Mid-Autumn Festival is China's traditional festivals, and the Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Qingming and known as the Chinese Han's four traditional festivals. According to historical records, the ancient emperors had a spring festival of the sun, the autumn festival of the moon rituals for the lunar calendar, that is, the 15th of August in the lunar calendar, the time coincides with the half of the three autumns, so the name of the "Mid-Autumn Festival"; but also because of this festival in the fall, August, it is also known as the "Autumn Festival", "August Festival", "August Meeting"; and there are beliefs and related festivals and activities to pray for reunion, so also known as "Reunion Festival", "Daughter's Festival The Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the "Reunion Festival" and "Daughter's Festival". Because the main activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival are centered around the "moon", it is also commonly known as the "Moon Festival", "Moon Festival", "Moon Chasing Festival "In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was also known as the Moon Festival of Duanzheng. About the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are roughly three kinds: the origin of the ancient worship of the moon, the custom of singing and dancing under the moon to look for puppets, and the legacy of the ancient Autumn Festival to worship the God of the land.
The Mid-Autumn Festival has been a national holiday since 2008. The state attaches great importance to the protection of intangible cultural heritage, on May 20, 2006, the festival was approved by the State Council included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.
The traditional Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar every year. This is the middle of the fall season of the year, so it is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Chinese lunar calendar, the year is divided into four seasons, each of which is further divided into three parts: the Meng, the Zhong, and the Quarter, hence the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon on the 15th day of the 8th month is fuller and brighter than the full moons of other months, which is why it is also called "Moon Festival" and "August Festival". On this night, people look up at the bright moon in the sky like a jade disk and naturally look forward to family reunions. People who are far away from their hometowns also take this opportunity to express their nostalgia for their hometowns and loved ones. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the "reunion festival".
The people of China in ancient times, there is "autumn sunset" custom. The moon, that is, to worship the moon god. To the Zhou Dynasty, every mid-autumn night to welcome the cold and moon festival. A large incense burner was set up, and mooncakes, watermelons, apples, jujubes, plums, grapes and other offerings were placed on the table, of which mooncakes and watermelons were absolutely indispensable. The watermelon should also be cut in the shape of a lotus flower. Under the moon, the statue of the moon god is placed in the direction of the moon, red candles are lit high, the whole family worships the moon in turn, and then the housewife in charge cuts the mooncakes for reunion. Cutting people counted in advance how many people in the family ***, at home, in the field, should be counted together, can not cut more or less, the size should be the same.
Legend has it that in ancient times, Qi's ugly girl without salt, when she was young, she used to worship the moon religiously, and when she grew up, she entered the palace with superb character, but she was not favored. One year, on the 15th day of the 8th month to enjoy the moon, the son of heaven in the moonlight to see her, think she is beautiful and outstanding, and then set up her as the queen, the mid-autumn moon worship from this. Chang'e in the moon, known for her beauty, so the young girl to worship the moon, may "look like Chang'e, face like the moon".
In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, playing with the moon is quite popular. In the Northern Song Dynasty. On the night of August 15, a city full of people, rich or poor, old or small, have to put on adult clothes, burning incense to worship the moon to say the wish, and pray for the blessing of the moon god. In the Southern Song Dynasty, people gave moon cakes to each other, taking the meaning of reunion. In some places, there are also dancing grass dragon, building pagodas and other activities. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Mid-Autumn Festival customs are more prevalent; many places have formed special customs such as burning incense, tree Mid-Autumn Festival, pointing the tower lights, putting sky lanterns, walking on the moon, dancing fire dragon.
Today, the custom of playing under the moon is far less prevalent than in the old days. But the feast is still very popular, people drink to the moon, to celebrate the good life, or to wish distant relatives healthy and happy, and family "thousands of miles *** Canyuanjuan".
The Mid-Autumn Festival has a lot of customs and different forms, but all of them are sent to people's infinite love of life and the desire for a better life.
Editing the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival
The term "Mid-Autumn Festival" was first used in the Zhou Li. According to China's ancient calendar, the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, in the middle of the eighth month of the fall of the year, so called "Mid-Autumn Festival". There are four seasons in a year, and each season is divided into three parts: Meng, Zhong, and Quarter, and the second month of the three autumns is called Zhongqiu, so the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as "Zhongqiu". To the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there are "Oracle Shangshu town cattle confusion, Mid-Autumn Festival with about the evening of the micro-suits Pan River" record. It was not until the early Tang Dynasty that the Mid-Autumn Festival became a regular festival. The Book of Tang - Taizong records that "August 15 Mid-Autumn Festival". The popularity of the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Song Dynasty, and by the time of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become one of the major festivals in China, on a par with New Year's Day. It is also the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival.
