Mid-Autumn Festival is China's second largest traditional festival after the Spring Festival, the festival period for the 15th day of the eighth month of the Lunar Calendar, which coincides with the half of the three Autumn Festival, so it is called the "Mid-Autumn Festival", also known as the "Festival of the Mid-Autumn Festival"; also known as this festival in the Autumn, August, so it is also known as the "Autumn Festival", "August Festival", "August Meeting"; and there are prayers for reunion beliefs and related festive activities. Therefore, 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 it is also known as the "Reunion Festival The Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the "Reunion Festival" and the "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 three kinds of origins: it originated from the worship of the moon in ancient times, the custom of singing and dancing under the moon to look for puppets, and the legacy of worshiping the god of the land in the ancient Autumn Annals.
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 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar is in the middle of the 8th month of the fall, so it is called "Mid-Autumn Festival". There are four seasons in a year, and each season is divided into Meng, Zhong, quarter three parts, the second month of the three autumns is called Zhongqiu, so the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as "Zhongqiu".
With the continuous development of society, the ancients gave the moon many legends, from the moon toad to the Jade Rabbit pounding medicine, from Wu Gang felled the laurel to the Chang'e moon, rich imagination for the moon palace world depicted a pair of banjulanjiu scenic. From the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, scholars and writers have been chanting about the moon and the things in the moon, and when the moon is full on the 15th day of the 8th month, it becomes an excellent time to express their feelings. To the Northern Song Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Taizong, officials officially set August 15 as the Mid-Autumn Festival, meaning the middle of the three autumns, when all the people celebrate together. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon is in the sky, and its light fills the earth, so 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, and therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the "Festival of Reunion".
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, to obtain a scholar, 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 moon in the laurel people. Every mid-autumn festival, must be celebrated, become an important custom of the whole society, through the dynasties, the prevalence of the Mid-Autumn Festival has gradually become one of the three major festivals (Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival) in China's Han Chinese people.
Mid-Autumn Festival Legend
Chang'e to the moon
Legend, in ancient times, there was a year, the sky appeared ten suns, baked the earth smoke, sea water dry, the people can no longer live to see.
This event alarmed a hero named Hou Yi, he climbed to the top of the Kunlun Mountain, the power of God, pull open the bow, shot down nine excess sun.
Hou Yi made a great achievement and was honored and loved by the people, many of whom came to learn from him. The treacherous Peng Meng was also involved.
Soon, Hou Yi married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang'e. In addition to teaching hunting, Hou Yi also taught the art of hunting. Hou Yi, in addition to the art of hunting, and his wife together all day long, people envy this pair of talented and loving couple.
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 was said that by taking this medicine, one could instantly ascend to heaven and become immortal.
However, Hou Yi couldn't leave his wife behind, so he temporarily gave the immortality pill to Chang'e to cherish. Chang'e hid the medicine in the treasure box of her dresser, but Pengmeng saw it.
Three days later, Houyi led his disciples to go out hunting, but Pengmeng pretended to be sick and stayed behind.
Shortly after Hou Yi left, Peng Meng broke into the backyard of the mansion with a sword in his hand and forced Chang E to hand over the immortality pill.
Chang E knew that she was no match for Peng Meng, and in a moment of crisis, she made a split-second decision, turned around, opened the treasure box, and took out the Pill of Immortality and swallowed it in one gulp.
Chang E swallowed the medicine, the body immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window, flying toward the sky. Because Chang'e attached to her husband, they flew down to the closest to the earth on the moon became immortal.
In the evening, Hou Yi returned home and his maids cried about what happened during the day. Hou Yi was shocked and furious, and drew his sword to kill the villains, but Peng Meng fled. The company's newest product is a new product, which will be available in the market in the near future. 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 clear, 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 favorite honey and fresh fruits, and sacrificed to Chang'e, who was fond of herself in the Moon Palace.
When the people heard the news that Chang'e had run to the moon and become immortal, they 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 the 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. Compared 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 the image of Chang'e as beautiful as the moon, so as 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, leading a lonely and miserable life. Li Shangyin once wrote a poem lamenting Chang'e: "Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir, and the green sky of the blue sea and the blue sky are in her heart all night long."
