According to legend, the ancient Qi ugly girl without salt, young, had devoutly worship the moon, grew up, to superb character into the palace, but not favored. One year, on the 15th day of the 8th month to enjoy the moon, the son of heaven saw her under the moonlight, thought she was beautiful and outstanding, and later set her up as the queen, the mid-autumn festival to worship the moon thus came to be. Chang'e in the moon, known for her beauty, so young girls worship the moon, wishing "look like Chang'e, face like the moon".
In the Tang Dynasty, Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, playing with the moon is quite popular. In the Northern Song Dynasty. On the night of August 15, people all over the city, rich or poor, old or young, have to put on adult clothes, burn incense and worship the moon to say their wishes, 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 custom of Mid-Autumn Festival has become more prevalent; many places have formed special customs such as burning douxiang, tree mid-autumn, pointing pagoda lamps, releasing sky lanterns, walking on the moon, and dancing with fire dragons.
Today, the custom of playing under the moon is far less popular than in the old days. However, it is still very popular to hold banquets to enjoy the moon, people drink wine and ask about the moon, to celebrate a better life, or to wish the health and happiness of distant relatives, and family members "thousands of miles of *** Canyuanjuan".
The Mid-Autumn Festival has many customs, and the forms are different, but they are all based on people's infinite love of life and the desire for a better life.
Origin and legend
The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history, as with other traditional festivals, is also the slow development of the formation of the ancient emperors had a spring festival of the sun, the fall festival of the moon rituals, as early as in the book of the "Zhou Rites", there has been a "Mid-Autumn Festival," the word recorded. Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in China. According to historical records, the term "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the book "Zhou Li". During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was a record of "Oracle Shangshu Zhenniu confusing the Mid-Autumn Festival with the left and right side of the river in a small dress". 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.
According to China's calendar, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is in the middle of autumn, the second month of autumn, known as "mid-autumn", and the fifteenth day of the eighth month is in "mid-autumn", so it is called "Mid-Autumn". "The Mid-Autumn Festival has many aliases. The Mid-Autumn Festival has many aliases: because the festival is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, it is called the "August Festival" and "Half of August"; because the main activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival revolve around the "moon", it is also commonly known as the "Moon Festival" and "Moon Festival". "Moon Festival" "Moon Festival"; Mid-Autumn Festival moon is complete, symbolizing reunion, and therefore also called "reunion festival". In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was also known as the "Duanzheng Moon". The earliest record of the "Reunion Festival" can be found in the Ming Dynasty. West Lake Tourism Zhiyu" said: "August 15 is called the Mid-Autumn Festival, the folk with moon cakes to send each other, take the meaning of reunion. The Imperial Capital Scenic Spectacle" also said: "August 15 moon festival, the cake must be round, the melon must be wrong teeth, petals carved like a lotus flower. ...... whose women return to the Ning, is the day will return to the husband's home, said reunion festival?quot;. Mid-Autumn Festival night, most areas of China and branding "reunion" custom, that is, branding a symbol of reunion, similar to the moon cake small cakes, cakes wrapped in sugar, sesame, cinnamon and vegetables, etc., outside the pressure of the moon, cinnamon trees, rabbits and other patterns. After the moon festival, the elders of the family will cut the cake into pieces according to the number of people, and each person will have a piece of cake, and if someone is not at home, they will leave a piece of cake for them, which symbolizes the reunion of the whole family.
The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in China's ancient autumn rituals, moon worship custom. The Book of Rites contains "the Son of Heaven spring sunrise, the moon in the fall. The sun in the morning, the moon in the evening." Here the "moon" is to worship the meaning of the moon. In the two Han Dynasty, it had already taken shape, and in the Tang Dynasty, the custom of enjoying the moon in mid-autumn began to flourish and was designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Ouyang Zhan (785 AD ~ about 827 years) in the "Chang'an play moon poem preface" cloud: "August in the fall. The season begins and ends; the fifteenth day of the month is at night, and the moon is in the clouds. When we look at the heavenly way, the cold and heat are equalized, and when we take the number of the moon, the toad soul is round, so it is called Mid-Autumn."
Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, the most flourishing is the Song Dynasty. Tokyo Dreaming Records recorded: "On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the aristocrats decorated their platforms and pavilions, and the people competed to occupy the restaurants to play with the moon." On this day, all the restaurants in Tokyo would redecorate their facades, put up silk-colored pagodas, and sell newly opened good wine. The stores were piled high with fresh fruits, and the night market was so lively that it was rarely seen during the year. Prominent officials and the rich and powerful enjoy the moon in their own pavilions, and the zither is played until dawn. The general public is scrambling to occupy the restaurant, in order to first see the moon for the fast, and to arrange family feasts, reunion of children. "This evening Zhejiang put 'a little red' sheepskin small ice lanterns hundreds of thousands, floating on the water, brilliant as stars" (see "Old Wulin"). And "the capital will appreciate the moon, different from other counties. The children of the city's families are not rich or poor to twelve or thirteen on their own, all in adult dress, climbed the stairs or in the atrium to worship the moon, each with a period: men wish to step on the Toad Palace early, climb the immortal laurel. For the women, they wished to look like Chang'e and be as round as the moon." (See "New Drunken Weng Talks")
Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, folk pay more attention to the Mid-Autumn Festival. The West Lake Tourism Zhiyu - Xichao music" cloud: "folk to the moon cake left, take the meaning of reunion. Is the evening, people have a moonlight feast. Above the Su Causeway, the joint song, no different from the day."
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Festival of Reunion, the August Festival, etc., is a traditional festival of the Han Chinese and most of the ethnic minorities in China, and is also popular in neighboring countries such as North Korea, Japan and Vietnam. Because of the fall of the seven, eight, nine months (refers to the lunar calendar), August is in the middle, and the thirty days of August, and the fifteenth is in the middle, so it is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. And because of this night, the moon is in the sky, the folk more in this night family reunion, so it is also known as the reunion festival.
The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in China's ancient autumn rituals, moon worship custom. The Book of Rites" contains "the Son of Heaven spring sunrise, the moon in the fall. The sun in the morning, the moon in the evening." Here the "moon" is to worship the meaning of the moon. In the two Han Dynasty, it had already taken shape, and in the Tang Dynasty, the custom of enjoying the moon in mid-autumn began to flourish and was designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Ouyang Zhan (785 AD ~ about 827 years) in the "Chang'an play moon poem preface" cloud: "August in the fall. The season begins and ends; the fifteenth day of the month is at night, and the moon is in the clouds. When we look at the heavenly way, the cold and heat are equalized, and when we take the number of the moon, the toad soul is round, so it is called Mid-Autumn."
Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, the most flourishing is the Song Dynasty. Tokyo Dreaming Records recorded: "On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the aristocrats decorated their platforms and pavilions, and the people competed to occupy the restaurants to play with the moon." On this day, all the restaurants in Tokyo would redecorate their facades, put up silk-colored pagodas, and sell newly opened good wine. The stores were piled high with fresh fruits, and the night market was so lively that it was rarely seen during the year. Prominent officials and the rich and powerful enjoy the moon in their own pavilions, and the zither is played until dawn. The general public is scrambling to occupy the restaurant, in order to first see the moon for the fast, and to arrange family feasts, reunion of children. "This evening Zhejiang put 'a little red' sheepskin small ice lanterns hundreds of thousands, floating on the water, brilliant as stars" (see "Old Wulin"). And "the capital will appreciate the moon, different from other counties. The children of the city's families are not rich or poor to twelve or thirteen on their own, all in adult dress, climbed the stairs or in the atrium to worship the moon, each with a period: men wish to step early toad Palace, climb the immortal laurel. For the women, they wished to look like Chang'e and be as round as the moon." (See "New Drunken Weng Talks")
Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, folk pay more attention to the Mid-Autumn Festival. The West Lake Tourism Zhiyu - Xichao music" cloud: "folk to the moon cake left, take the meaning of reunion. Is the evening, people have a moonlight feast. Above the Su Causeway, the joint song, no different from the day."
The Mid-Autumn Festival is known as one of the three traditional festivals in China, along with the Lantern Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival. The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is closely related to the myths and legends such as "Chang'e Runs to the Moon", "Wu Gang Loves Gui" and "Jade Rabbit Pounds Medicine". Therefore, the folk customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival are mostly related to the moon. Moon worship, worship the moon, eat reunion mooncakes, etc., all originated from this.
The Lantern Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival are known as the three traditional festivals in China. The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is closely related to the myths and legends such as "Chang'e Runs to the Moon", "Wu Gang Loves Cinnamon" and "Jade Rabbit Pounds Medicine". Therefore, the folk customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival are mostly related to the moon. Moon watching, moon worshipping, and eating moon cakes for reunion are all originated from this.
The legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival is very rich, Chang'e Runs to the Moon, Wu Gang felled the laurel, the Jade Rabbit pounded medicine and other myths are widely spread.