With the continuous development of society, the ancients gave the moon many legends, from the toad in the moon to the jade rabbit pounding medicine, from Wu Gang to the Chang'e to the moon, the rich imagination for the moon world depicted a picture of the mottled landscape. From the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, scholars and writers have been chanting about the moon and its affairs, and the full moon on August 15 has become an excellent time to express their feelings. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, the government officially designated the 15th day of the 8th month as the Mid-Autumn Festival, which was meant to be the middle of the three autumns, when all the people celebrated together. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon is in the sky, and the earth is full of light. People take the full moon as a symbol of reunion, and take the 15th day of the 8th month as a day for the reunion of loved ones, therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the "reunion festival".
The Mid-Autumn Festival has become a major festival of the year, and with the imperial examinations have a very subtle relationship, in our feudal society, the opening of the imperial examinations, has always been the ruler attaches great importance to a major event. And once every three years, the autumn exams than, coincidentally, arranged to be held in August. Sightseeing and passion combined together, people will be examined high school, known as the person who won the laurel in the moon. Every mid-autumn festival, must be celebrated solemnly, become an important custom of the whole society people, through the dynasties, the prevalence of the Mid-Autumn Festival gradually become one of the four major festivals in China (Spring Festival, Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival).
Edit this section of the Mid-Autumn Festival Legend
Chang'e to the Moon
Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a year when the sky appeared ten suns, baked straight to the earth smoke, seawater dry, the common people can not see to live on.
The incident alerted a hero named Hou Yi, who climbed to the top of the Kunlun Mountain, utilized his divine power, drew his divine bow, and shot down nine extra suns in one breath.
Hou Yi was honored and loved by the people, and many people came to learn from him. The treacherous and evil-minded Peng Meng also came into the picture.
Soon, Hou Yi married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang'e. In addition to the art of hunting, Hou Yi was also the first to be recognized by the Chinese government. Hou Yi in addition to the art of hunting, all day long with his wife, people envy this couple of love and talent.
One day, Hou Yi went to the Kunlun Mountains to visit friends and seek Taoism, and coincidentally met the Queen Mother who passed by, and then asked the Queen Mother for a packet of immortality medicine. It is said that if you take this medicine, you can instantly ascend to heaven and become immortal.
However, Hou Yi could not leave his wife behind, so he temporarily gave the medicine to Chang'e to treasure. Chang'e hid the medicine in the treasure box of the dresser, but unexpectedly Peng Meng saw it.
Three days later, Hou Yi led his disciples to go out hunting, and Peng Meng pretended to be sick and stayed behind.
Soon after Hou Yi led the crowd to leave, Peng Meng broke into the backyard of the inner mansion with a sword in his hand and forced Chang E to hand over the immortality medicine.
Chang'e knows that she is not Peng Meng's opponent, and when she is in a critical situation, she makes an immediate decision, turns around, opens the treasure box, and takes out the immortality medicine and swallows it.
Chang'e swallowed the medicine, her body immediately floated away from the ground, rushed out of the window, and flew to the sky. Because Chang'e was attached to her husband, she flew down to the moon, which is the closest to the earth, and became immortal.
In the evening, Hou Yi returned home, and his maids cried about what happened during the day. Hou Yi was so shocked and angry that he drew his sword to kill the villains, but Peng Meng escaped. The first time I saw him, he was so angry that he was screaming at the top of his lungs. Houyi, who was devastated, looked up at the night sky and called out the name of his beloved wife. At this time he was surprised to find that today's moon is exceptionally bright and bright, and there is a swaying figure like Chang'e.
Hou Yi hurriedly sent people to Chang'e's favorite garden, set up incense, put on her usual favorite honey fresh fruits, remote sacrifice in the moon palace in the fond of their own Chang'e.
After hearing the news that Chang'e had run to the moon and become immortal, the people set up incense under the moon and prayed to the kind Chang'e for good luck and peace. From then on, the custom of moon worship on Mid-Autumn Festival spread among the people.