Wu Gang felled the cinnamon
Looking up at the moon, some dark shadows can be seen in the middle of the country, which is said to be Wu Gang felled the cinnamon. Tang Dynasty, interpreted the myth of Wu Gang cut the laurel, the legend of the moon laurel tree as high as 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 the tree trauma immediately healed, day after day, Wu Gang felling laurel wish is still not achieved, so Wu Gang in the Moon Palace perennial felling laurel, always cut down the tree. And he kept chopping it down .
The Jade Rabbit pounded medicine
The legend says that 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 he jumped into the fire and burned himself, and the gods were so moved that they sent the rabbit to the Moon Palace, where it became the Jade Rabbit.
The Jade Rabbit enters 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 he 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 sympathetic to her. But what could he do to help? Thinking of how lonely and sad Chang'e is locked up in the Moon Palace, if only she had someone to keep her company, she suddenly thought of her own four daughters, and immediately flew home.
The rabbit fairy told the female rabbit what had happened to Chang'e, and said that she wanted to send one of her children to keep her company. Although the female rabbit y sympathized with Chang'e, she couldn't let go of her own precious daughters, which was tantamount to cutting off the flesh 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? Child, 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 youngest Jade Rabbit said goodbye to her parents and sisters and went to live with Chang'e in the Moon Palace!
The Emperor Xuanzong roamed the Moon Palace
In the Tang Dynasty, the most legendary of all was the legend of the tour of the Night Palace. According to legend, Tang Xuanzong and Shen Tianshi and Taoist Hongdu Mid-Autumn Moon, suddenly 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 composed his own music and dance, which is the famous "Nitang Yuyi Song" in history.
The Legend of the Mooncake
The mooncake symbolizes reunion, and is a necessary offering for the Mid-Autumn Festival moon 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.
According to legend, at that time, the people of the Central Plains were not willing to be ruled by the Mongols, and all those who had the will to rise up against the Yuan Dynasty, but they wanted to consolidate the forces of resistance, but there was no way to pass on the news, so Liu Bowen came up with a plan to spread rumors that there would be a plague, and to ask the people to buy mooncakes on the Mid-Autumn Festival in order to avoid the disaster. When people bought mooncakes and cut them open, there was a note inside that read "Uprising on the 15th of August", so the people responded to it and overthrew the Yuan Dynasty in one fell swoop. Mooncakes became a popular food for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Mid-Autumn Festival customs
Mid-Autumn Festival moon festival, 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 was not only practiced by the court and the upper class nobles, but also gradually influenced the people as the society developed.
Moon Appreciation by the Literati
The custom of moon appreciation originated from the moon sacrifice, and the seriousness of the sacrifice was turned into lighthearted amusement. Folk moonlight appreciation activities during the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Wei and Jin dynasties, but it 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 symbol of people's desire for reunion, happiness and well-being, and a way to send their love to the moon.
"Burning Pagodas"
In a few places, there is a custom of burning pagodas during the Mid-Autumn Festival. When the night falls, the moonlight all over the place, small friends have come to the open space in front of the house, pick up the broken bricks and tiles, stacked up a small pagoda, in some large open space or the square to build up a large pagoda, similar to the main pagoda, pagoda hollow, stuffed into the firewood, this activity, the adults are also often excited to come to participate. Especially some old people will set up a small offering table in front of the pagoda with mooncakes, sweet roots, oranges, pomelo and other round offerings, and light incense and candles on the table. When all the pagodas are stacked up, someone shouted: "light a fire yo ---" so, all together to ignite the pagoda in the firewood, red flames rise up, sparks popping. Not long after, a pagoda inside and outside burned red, very spectacular, good-looking.
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 Mid-Autumn Festival eating mooncake legend has the same flavor.
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 mixture of Buddhism and Taoism, the moonlight bodhisattva and the pounding of pills and the 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 Dunchong's Yanjing Shishiji (1906) recorded that "the moonlight horse was a symbol of the Buddha. Records: "The moonlight horse, made of paper, painted on the top of the star of Taiyin, like the Bodhisattva, and the moon palace and the rabbit pounding medicine. People stand and hold a pestle, algae color exquisite, brilliant gold and blue, the market stalls sell a lot of them. 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 with a thousand sheets, Yuanbao, etc. and burned."
Rabbit Masters
Rabbit Masters originated around the end of the Ming Dynasty. Ming Ji Kun (living around 1636) of the "Flower King Pavilion Remaining Manuscripts": "Beijing in the Mid-Autumn Festival more to the clay tuan rabbit-shaped, clothed and seated like a human being, the children sacrificed and worshiped." 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, to name a few.
