The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is my country’s traditional festival - the Mid-Autumn Festival. Mid-Autumn Festival, Spring Festival, Qingming Festival and Dragon Boat Festival are the four traditional festivals of the Chinese nation. The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" was first seen in Hanfu Mid-Autumn Festival

"Zhou Rites". According to historical records, the ancient emperors worshiped the moon on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, which happened to be in the middle of the third autumn, so it was called the "Mid-Autumn Festival"; and because this festival fell in August in the autumn, it was also called the "Autumn Festival", "August Festival", "August Meeting" and "Mid-Autumn Festival"; there are also beliefs and related customary activities to pray for reunion, so it is also called "Reunion Festival" and "Girl's Day". Because the main activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival revolve around the "moon", it is also commonly known as "Moon Festival", "Moon Eve", "Moon Chasing Festival", "Moon Playing Festival" and "Moon Worshiping Festival"; in the Tang Dynasty, The Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the "Correct Month". The popularity of the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Song Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become as famous as New Year's Day and became one of the major festivals in our country. Regarding the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are roughly three types: it originated from the ancient worship of the moon, the custom of singing and dancing under the moon to find a partner, and the ancient custom of worshiping the earth god in the autumn newspaper. In order to inherit the national culture and enhance national cohesion, the Mid-Autumn Festival started in 2008 It has been listed as a national statutory holiday by the State Council. The country attaches great importance to the protection of intangible cultural heritage. On May 20, 2006, the festival was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists.

Edit this paragraph about the origin of the festival

The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" was first seen in "The Rites of Zhou". According to the ancient Chinese calendar, the 15th day of the eighth lunar month is in mid-August of the autumn of the year, so it is called the "Mid-Autumn Festival". There are four seasons in a year, and each season is divided into three parts: Meng, Zhong and Ji. Therefore, the second month of autumn is called Zhongqiu. It was not until the early Tang Dynasty that the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. "New Tang Book, Volume 15, Chapter 5, Rites and Music 5" records that "the Spring and Mid-Autumn Festivals were laid by King Wenxuan and King Wucheng", and "In the 19th year of Kaiyuan, the Taigong Shangfu Temple was built to retain the marquis Zhang Liang. Matching. In the Mid-Spring and Mid-Autumn Festival, the Wu sacrifices are made, and the system of animal sacrifice and music is as written." The Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Reunion Festival, the August Festival, etc. It is also the second largest traditional festival after the Spring Festival. The popularity of the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Song Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become as famous as New Year's Day and became one of the major festivals in our country.

Edit this paragraph Mid-Autumn Mooncake

Mooncake is the most popular Mid-Autumn Festival delicacy, and there are many theories about its origin. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Jiangsu Mid-Autumn Mooncakes

Zhang Shicheng, the leader of the anti-Yuan uprising in Taizhou (or Liu Bowen, Zhu Yuanzhang’s adviser) took advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival when people gave each other round cakes, and included "August 15th Night" in the cakes. "Kill the Tartars", everyone saw the note in the cake and passed it on to ten, and then to a hundred. As promised, the "Tatars" (Yuan soldiers) who committed all kinds of evil together that night, after that, every family ate cakes to celebrate the victory of the uprising. And the round cakes of the Mid-Autumn Festival are officially called moon cakes. In a long historical period, even at the end of the last century, many mooncakes still had a small piece of paper affixed to them! Unfortunately, in recent years, the small pieces of paper have disappeared from the mooncakes produced, and the "cultural code" contained in the mooncakes that has been passed down from generation to generation has disappeared. Another theory is that in the early years of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, general Xu Da captured Beijing, the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, where the remaining forces of the Yuan Dynasty were entrenched. During the uprising against the Yuan Dynasty, moon cakes were used to convey messages to the subjects. Mooncakes have since become a "legal" food during the Mid-Autumn Festival and must be eaten [1]. During the Republic of China, Nanjing’s mooncake market was divided into three categories: Cantonese-style, Su-style and local-produced mooncakes. Cantonese-style fillings were mainly ham, date paste, coconut paste, etc., and manufacturers were Guansheng. Headed by Yuanyuan, followed by Dashanyuan, Kangyuan, etc. They use a massive advertising campaign as a means of publishing huge advertisements in newspapers and placing neon lights in shop windows. Famous Su Bang manufacturers include Little Suzhou, Taiping Village, and Daoxiang Village. They are quite Shanghai-style in advertising production and love to make gimmicks. The quality of Su Bang mooncakes is not inferior to that of Guangbang, and the price is cheaper. Therefore, after the festival, the wealth is better than that of Guangbang. Guangbang. The customers of Guangbang are dignitaries and wealthy businessmen; the customers of Subang are mostly from well-off families; while the general public are happy to go to Guangbang. Although its fillings are only meat and five kernels and vegetarian salt and pepper, there are more than 100 restaurants in the city. The appearance of our dim sum shop is also old-fashioned. It neither displays windows nor advertises. However, it relies on quality, integrity and low prices to win over customers. Its market share is higher than that of Guangbang and Su Bang. Nothing less.