The story of Chang'e's journey to the moon glorifies and praises Chang'e with a distinctive attitude and brilliant colors. Comparing with the records of Chang'e in ancient literature, it is evident that people have done a lot of processing and modification on the story of Chang'e's journey to the moon to make Chang'e's image as beautiful as the moon and to make it conform to the people's pursuit of beauty. Contrary to the widely circulated "Chang'e Runs to the Moon" in modern times, "All the Ancient Writings", a collection of "Spirit Constitution", recorded the story of "Chang'e turning into a toad": "Chang'e, Yi's wife, also stole the Queen Mother's immortality pill and took it to run to the moon. When she was about to go to the moon, she took the medicine and occupied it with Yau Wong. There is yellow occupation: said: 'auspicious, fluttering return sister, alone will be traveling west, meet the sky obscure mang, do not be alarmed and fear, after and great prosperity.' Chang'e then took refuge in the moon and became a toad." After Chang'e turned into a toad, she was punished for pounding immortality pills all day long in the Moon Palace, and lived a lonely and miserable life. Li Shangyin once wrote a poem lamenting Chang'e: "Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir, and the blue sea and the blue sky and the night are all in one mind."
Wu Gang felled the cinnamon
Looking up at the moon, some dark shadows can be seen in the middle, in our country, it is said that this is Wu Gang felled the cinnamon. Tang Dynasty, interpreted the myth of Wu Gang cut the laurel, the legend of the moon in the laurel tree up to five hundred feet, the laurel tree is not only tall, but also has a magical self-healing function. There was a man from Xihe surnamed Wu Gang, originally a woodcutter, who was intoxicated with the Tao of Immortality, but always refused to concentrate on his studies, so the Heavenly Emperor was enraged and stayed him in the Moon Palace, where he was ordered to cut down the osmanthus tree, and said, "If you cut down the osmanthus tree, you will be granted the magic of Immortality." But Wu Gang every cut an axe, axe up and tree trauma immediately healed, day after day, Wu Gang felling cinnamon wish is still not achieved, so Wu Gang in the Moon Palace perennial felling cinnamon, always cut down the tree, and he also keep cutting down .
The Jade Rabbit pounded medicine
According to legend, there are three immortals turned into three poor old man, to the fox, monkey, rabbit food, fox and monkey have food can help, only the rabbit at his wits' end. Then the rabbit said, "Eat my meat!" Then the rabbit said, "You can eat my meat!" He jumped into the fire and burned himself, and the gods were so touched that they sent the rabbit to the Moon Palace, where it became the Jade Rabbit. The Jade Rabbit was sent to the Moon Palace
Legend has it that a long time ago, a pair of rabbits who had practiced for thousands of years became immortal. They had four lovely daughters, each born pure white and clever.
One day, the Jade Emperor summoned the male rabbit to the heavenly palace, and it reluctantly left his wife and children, stepping on the clouds to go to the heavenly palace. Just as it came to the South Heavenly Gate, it saw Taibai Jinxing leading the heavenly generals escorting Chang'e away from the side. Not knowing what had happened, the Rabbit Fairy asked a nearby Heavenly God who was guarding the Heavenly Gate. After hearing what happened to her, the Rabbit Fairy felt that Chang'e was innocent and sympathized with her. But what could he do to help? Thinking of Chang'e alone in the Moon Palace, how lonely and sad, if someone to accompany would be good, suddenly thought of his four daughters, it immediately flew home.
The rabbit fairy told the female rabbit what happened to Chang'e, and said that she wanted to send a child to be Chang'e's companion. Although the female rabbit y sympathized with Chang'e, but she could not give up her own baby daughter, which is like cutting off the meat of her heart! Several daughters were also reluctant to leave their parents, and each of them burst into tears. The male rabbit said in a serious tone: "If I were to be locked up alone, would you be willing to accompany me? Chang'e has been implicated in order to save the people, can we not sympathize with her? Children, we can't just think of ourselves!"
The children understood their father's heart and all expressed their willingness to go. The male and female rabbits smiled with tears in their eyes. They decided to let the youngest daughter go.
The young Jade Rabbit said goodbye to her parents and sisters and went to the Moon Palace to stay with Chang'e!