"Every Mid-Autumn Festival, the city people of the clever, 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 ritual 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. Although it is a moon worship offerings, but it is really a wonderful toy for children.
A few decades ago in the streets of Beijing, about sixty years old Beijing can still remember. As soon as the 15th of July passed, the rabbit stalls were set up. The first five pailou in front of the front door, the back door in front of the drum tower, Xidan, Dongsi, etc., everywhere is the rabbit stalls, big and small, high and low, set up the extremely lively.
Bobbing for Cakes
In Xiamen, there is also the custom of bobbing for cakes. Six strands are placed in a large bowl, and depending on the number of red dots in them, there are six grades of prizes: the first show, the second lift, the fourth advancement, the third red, the pair of halls, and the top scholar.
Moon festival and moon worship among ethnic minorities
The custom of moon festival and moon worship is also prevalent among ethnic minorities. The Dai ethnic group in Yunnan prevails the custom of "moon worship" on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. 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 gunpowder guns early in the morning and go 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 a small square table, tasting food, laughing and enjoying the moon, and then disperse.
The Oroqen people offer the moon in the open air, put a basin of water, put offerings, and then kneel in front of the basin, to the moon to worship; the Turks use pots of water, the reflection of the moon by the water basin, then, people keep using small stones to hit the moon in the basin, commonly known as "playing the moon"; the Zhuang in western Guangxi, "moon rituals to invite the gods", "the moon rituals to invite the gods", "the moon rituals to invite the gods", "the moon rituals to invite the gods", "the moon rituals to invite the gods". The "moon festival to invite the god" activity is more typical, every year in the middle of the eighth month of the summer calendar, 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 tree about a foot high branches or bamboo branches, symbolizing the community tree, but also for the moon god to descend to the earth and heaven's ladder, where the preservation of the ancient moon mythological factors. The whole event is divided into four stages: inviting the moon god to descend to the earth, with one or two women acting as spokespersons for the moon god; the gods and men singing songs to each other; the moon god divining and telling fortunes; and the singers singing a song to send the god's mantra to send the moon god back to heaven.
Mooncakes on the 15th day of the 8th month
Mid-Autumn Festival is the day when people eat mooncakes to show their "reunion". Mooncakes, also known as hu cake, palace cake, moon ball, 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's mission to the West, 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 war against the Xiong Nu, in the Mid-Autumn Festival triumph and return, then there is a Tufan merchants into the offering of Hu cake, Li Yuan was very happy, hand in hand with the Hu cake, pointing to the sky of the moon, said: "should be the 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 mooncake sharing. However, the term "mooncake" was first used in the Southern Song Dynasty for Wu Zimu's red diamond cake. The era when mooncakes were round and given the meaning of reunion was the Ming Dynasty, when Liu Dong's "A Brief History of the Imperial Capital" said, "On the 15th day of the 8th month, the moon is sacrificed, and its sacrificial fruits and cakes 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 "making 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 renovated the strange, moon cakes to make 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 filled the earth, regretting that Chang'e stole medicine years; running into the wide cold can not return, empty labor jade pestle in the face."
During the Qing Dynasty, eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival had become a common custom, and the production skills were getting higher and higher. Yuan Mei, a Qing dynasty scholar, described the mooncake as "a crispy mooncake filled with pine nuts, walnuts, melon seeds, rock sugar and lard, which is not sweet and is 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 Scout". 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.
Playing lanterns - fire dragon dance
Mid-Autumn Festival, there are many game activities, the first is to play lanterns. Mid-Autumn is one of the three major lantern festivals in China, and it is important to play with lanterns during the festival. Of course, there are no large-scale lantern festivals in the Mid-Autumn Festival like the Lantern Festival, and playing with lanterns is mainly only done among families and children.
As early as in the Southern Song Dynasty, "Old Story of Wulin", recorded in the Mid-Autumn Festival, there will be 'a little red' lamps into the river to float and play activities. Mid-autumn play lanterns, mostly concentrated in the south. Such as the aforementioned Foshan Autumn Colors, there are all kinds of colorful lanterns: sesame lamps, eggshell lamps, shavings lamps, straw lamps, fish scale lamps, cereal lamps, melon seed lamps and birds and 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 vertical, that is, the meaning of the 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 moonlight play and enjoy.