One of the Mid-Autumn Legends--Chang E Runs to the Moon〗
Legend has it that, in ancient times, there were ten suns in the sky at the same time, sunburned crops withered, the people did not have a good time, a hero named Hou Yi, with infinite strength, he sympathized with the suffering people, climbed to the top of the Kunlun Mountain, transported all the divine power, drew his divine bow, shot down more than nine suns, and strictly ordered the last sun, and the last sun, and the last sun, and the last sun, and the last sun. The last sun was ordered to rise and set on time for the benefit of the people.
Hou Yi was thus honored and loved by the people, and he married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang'e. In addition to his hunting skills, Hou Yi also had the ability to hunt and hunt with his bow. Hou Yi in addition to the art of hunting, all day long and his wife together, people are envious of this couple of love.
Many people came to learn from Hou Yi, and Peng Meng, who had a bad heart, also came to learn from him.
One day, Hou Yi went to the Kunlun Mountains to visit friends and seek Taoism, and coincidentally met the Queen Mother passing by, so he 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 could not leave his wife behind, so he temporarily gave the immortality pill to Chang'e to treasure. Chang'e hid the medicine in the treasure box of the dresser, but was unexpectedly seen by the villain Peng Meng, who wanted to steal the medicine to become immortal himself.
Three days later, Houyi led a group of disciples to go out hunting, and Peng Meng pretended to be sick and stayed behind. Shortly after Hou Yi left, Peng Meng broke into the backyard of the house 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 snap 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, her body immediately floated away from the ground, rushed out of the window, and flew to the sky. As Chang'e attached to her husband, it 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. Houyi both shocked and angry, drew the sword to kill the villains, Peng Meng early escape, Houyi angry chest thumping, grief, looking up at the night sky calling his wife's name, then he was surprised to find that today's moon is exceptionally bright and bright, and there is a swaying figure resembles Chang'e. He desperately chased towards the moon, and the moon is the closest to the earth. He desperately chased after the moon, but he chased three steps, the moon back three steps, he retreated three steps, the moon into three steps, no matter how can not catch up with the front.
Hou Yi had no choice but to send someone to Chang'e's favorite garden, set up incense, put on her favorite fruit and honey, and sacrificed to Chang'e, who was fond of her in the Moon Palace. When the people heard the news of Chang'e's journey to the moon, they set up incense under the moon and prayed to the kind Chang'e for good luck and peace.
Since then, the custom of worshipping the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival has spread among the people.
Mid-Autumn Festival Legend No.2--(Wu Gang Folds the Laurel〗)
There is another legend about the Mid-Autumn Festival: According to the legend, the laurel tree in front of the Guanghan Palace on the moon grows luxuriantly, with a height of more than 500 zhang, and there is a man who often cuts it down, but every time he cuts it down, the cut place closes up again immediately. For thousands of years, it was cut down and closed up in this way, and the laurel tree could never be cut down. It is said that the man who chopped down the tree was named Wu Gang, a man from Xihe in Han Dynasty, who had followed the immortals to the heavenly realm, but he made a mistake, and the immortals relegated him to the Moon Palace, where he was punished by doing this kind of futile and hard work day after day. Li Bai's poem, "I want to carve the laurel in the moon, and hold it as a salary for the cold".
Mid-Autumn Festival Legends of the Third - 〖Zhu Yuanzhang and moon cake uprising〗
Mid-Autumn Festival to eat moon cakes is said to have begun in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the people of the Central Plains could not bear the cruel rule of the ruling class of the Yuan Dynasty, and they revolted against the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang united various resistance forces to prepare for the uprising. However, the officials and soldiers of the imperial court searched very closely, making it very difficult to pass on the news. Liu Bowen, the military advisor, came up with a plan to order his subordinates to hide the note with the words "Rise on the 15th of August" inside a cake, and then sent people to deliver it to the rebel armies around the world, informing them to rise on the night of the 15th of August to respond to the revolt. On the day of the uprising, all the rebel armies responded together, and the rebel army was like a prairie fire.
Soon, Xu Da captured the Yuan capital and the uprising was successful. The news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy that he hurriedly sent down an order, in the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, so that all the generals and soldiers with the people to have fun, and will be the year when the army to secretly transmit information "moon cake", as a holiday pastry reward for the ministers. Since then, the "moon cake" production more and more fine, more varieties, as large as a disk, become a gift of goodies. The custom of eating mooncakes at Mid-Autumn Festival has been spreading among the people since then.
Mid-Autumn Festival Customs
Mid-Autumn Festival, people's main activity is to enjoy the moon and eat moon cakes.
