning, Guangxi, in addition to all kinds of lanterns tied with paper and bamboo for children to play with, there are also simple grapefruit lanterns, pumpkin lanterns and orange lanterns. The so-called grapefruit lamp is to hollow out the grapefruit, carve a simple pattern, put on a rope and light a candle inside. There is a simple autumn lantern in Guangxi, which is made of six bamboo sticks, pasted with white gauze paper and inserted with candles. Hanging on the platform for offering sacrifices to the moon or for children to play with.
Eat moon cakes
Watching the moon and eating moon cakes is an essential custom in Mid-Autumn Festival in all parts of China. As the saying goes, "Moon cakes are sweet and fragrant when they are full on August 15th". The word moon cake originated from Wu's Dream in the Southern Song Dynasty, when it was just a snack. Later, people gradually associated moon viewing with moon cakes, symbolizing family reunion and bearing their thoughts. At the same time, moon cakes are also an important gift for friends to contact their feelings during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Daughter's Day, Reunion Festival, August Festival, etc. The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is a traditional festival for the Han nationality and most ethnic minorities in China. Common Mid-Autumn Festival customs include offering sacrifices to the moon, eating moon cakes and solve riddles on the lanterns, and different regions have different traditions.