In the Nanning area of Guangxi, in addition to paper and bamboo to 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 float the oil lamps into the pool river water as a game.
Guangxi has a simple household autumn lamp, is to six bamboo gabion circles tied into the lamp, outside the paste white gauze paper, inside the candle that is made. It is hung next to the moon festival table for the moon festival, and can also be used for 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-scale modern lanterns, as well as made of plastic with a variety of new lanterns for children to play, but there is less of a pure and simple beauty of the old lamps and lanterns.
Additionally the south is also widely circulated burning tile lights (or burning flower tower, burning tower, burning tower, burning 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 resistance to the famous general Liu Yongfu will escape into the tower of the ghosts (French invaders) burned to death of the heroic battle, quite patriotic ideas. In Fujian Jinjiang, there is also the activity of "burning pagodas".
The fire dragon dance is the most traditional feature of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong. From the night of the 14th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar every year, 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 lanes of this district were bustling with a winding and undulating fire dragon dancing merrily under the lights and music of dragon drums.
There is a legend about the origin of the Mid-Autumn Fire Dragon Dance in Hong Kong: a long time ago, a python appeared in Tai Hang District after a windstorm struck the area, making mischief all around, and the villagers searched for it 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 addition to the chief instructor, coach, commander-in-chief and conductor, safety group and so on. Rotating dragon dancers amount to more than 30,000 people.
Customs of Mid-Autumn Festival in various places
Courting - Prayer
Mid-Autumn Festival, because of the wonderful moonlight and rich in poetry, under the moon is the best time for young men and women to embark on a song to look for couples, and therefore is the pursuit of love festival. Young men and women in the moonlight singing, dancing and playing, see the person of interest can become a spouse. In modern times, this ancient custom still exists and is very interesting.
Throwing a handkerchief to invite marriage
Some areas in Fujian Province, the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is the custom of throwing a handkerchief to invite marriage. At night, in the square built a colorful platform, decorated as a moon palace scene, and set up the jade rabbit, osmanthus and so on. Some unmarried girls dress up as Chang'e, and after celebratory songs and dances, the girls throw some handkerchiefs embroidered with different colors to the stage. If an audience member receives a handkerchief of the same color as the one in the hands of Chang'e, he or she can go on stage to receive a prize. When some unmarried young men return their handkerchiefs, if they are liked by Chang'e, they can give them a ring. Thereafter, the two sides can make friends, and those who are in love with each other will be happily married.
Begging the moon moon climbing
Old Dongguan, some women believe that "the old man as a matchmaker", where there are adult men and women at home and no love interest, to facilitate the Mid-Autumn Festival night at three o'clock in the moon burning incense and candles, begging for the moon for the old man for the matchmaking. Legend has it that on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moonlight can make women pregnant. In some areas, on the moonlit night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, some long-married infertile women will go out of their homes, bathing in the moonlight, hoping to give birth to a son, so-called "shine the moon".
Stealing vegetables to seek a groom
In Taiwan, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, unmarried women "steal vegetables to seek a groom" custom. A beautifully made-up woman steals green onions and vegetables from other people's vegetable gardens in the moonlight, and when she has done so
it is a sign that she has met the man of her dreams. This is why there is a proverb in Taiwan that says, "If you steal onions, you will marry a good husband; if you steal vegetables, you will marry a good son-in-law.
Stealing Moon Vegetables of the Dong Ethnic Group
The Mid-Autumn Festival night in the Dong townships of Hunan Province is characterized by an interesting custom of "stealing moon vegetables".
Legend has it that in ancient times, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the fairies in the moon palace would descend to the lower world, and they would sprinkle manna all over the earth. The nectar of the fairies is selfless, therefore, people can *** with this night to enjoy the fruits and vegetables sprinkled with nectar. The Dong family gave this custom, named "steal the moon vegetable".