Moon Appreciation
In the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Song Dynasty, the trend of moonlight appreciation was even more prevalent, according to Tokyo Dreaming Records: "On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, noble families decorated their platforms and pavilions, and the people competed to occupy the restaurants to play with the moon". Every this day, the capital of all the stores, restaurants are to redecorate the facade, the pagoda on the silk hanging color, selling fresh fruit and refined food, the night market is bustling, the people more than on the platform, some rich families in their own pavilions and pavilions to enjoy the moon, and set up food or arrange a feast, reunion of the children, *** with the moon to talk.
After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Mid-Autumn Festival Moon Festival customs remain the same, many places have formed a burning incense, tree Mid-Autumn Festival, point tower lamps, sky lanterns, walk the moon, dance fire dragon and other special customs.
Eating moon cakes
China's urban and rural masses over the Mid-Autumn Festival have the custom of eating moon cakes, as the saying goes: "August 15, the moon is round, Mid-Autumn Moon Festival mooncakes fragrant and sweet". Mooncake is initially used to worship the moon god's offerings, "mooncake" word, first seen in the Southern Song Dynasty Wu Zimu's "dream sorghum record", at that time, it is just like the diamond flower cake like cake-shaped food. Later, people gradually combined the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival with mooncakes, a symbol of family reunion.
Mooncakes were initially made at home, and Yuan Mei of the Qing Dynasty recorded the practice of mooncakes in his "Sui Yuan Food List". In modern times, there are workshops specializing in the production of moon cakes, moon cake production more and more fine, the filling is exquisite, beautiful appearance, in the moon cake is also printed on the outside of a variety of exquisite patterns, such as "Chang'e Moon", "Galaxy Night Moon", "Three Pools of the Moon" and so on. To the moon's round omen people's reunion, to the cake of the round omen people's life, with moon cakes to send thoughts of their hometowns, homesickness, praying for a good harvest, happiness, have become the world's people's wish, moon cakes are also used as gifts to send friends and relatives, contact feelings.
The Tide
"The Jade Rabbit is very round, and the frosty winds of September are already cold. I would like to send a message to the key on the heavy door, so that I can see the tide in the moonlight." This is the Song Dynasty poet Su Shi wrote "August 15 tide" poem. In the ancient Zhejiang area, in addition to the Mid-Autumn Festival to enjoy the moon, tide watching can be said to be another Mid-Autumn Festival event. Mid-autumn tide-watching custom from a long time ago, as early as the Han Dynasty, Mei multiplied the "seven hair" in the big fugue has a fairly detailed account. After the Han Dynasty, the custom of watching the tide in mid-autumn was even more prevalent. Ming Zhu Tinghuan "Additions to the Old Story of Wulin" and Song Wu Zimu "Dream Liang Records" also have tide watching records. These two books described the tide of the spectacle, indicating that in the Song Dynasty, the mid-autumn tide reached an unprecedented peak.
Lighting
Mid-Autumn night, the sky is as clear as water, the moon is as bright as a mirror, it can be said that the beauty of the good times, however, the people did not meet, so there will be burning lamps to help the moon's custom. In Hunan and Guangdong have a tile stacked tower in the tower on the lights of the festival. In the south of the Yangtze River there is a system of lights boat custom. In recent times, the custom of burning lamps in the Mid-Autumn Festival is more prevalent. Zhou Yunjin and He Xiangfei said in their article "Leisurely Trying to Talk about Seasonal Events", "The most prevalent lanterns in Guangdong are made of bamboo strips ten days before the festival. The lanterns were made in the shape of fruits, birds, animals, fishes and worms, as well as the words 'Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival', on which colorful paper was pasted and painted in various colors. Mid-Autumn Festival night lights burning candles with a rope tied to a bamboo pole, high tree on the eaves or terrace, or with small lights built into characters or various shapes, hanging high in the house, commonly known as 'tree Mid-Autumn Festival' or 'vertical Mid-Autumn Festival'. The lights hung by the rich and noble families, up to several feet high, the family gathered under the lights to drink for fun, the ordinary people are erected a flagpole, two lanterns, but also to take their own fun. City full of lights is like a glazed world." It seems that from ancient times to the Mid-Autumn Festival lighting custom of its scale seems to be second only to the Lantern Festival.