Emperor Xuanzong roams the Moon Palace
In the Tang Dynasty, the most legendary is the legend of swimming in the night palace. Legend has it that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and Shen Tianshi and Taoist Hongdu mid-autumn moon, suddenly Emperor Xuanzong rose to the idea of touring the Moon Palace, so Tianshi for the law, the three of them a step on the clouds, roaming the Moon Palace, but the Palace before the tightly guarded, can not enter, can only be outside the overlooking the Imperial City of Chang'an, at this time, suddenly heard the sound of fairy bursts, clear and beautiful, and then moving! Tang Xuanzong has always been familiar with the music, so silent memory of the heart. This is exactly "this song should only be on the sky, where on earth a few times heard!" Later, Emperor Xuanzong recalled the music and song of the moon palace fairy, and his own music and choreography, which is the history of the famous "Nishang Yuyi song".
Legends of mooncakes
Mooncakes symbolize reunion, and are a necessary offering for the Mid-Autumn Festival and the worship of the God of the Earth. And the custom of eating mooncakes at Mid-Autumn Festival was passed down from the end of Yuan Dynasty.
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Han Chinese intended to rise up against the Mongols, but suffered from no way to pass the message. Then Liu Bowen came up with a scheme to spread rumors everywhere that there was a winter plague epidemic, unless every household bought mooncakes to eat on the Mid-Autumn Festival, in order to avoid it. When people bought mooncakes and returned home, they found slips of paper hidden inside, which read, "On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, kill the Tartars and welcome the righteous army!" So the people rose up against the rulers, and the custom of eating mooncakes at Mid-Autumn Festival was left behind.
Wuxi people generally eat braised rose sugar taro on the morning of Mid-Autumn Festival, is said to be related to this. Legend has it that after the Mongol destruction of the Song Dynasty, the national oppression was so deep that the Han Chinese always wanted to rebel. One year, we all agreed to do it together on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival. In order to win, people have to eat roasted taro, symbolizing the "Tartar" head to the ground, which is now the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival to eat sugar taro.
This legend is mutated in Chaoshan: the Yuan Dynasty rulers stipulated that every Chao family to live a Mongolian soldier, supported by the Han people, monitoring the action of the Han people, and only allowed three families **** with a kitchen knife. The people hated it so much that they took the opportunity of eating mooncakes at the Mid-Autumn Festival to put the note of meeting to raise a cause in the mooncake filling. Chao people take taro and "Hu head" resonance, and the shape of the human head, so every Mid-Autumn Festival, the taro to pay tribute to ancestors, passed down through the generations, and still exists.
All over Guangdong, the custom of eating taro at Mid-Autumn Festival is said to commemorate the end of the Yuan Dynasty to kill the Tartars historical story. After killing the Tartars at the Mid-Autumn Festival, their heads were sacrificed to the moon, which was later replaced by taro. To this day, Cantonese people still call the peeling of taro "peeling ghost skin".
Edit this section of the Mid-Autumn Festival customs
Mid-Autumn Festival moon sacrifice, in China is a very ancient custom. According to historical records, as early as the Zhou Dynasty, ancient emperors had the custom of sacrificing the sun at the spring equinox, the earth at the summer solstice, the moon at the autumn equinox and the sky at the winter solstice. The place of worship is called the altar of the sun, the altar of the earth, the altar of the moon, the altar of heaven. Set up in the southeast, northwest and north direction. Beijing's Altar of the Moon is the place where the Ming and Qing emperors sacrificed the moon. The Book of Rites: "The Son of Heaven in the spring towards the sun, the moon in the fall. The morning of the sun, the evening of the moon." Here, the evening of the moon of the evening, refers to the night sacrifice to the moon. This custom is not only practiced by the court and the upper class aristocracy, with the development of society, but also gradually affect the people.
Mid-Autumn Banquet
Ancient Han Chinese Mid-Autumn Banquet, the most refined and elegant court. Such as the Ming Dynasty court fashionable eating crabs. After the crab steamed in a bag, the crowd sat around and tasted, accompanied by wine and vinegar. After eating, drink Su Ye soup, and wash their hands with. Banquet table area around, filled with flowers, pomegranates and other seasonal food, the performance of the Mid-Autumn Festival mythological opera. Qing Palace in a courtyard to the east to put a screen, screen on both sides of the shelves of the cockles of the flowers, beans technology, taro, peanuts, radish, fresh lotus root. Screen set up a table in front of the Eight Immortals, on the top of a large moon cake, surrounded by pastries and fruits. Offerings completed, according to the Royal population will be cut into several pieces of moon cake, each person symbolically taste a mouthful, called "eating reunion cake". Qing Palace moon cake is large, unimaginable. Like the last emperor Puyi rewarded the Minister of Internal Affairs Shao Ying, a moon cake, is "about two feet in diameter, weighing about 20 pounds.
