The origin and meaning of the Mid-Autumn Festival:

1. Celebrate the autumn harvest.

From a seasonal perspective, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the "Autumn Harvest Festival". The grains sown in spring and summer should be harvested in autumn. Since ancient times, people have drank, danced and celebrated the harvest joyfully in this season, which is described in the "Book of Songs", the earliest collection of poems in my country. In terms of origin, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a "moon worship festival", which originated from ancient humans' worship of nature. In the ritual system of ancient emperors, there were two sacrifices in spring and autumn: the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. Initially, the day of worshiping the moon was on the "autumn equinox". The season of "autumn equinox" is different every year in August, so there may not necessarily be a moon on the day of the autumnal equinox. It would be a great disgrace to worship the moon without the moon. Gradually, it became a convention and the day of the moon worship was fixed. On August 15th. From scientific observations, the tilt of the earth and the sun increases in autumn, and the warm and humid air over China gradually subsides. At this time, the northwest wind is still very weak. In this way, when the humidity has gone and the dust has not risen, the air looks particularly fresh, the sky is particularly clean, and the moon looks round and big. This is the best time to enjoy the moon. Just as the ancient poem says: "It is bright and bright. In ancient and modern times, people only appreciate the Mid-Autumn moon and wonder if it is the moon that separates them. It is all because of the clear air in the world and heaven."

2. Express the desire for reunion.

Records about the "Reunion Festival" first appeared in the Ming Dynasty. "West Lake Tour Notes" says: "August 15th is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people send mooncakes to each other to symbolize reunion." "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" also says: "When worshiping the moon on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, the cakes will be round, the melons will be broken into pieces, and the petals will be carved like lotus flowers. ... Those who have a wife who has returned to peace will return to her husband's house on this day, which is called reunion. "Festival". According to the "Preface to the Poetry of Wan Yue in Chang'an": "Autumn follows the time, summer precedes winter; August follows autumn, and the season begins and ends; the night of the 15th falls in the middle of the month. According to the way of heaven, the cold and heat are equal, and the number of months is chosen. , then the toad is round." That is to say, August 15th is in the middle of autumn, so it is called "Mid-Autumn Festival".

The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history. Like other traditional festivals, it also developed slowly. Ancient emperors had the ritual system of worshiping the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. As early as in the book "Zhou Rites", The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" has been recorded. Later, nobles and literati also followed suit. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, they would look at the bright and round moon in the sky, watch and worship, and express their feelings. This custom was spread to the people and became a traditional activity until the Tang Dynasty. After that, people paid more attention to the custom of worshiping the moon, and the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. "Book of Tang·Taizong Ji" records the "Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th". This festival was popular in the Song Dynasty and became popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is as famous as New Year's Day and has become one of the major festivals in our country.

Festival nickname:

According to the Chinese calendar, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is in the middle of autumn and is the second month of autumn. It is called "Zhongqiu", and the fifteenth day of August is in the middle of autumn. It is in the "Mid-Autumn Festival", so it is called "Mid-Autumn Festival".

The Mid-Autumn Festival has many nicknames: because the festival falls on August 15th, it is called "August Festival" and "August Half"; because the main activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival are all centered around the "month" , so it is also commonly known as "Moon Festival" and "Moon Eve"; the full moon on Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes reunion, so it is also called "Reunion Festival".

In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was also called the "Duanzheng Month".