Edit this festival custom

Sacrificing the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival

is a very ancient custom in our country. According to historical records, as early as the Zhou Dynasty, ancient emperors had the custom of worshiping the sun at the spring equinox, the earth at the summer solstice, the moon at the autumnal equinox, and the sky at the winter solstice. The places where they worship are called the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Earth, the Temple of the Moon, and the Temple of Heaven. It is divided into four directions: southeast, northwest and northwest. The Moon Altar in Beijing is where emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties worshiped the moon. "The Book of Rites" records: "The emperor faces the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. When the sun rises and the moon falls, it falls on the eve of the moon." The eve of the eclipse moon here refers to the worship of the moon at night. This custom was not only pursued by the court and upper-class nobles, but also gradually affected the people with the development of society.

Literati appreciating the moon

The custom of appreciating the moon originated from worshiping the moon, and the serious worship turned into a relaxed entertainment. Folk activities of appreciating the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival began around the Wei and Jin Dynasties, but have not yet become a custom.

In the Tang Dynasty, admiring and playing with the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival was quite popular, and many poets included poems praising the moon in their famous works. By the Song Dynasty, a Mid-Autumn folk festival centered on moon-viewing activities was formed, which was officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Different from the people in the Tang Dynasty, people in the Song Dynasty were more sentimental about the moon when appreciating the moon. They often used the waxing and waning of clouds and clear moons to describe human emotions. Even on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the clear light of the moon could not hide the sadness of the Song people. But for people in the Song Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival has another form, that is, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival of secular joy: "Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, all shops sell new wine, noble families decorate their terraces and pavilions, and private families compete in restaurants to play in the moonlight and play music. Hearings from thousands of miles away, playing and sitting until dawn" ("Tokyo Menghua Lu"). The Mid-Autumn Festival in the Song Dynasty was a sleepless night. The night market was open all night and there were endless tourists enjoying the moon. Worshiping the Moon

Folk Worshiping the Moon

According to legend, Wu Yan, an ugly girl from the ancient Qi State, worshiped the moon devoutly when she was a child. When she grew up, she entered the palace with outstanding moral character, but she was not favored. On August 15th of a certain year, the emperor saw her under the moonlight while admiring the moon. He thought she was beautiful and outstanding, so he made her his queen. This is how the Mid-Autumn Festival came to worship the moon. In the middle of the moon, Chang'e is famous for her beauty, so the girl worships the moon and wishes that she "looks like Chang'e and has a face like the bright moon." After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, due to the relationship of the times, the practical utilitarian factors in social life became more prominent, the secular interest in festivals became more and more intense, the lyrical and mythological literati tradition centered on "moon appreciation" weakened, and the utilitarian Worshiping, praying and worldly emotions and wishes constitute the main forms of Mid-Autumn Festival customs among ordinary people. Therefore, "folk worshiping the moon" has become a symbol of people's desire for reunion, happiness and happiness; they use the moon to express their feelings. In ancient times, there was the custom of "autumn twilight and evening moon". On the eve of the moon, worship the moon god. Set up a large incense table and place mooncakes, watermelons, apples, dates, plums, grapes and other offerings. Mooncakes and watermelons are absolutely indispensable. The watermelon should also be cut into lotus shapes. Under the moon, the moon statue is placed in the direction of the moon, with red candles burning high. The whole family worships the moon in turn, and then the housewife cuts the reunion moon cakes. The person who cuts the food must calculate in advance how many people are in the family. Those who are at home and those who are out of town must be counted together. They cannot cut more or less, and the sizes must be the same.

Moonlight Horse

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the image of the Moon God underwent important changes. From the early pure Taoist moon palace picture with Chang'e as the main theme, it evolved into the Moonlight Bodhisattva and the Moonlight Bodhisattva that blended Buddhism and Taoism. The secular image of the Jade Rabbit and the Jade Rabbit. During this period, people worshiped moonlight paper with the Moonlight Bodhisattva painted on it, also called "Moonlight Horse". Fucha Dunchong's "The Years of Yanjing" (1906). Records: "The moonlight horse is made of paper, with the lunar star king like a Bodhisattva on the top, and the moon palace and a medicine-making rabbit on the bottom. The figure is standing and holding a pestle. The algae color is exquisite and resplendent. It is sold in many shops. The longer one is seven or eight feet, the shorter one is two or three feet. There are two flags on the top, made of red and green, or yellow, and they are burned with incense and worshiped towards the moon. After the sacrifice, they are burned together with thousands of pieces of gold and ingots. "< /p>

Rabbit Lord

The origin of Rabbit Lord dates back to the late Ming Dynasty. Ji Kun of the Ming Dynasty (who lived around 1636) wrote in "The Remaining Manuscript of Kaoge Pavilion": "On the Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing, people often wear rabbits in the shape of mud, with clothes and hats sitting like human figures, and children worship them." By the Qing Dynasty. , the function of Lord Rabbit has been transformed from offering sacrifices to the moon to being a Mid-Autumn Festival toy for children. The production is also becoming more and more sophisticated. Some are dressed as military commanders wearing armor and robes, some have paper flags or umbrellas on their backs, and some are sitting or standing. Sitting there are unicorns, tigers, leopards and so on. There are also vendors dressed as rabbit heads, some are head-shaving masters, some are sewing shoes, selling wontons, tea soup, and so on.