Literati appreciate the moon
The custom of appreciating the moon comes from the moon festival, a serious ritual into a relaxed entertainment. Folk Mid-Autumn Moon Festival activities about the beginning of the Wei and Jin dynasties, but did not become a habit. To the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, play the moon is quite popular, many poets in the famous poem there are moon poems. By the time of the Song Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Folklore Festival centered on moon viewing activities was formed and officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Unlike the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty people were more sentimental about the moon, often using yin and yang as a metaphor for the state of human affairs, even on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the clear light of the moon couldn't disguise the Song Dynasty people's feelings of sadness. But for the Song people, there is another form of Mid-Autumn Festival, that is, Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival of secular joy: "Mid-Autumn Festival, all the stores are selling new wine, the noble family decorative platforms and pavilions, the people's homes to occupy the restaurant to play with the moon, music and songs heard thousands of miles away, play even sat until dawn" ("Tokyo Dreaming Records"). Mid-Autumn Night in the Song Dynasty is a sleepless night, the night market is open all night, play the moon tourists, up to the end of the day.
Folk moon worship
After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, due to the relationship between the times, the reality of social life in the utilitarian factors prominent, the festival of the year in the secular interest Yu Yiqi thick, "moon" as the center of the lyrical and mythological literati traditions weakened, the utilitarian worship, prayers and secular emotions, aspirations constitute the main form of the common people's Mid-Autumn Festival. The main form of the popular Mid-Autumn Festival customs. As a result, "folk moon worship" has become a way for people to long for reunion, happiness and well-being, and to send their love to the moon.
Moonlight horse
The image of the moon god in the Ming and Qing dynasties underwent an important change from the early purely Taoist colors to Chang'e as the main picture of the moon palace evolved into a blend of Buddhism and Taoism, the moonlight Bodhisattva and the medicine-pounding Jade Rabbit and in the secular image. During this period, people made offerings of moonlight paper, also called "moonlight horses," painted with the moonlight Bodhisattva. Fucha Dun Chong's "Yanjing Yearly Records" (1906). Records: "moonlight horse, paper, painted on the top of the Taiyin Star, such as the Bodhisattva, painted under the Moon Palace and pounding medicine rabbit. People standing and pestle, algae color exquisite, gold and blue, the market more sellers. Longer seven, eight feet, short two, three feet, the top of the two flags, for red and green, fence or yellow, to the moon and offer. Burning incense to perform rituals, after the sacrifice and a thousand sheets, Yuanbao, etc., and burned."
Rabbit
The origin of the rabbit is about the end of the Ming Dynasty. Ming Ji Kun (lived around 1636) of the "Flower King Pavilion Remaining Manuscripts": "Beijing in the Mid-Autumn Festival, more than the mud Tuan rabbit-shaped, clothed and seated in a human-like, children worship and worship." In the Qing Dynasty, the function of the rabbit has been changed from moon worship to children's Mid-Autumn Festival toys. The production is also increasingly sophisticated, there are dressed as a military general wearing armor, clad in ji robe, there are also back inserted paper flag or umbrella, or sitting or standing. Sitting there are unicorns, tigers and leopards and so on. There are also dressed as a rabbit head and body vendors, or shaving master, or sewing shoes, selling wontons, tea soup, to name a few.
"Every Mid-Autumn Festival, the city's clever people, with the yellow earth rolled into a toad rabbit image to sell, called the rabbit." In the old days, Beijing Dongsi Pailou area, there are often rabbit stalls, specializing in the sale of the Mid-Autumn Festival moon festival with the rabbit. In addition, the southern paper store, incense and candles are also sold. This rabbit master, after the bold creation of folk artists, has been personified. It is a rabbit head and body, holding a jade pestle. Later, some people imitated the characters of the opera, the rabbit carved into a gold helmet and gold armor warriors, some riding a lion, elephant and other beasts, some riding a peacock, cranes and other flying birds. Especially the rabbit riding a tiger, although strange, but it is the bold creation of folk artists. There is also an elbow joint and lower jaw can move the rabbit, commonly known as "Ba da mouth", more pleasing to the eye. It is a moon worship offerings, but it is really a wonderful toy for children.
In the streets of Beijing a few decades ago, the old Beijingers who were in their sixties or older can still remember. As soon as the 15th of July passed, the rabbit stalls were set up. The first two are the same, but the second one is the same, and the third one is the same, and the third one is the same, and the third one is the same.