Mid-autumn night, the Dong girls with umbrellas, choose their own beloved after the garden beds, to pick vegetables, and will not be seen as "theft". They also intentionally shouted: "Hey! Your melon and vegetables were I ripped away, you to my home to eat oil tea! Originally, they are using the moon palace fairy to pass the red thread. If they can pick a melon that grows in pairs, it means they can have happy love. Therefore, the bean curd that grows in pairs became the object of their picking. Sister-in-laws also go to other gardens this night to "steal the moon vegetable", but they hope to pick the fattest melon or a handful of fresh green beans, because this symbolizes the child's fat, hairy head of the health (the harmonic of hairy beans, referring to the child). The young men also have the custom of "stealing moon vegetables" because they also hope that the moon fairies will give them happiness. However, they can only cook them in the field and eat them, not take them home. "Stealing moon vegetables", so that the Dong village of the Mid-Autumn Festival night, adding unlimited joy and magic color.
The Miao moon
Every Mid-Autumn night, the bright moonlight shines all over the Miao cottage, the Miao men and women after the family reunion, are to the forest clearing, singing and dancing, held a "jumping moon" activities.
The ancient legend of the Miao people, the moon is a loyal and honest, hardworking and brave youth. There is a young and beautiful water clear girl, she refused to come from the ninety-nine states ninety-nine to her proposal of marriage to the young man, y in love with the moon. In the end, she also went through all kinds of trials and tribulations created by the sun, and was finally happily united with the moon.
The Miao fathers and mothers for their happy love of remembrance, for generations in the Mid-Autumn Festival night, bathed in the light of the moon, jumping up the Miao songs and dances, and this custom is called "jumping moon". Young men and women in the "jumping moon", looking for each other's sweethearts, pouring out their love, said to be like the water and the moon, as pure and bright, and always end up with a good white head.
Mid-Autumn Night, many places also prevailed in the custom of seeking children. This is a reflection of ancient fertility worship. This is because the moon is a yin, belonging to the female God, and at the same time the pursuit of love activities, so the custom of seeking children in the Mid-Autumn Festival. And the custom of seeking children varies from place to place.
Theft of melons and praying for children
In Hunan's Hengyang, "the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is a gift of melons," the matter. Where the seat abundant履原之家，娶妇數年不育者，则亲友举行送瓜，先數日，在菜园中窃冬瓜一个，須令园主不知，以彩色绘成面目，衣服包裹在其上如人形。 Raise the elderly life good people to hold it, "sounding the gold cannon, sent to their homes," the elderly set the winter melon in the bed to be covered, the door to read the day, planting melon get melon, planting beans get beans. The recipient of the melon set up a feast, if the event again. After the woman got the melon, that is, dissected and eaten. Popular rumor has it that this matter is the most effective cloud". In Hengyang, where the village married without children of the family, "as long as the goodwill, the village will be someone to give them" send son ".
In other parts of Hunan, there is also the custom of sending a child with a melon, similar to that of Hengyang. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the master is away from his house enjoying the moon, his close neighbors secretly send him a child. The person who delivers the son must be someone who already has children. They first choose the village's most evil family's melon round, steal a big winter melon from the garden, draw the face of the doll on the melon, then use a section of five-inch-long small bamboo tube into the winter melon belly, down the bamboo tube into the water until it is full. Sending people will be hidden in the master of the winter melon in the quilt, and so the master back to bed with a hand pull was, winter melon dolls move, the water will flow down the bamboo tube, like a child wetting the bed. And lose melon family will get up early in the morning to scold, it is said, scold the more fierce, the future birth of the doll more robust. If the next year really gave birth to children, they will have to pay homage to the person who sent the child "godfather", "godmother".
In Guizhou, there is also the custom of stealing melons to send children. When stealing melons at night, deliberately let the person who was stolen know, in order to provoke angry scolding, scolding the more powerful the better. After the melon is stolen, it is dressed in clothes and eyebrows, pretending to be in the shape of a child, and is sent to a childless family with a bamboo mikoshi (a portable bamboo carriage) by banging gongs and beating drums. The person who receives the melon must treat the person who sends the melon to a meal of mooncakes, and then accompany the melon to sleep for the night, and then the melon is boiled and eaten the next morning in the belief that the person will then be able to conceive a child.
Shexian County, Anhui Province, around the Mid-Autumn Festival, adults let the children to discover the family's bonobo or even the mother with the son of the son of the mother taro, mud and water drenched into the newlywed family's quilt, so that the mattress is extremely dirty. In this way, the bride's son was given away. There is a poem that says: "Sending off a son in the mid-autumn is a beautiful thing to talk about, and melons and taro are always suitable for men. Innocent most cherish the red silk quilt, with water drag mud that can be embarrassed."