Play lanterns
Mid-Autumn Festival, there are many game activities, the first is to play lanterns. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the three major lantern festivals in China, and it is important to play with lanterns during the festival. Of course, the Mid-Autumn Festival does not have a large lantern festival like the Lantern Festival, and playing with lanterns is mainly only carried out among families and children.
As early as in the Northern Song Dynasty, "Old Story of Wulin", recorded in the Mid-Autumn Festival, there will be 'a little red' lights into the river to drift and play activities. Mid-autumn play lanterns, mostly concentrated in the south. Such as the aforementioned Foshan Autumn Colors, there are a variety of colored lanterns: sesame lamps, eggshell lamps, shavings lamps, straw lamps, fish scale lamps, cereal lamps, melon seed lamps, and birds, animals, flowers and trees lamps, etc., is amazing.
In Guangzhou, Hong Kong and other places, the Mid-Autumn Festival night to carry out tree Mid-Autumn Festival activities, the tree is also used as a vertical, that is, the meaning of the lamps and lanterns up high. Children in the parents with the assistance of bamboo paper tied into a rabbit lamp, Yang Peach lamp or square lamps, hung horizontally in the short pole, and then erected on a high pole, high technology up, colorful light shining, for the Mid-Autumn Festival to add a scene. The children compete with each other to see who can put up the highest and most exquisite lanterns. In addition, there are sky lanterns, that is, the Kongming lanterns, with paper tied into a large-shaped lights, lights under the candle, hot air upward, so that the lights flying in the air, attracting people to chase sub-laughing. In addition, there are children's hand-held lanterns in the moon swim playful enjoyment.
In the Nanning area of Guangxi, in addition to the paper and bamboo tie all kinds of lanterns for children to play, there are also very simple sleeve lamps, pumpkin lamps, orange lamps. The so-called pomelo lamp, is the pomelo hollowed out, to a simple pattern, wearing a rope, inside the candle into, light elegant. Pumpkin lanterns and tangerine lanterns are also made by hollowing out the flesh. Although simple, but easy to make, very popular, some children also put the oil lamps floating into the pool river water as a game.
Guangxi has a simple household autumn lamps, is to six bamboo gabion circle tied into a lamp, outside the paste white gauze paper, inside the insertion of candles that become. Hanging in the moon festival table next to the moon festival with, but also to the children to play.
Nowadays, many areas in Guangxi and Guangdong, in the Mid-Autumn Festival night set up lanterns, tied with electric lights illuminated by large modern lanterns, and made of plastic with a variety of new lanterns for children to play, but there is less of an old lanterns of the pure and simple beauty.
In addition, the South is also widely circulated burn tile lights (or burn flower tower, burn tile tower, burn tower) of the game, in Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi and other places have been circulated. Such as "Chinese national customs" Volume V: Jiangxi "Mid-Autumn Festival night, the general children in the field to pick up tiles, piled up into a round tower shape, there are many holes. At dusk under the bright moon in the wood tower burned. Once the tile burns red, and then splashed with kerosene, oil on fire, and then all of a sudden the field red, shining like day. Until the end of the night, no one to watch, and then splash rest, is the name of the burning tile lights. Chaozhou, Guangdong, burning tile tower, also made of brick and tile hollow tower, filled with twigs burning fire. At the same time also burning smoke pile, that is, the grass and firewood piled into a heap, burned at the end of the moon worship. In the Guangxi border area of the burning tower, also similar to this activity, but folklore is to commemorate the Qing dynasty famous anti-French general Liu Yongfu will escape into the tower of the ghosts (French invaders) burned to death of the heroic battle, quite patriotic ideas. Fujian Jinjiang also have "burning tower" activities.
Legend has it that this custom is related to the righteousness of the resistance against the Yuan soldiers. After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the bloody rule of the Han people, so the Han people will be unyielding resistance, all over the Mid-Autumn Festival to meet the uprising, in the top of the pagoda fire as a signal. Similar to the Peak Fire Terrace fire uprising, this resistance was suppressed, but survived the custom of burning pagodas. This legend and the legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival to eat moon cakes have the same flavor.
Fire Dragon Dance
The Fire Dragon Dance is the most traditional custom of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong. Starting from the 14th night of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, a grand fire dragon dance is held for three nights in a row in Tai Hang area of Causeway Bay. This fire dragon is more than 70 meters long, with pearl grass tied into 32 sections of the dragon body, inserted with longevity incense. On the night of the grand event, the streets and alleys of this district were bustling with a winding and undulating fire dragon dancing joyfully under the lights and dragon drum music.
Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Fire Dragon Dance has a legend of its origin: a long time ago, Tai Hang District, after a windstorm hit, a python appeared, all around the evil, the villagers went out to search and arrest, and finally killed it. Unexpectedly, the python disappeared the next day. A few days later, a plague broke out in Dakeng. At this time, the village elders suddenly received a dream from the Bodhisattva, saying that as long as the fire dragon danced during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the plague could be driven away. Coincidentally, it worked. Since then, the fire dragon dance has been passed down to this day.
No matter how much superstition there is in this legend, China is the home of the dragon, and the fire dragon dance at the Mid-Autumn Festival in Tai Hang, Hong Kong, has a history of more than a hundred years, which is worth cherishing. Nowadays, the fire dragon dance in Tai Hang District is quite large in scale, in addition to the chief instructor, coach, commander-in-chief and conductor, safety group and so on. Rotating dragon dancers amounted to more than 30,000 people.
Some of the ethnic minorities of the moon worship customs
In the ethnic minorities are also prevalent in this moon worship, moon worship customs. The Yunnan Dai people in the Mid-Autumn Festival night, the prevalence of "moon worship" custom. Dai legend, the moon is the Emperor's third son of the rocky tip change. Iwatari was a brave young man who led the Dai people to defeat the enemy and won the love of the Dai people. Later, after his unfortunate death, he turned into the moon and rose to the sky, continuing to emit soft moonlight, bringing light to the Dai people in the darkness. On every Mid-Autumn Festival day, the young men bring their powder guns early in the morning to go up to the mountains to hunt firefinches and pheasants for festive game. The girls and daughters-in-law are busy catching fish in lakes and ponds. They are all busy preparing the festival dinner. The old amahs were busy pounding glutinous rice and making food of different sizes, placing a glutinous rice round cake on each of the four table corners and sticking a cold incense burner on each cake. As soon as the moon rises over the mountains and forests, the incense is lit and the whole family begins to "worship the moon". Then, gunpowder guns are fired into the air to honor the hero, Iwaji. Finally, the whole family sits happily around the small square table, tasting food, laughing and enjoying the moon, and then disperse.
The Oroqen people sacrificed the moon in the open space on a pot of water, set up offerings, and then kneeling in front of the pot, to the moon to worship; Turkish people with pots of water, the moon's reflection by the water pot, then, people keep playing with small stones in the pot of the moon, commonly known as "playing the moon".
The Zhuang in western Guangxi, "sacrificing the moon please God" activities are more typical of the annual summer calendar in mid-August, some on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, people in the village at the end of the village in the open air, set up a table, for putting offerings and incense burners, the table on the right side of the tree is about a foot high branches or bamboo branches, symbolizing the community tree, but also as a god of the moon and the ladder up to heaven, where the ancient moon mythological factors are preserved. This place preserves the ancient mythological elements of the moon. The whole activity is divided into: invite the moon god down to earth, by one or two women as the spokesman for the moon god; gods and men sing songs; the moon god fortune-telling; singers sing to send the gods mantra song, send the moon god back to the sky in four stages.
The Mongolian "chasing the moon". Mid-Autumn Festival night, the Mongolian people love to do "chase the moon" game. People straddle the horse, in the silver-white moonlight, running on the grassland. They are facing the west, the moon rises from the east and falls to the west. Persistent Mongolian riders, less than the moon in the west, "chase the moon" more than.
The Tibetan "search for the moon". Tibetan compatriots in some areas of Tibet to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival custom is to "find the moon". Is the night, young men and women and dolls, along the river, followed by the reflection of the bright moon in the water, around the river pond in the shadow of the moon all over the wording, and then go home to eat moon cakes reunion.
Hezhe "moon festival". In the northeast of China's Hezhe settlement, every Mid-Autumn Festival, people have to pick grapes, sacrificing the moon. Legend has it that it is in honor of a smart, hard-working Herzhe daughter-in-law daughter-in-law. She could not stand the abuse of her mother-in-law and ran to the river to ask for help from the moon. Finally finally ran to the moon.
Deang "string moon". Yunnan Luxi De'ang young men and women, every autumn moon hanging high, exceptionally bright time, the end of the mountain, from time to time came a melodious melodious gourd sheng, young men and women in the "string of the moon" to talk about their feelings. Some also through the "string of the moon" to send Bingham, send tea engaged in marriage.
A fine people "jumping moon". A fine people over the Mid-Autumn Festival is the traditional habit of "jumping moon". On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, from all the villages to gather in the village of the open space, the veil of the girl jumped up, the shoulders of the young man jumped up the big three strings. However, especially attractive or the kind of young men and women to express their feelings of love and adoration of the song, as if the moon is also listening to Lee for the feelings of moving.
Miao "haunted the moon" every Mid-Autumn Festival night, the Miao people bathed in the moonlight such as wisps of silk, playing the melodious reed-sheng, dancing Miao songs and dances, young people in the "haunted the moon" activities with each other to find the person of interest, each other to express their feelings like the moon and the same as the water, the heart is pure and bright, forever. The young people look for each other in the "moon" activities, and confess to each other that they want to be like the moon and the clear water, and that they are pure and bright, and that they will always be good for 100 years.
The Mid-Autumn Festival day people have to eat moon cakes to show "reunion". Mooncakes, also known as hu cake, palace cake, moon dough, harvest cake, reunion cake, etc., is the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival offerings to worship the moon god.
According to historical records, as early as three thousand years ago in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, the folk have been in honor of the master Wenzhong's "side of the thin heart thick master cake". Han Dynasty Zhang Qian mission to the Western Regions, the introduction of walnuts, sesame, etc., appeared with walnut kernel as the filling of the round "Hu cake", the Tang Emperor Gaozong, Li Jing went on a campaign against the Turkic peoples, in the Mid-Autumn Festival triumph and return, then there is exactly a Tufan merchants into the Hu cake, Li Yuan is very happy, hand in hand with the Hu cake pointing to the sky of the white moon, said: "shall be Hu cake to invite the toad (moon)." Then he gave them to his ministers to eat. If this is true, this may be the beginning of the Mid-Autumn Festival's sharing of mooncakes. However, the term "moon cake" was first used in the Southern Song Dynasty for Wu Zimu's red diamond cake.
The mooncake is round, and was given the meaning of reunion is the era of Ming, Liu Dong, "Emperor Beijing Scenery" said: "August 15 moon festival, the festival fruit cake must be round." Tian Rucheng "West Lake Tourism Zhiyu" said: "August 15 is called mid-autumn, folk and moon cakes to leave, take the meaning of reunion." Shen Bang in the "Wan Department Miscellany" also described the Ming Dynasty Beijing mid-autumn production of moon cakes in full bloom: Fang people are "made moon cakes to leave, the size of the different, called the moon cake. The market to the fruit for the filling, coined a different name, there is a cake worth hundreds of dollars." The ingenious cake makers renovation, moon cakes made a variety of patterns, Peng Yunzhang, "Youzhou Tu Feng Yin" describes: "Moon Palace charm, painted into a jade rabbit Kiln Terrace residence; Moon Palace cake, the production of silver toads on the Purple House shadow. A pair of toad rabbits all over the world, regretting that Chang'e steal medicine years; run into the wide cold can not return, empty labor jade pestle in Dan face."
During the Qing Dynasty, eating mooncakes at Mid-Autumn has become a common custom, and the production skills are getting higher and higher. The Qing Dynasty Yuan Mei "with the garden food list" introduced: "Crispy moon cakes, pine nuts, walnuts, melon seeds and rock sugar, lard for filling, eating the sweet and fragrant pine soft and creamy, very different from the ordinary." Beijing's mooncake is made before the door Zhimei Zhai for the first. Across the country, has formed Beijing, Tianjin, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Chao five flavor series, and around the Mid-Autumn Festival moon worship, moon viewing has also produced many local folklore, such as Jiangnan's "Bu Scholar": cut the mooncake into three large, medium and small, stacked on top of each other, the largest placed underneath the "Scholar The biggest one is placed in the bottom as "Scholar"; the middle one is placed in the center as "Top Eyes"; and the smallest one is placed on the top as "Flower Explorer". And then the whole family rolled the dice, who has the most digital, that is, the first prize, eat big pieces; in turn, the top, the flower, the game for fun.
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Mid-Autumn Festival, because of the wonderful moonlight and rich in poetry, under the moon is the young men and women step song to look for the best time, and therefore the pursuit of love festival. Young men and women sing, dance and play under the moon, and when they see the one they want, they can become spouses. To modern times, this kind of ancient custom also still has some survival, rich in interest.