Playing with rabbits
Recently, Jin Yi, Shen Yi Antelope's "courtesans talk about the past," recounted a story told by a courtesan named Rong'er. At that time it was the Eight-Power Allied Forces into Beijing that year, the Empress Dowager Cixi fled from Kyoto, on the way to escape coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Empress in the midst of the panic, but also did not forget the old rituals and ancient customs, it was in the apartment of the Xinzhou Tribute House held a ceremony of the moon. The story says, "After dinner, according to the custom of the palace, the Empress to worship 'Taiyin Jun'. This is probably along the lines of the northeastern custom that 'men do not worship the rabbit, and women do not sacrifice to the stove,' but the 'Taiyin-kun' is sacrificed by the housewife of each family. In the southeast corner of the courtyard, an offering table was set up, and a sacred code (a piece of paper with a large rabbit pounding medicine in the moon palace) was brought out and inserted into the incense altar. The incense altar is a square bucket, and the bucket in northern Jin is not round, but square. Sometimes I hear people from northern Jinbei singing, "The moon is not as round as a square bucket, and it is not as sweet as the tenderness of the sister Ga. Visible, Jinbei bucket is all square. The bucket is full of new sorghum, the mouth of the bucket with yellow paper, four plates of fruit on the table, four plates of mooncakes, mooncakes stacked up to half a foot high. In addition, the center of a large wooden plate, placed in the diameter of a foot long round mooncake, which is dedicated to the sacrifice of the rabbit to do. There are also two branches of new hairy bean curd. Four bowls of clear tea were made by putting tea leaves in a bowl and rinsing it with cool water. In this way, by the Empress with the consort, Gege and all of us to perform the ritual, even if the ritual is complete. We are running away from the outside, very superstitious, lest there is a little bad etiquette, offended the gods and ghosts, to their own disaster. So when there was a chance to kowtow to the gods and ghosts, we all scrambled to participate, and none of us dared to pull back! Juanzi and I kowtowed instead." This story is about the rules of the Qing dynasty court to worship the moon rabbit, although it is in the midst of fleeing, incense altar had to be replaced by a square dipper in Jinbei, but from a psychological point of view, because in the difficult, so the god is more reverent and pious. From this story, the court of the Qing Dynasty is the moon in the Jade Rabbit called Taiyinjun. However, the folk is different, the people call it the Jade Rabbit, this kind of name is not as serious and solemn as that of Taiyinjun, but it seems to be more intimate. In the Beijing area of folklore, the Mid-Autumn Festival sacrifices rabbit master is not enough solemnity and games have more, although a little bit of God does not seem to respect, but it reflects the alienation of the folk god psychology. Since the Mid-Autumn Festival from the rituals of the moon festival into a folk festival after the dilution of the rituals and customs of the color, and the nature of the tour is more and more prominent, play the rabbit custom, can be said to be a strong evidence of this phenomenon. Every year on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, is China's traditional Mid-Autumn Festival. This is the middle of the fall season of the year, so it is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is also the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival.
The Origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival
In the Chinese lunar calendar, the year is divided into four seasons, each of which is divided into three parts: the Meng, the Zhong, and the Ji, and thus the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Zhongqiu. The moon on the 15th day of the 8th month is fuller and brighter than the full moons of other months, so it is also called Moon Festival, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, August Festival, August Meeting, Moon Chasing Festival, Moon Playing Festival, Moon Worshiping Festival, Daughter's Festival, or Reunion Festival, and it is a traditional cultural festival that is popular among many ethnic groups in the country. On this night, people look up at the bright moon in the sky like a jade disk and naturally look forward to family reunion. 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".
It is said that this night the moon is the closest to the earth, the moon is the biggest and brightest, so from ancient times to the present day have the custom of drinking feasts and enjoying the moon; back to the bride's home daughter-in-law is the day must return to her husband's home, to symbolize the perfect, auspicious meaning. There are also places where the Mid-Autumn Festival is set on the sixteenth day of the eighth month, such as Ningbo, Taizhou and Zhoushan, which is related to the fact that when Fang Guozhen occupied Wen, Taizhou and Mingzhou, he changed "the fourteenth day of the first month for the Lantern Festival, and the sixteenth day of the eighth month for the Mid-Autumn Festival" in order to guard against the attacks of the Yuan dynasty officials and soldiers and Zhu Yuantian. In addition, in Hong Kong, after the Mid-Autumn Festival is not yet finished, but also in the sixteen night carnival once again, called "chasing the moon".
"Mid-Autumn Festival" word, the earliest in the "Rites of Zhou" book, and the real formation of a national holiday is in the Tang Dynasty. In ancient times, our people had the custom of "Autumn Moon Festival". In ancient times, the people of China had the custom of "Autumn Moon Festival", i.e. worshipping the moon god. In the Zhou Dynasty, every Mid-Autumn Festival night was held to welcome the cold and sacrifice the moon. 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.
As for the Mid-Autumn Festival, the formation of the custom of eating moon cakes is in the Ming Dynasty. Ming Dynasty writer Tian Rucheng in the "West Lake Tourism Zhiyu" wrote: "August 15 is called Mid-Autumn Festival, the folk to the moon cake to leave each other, to take the meaning of reunion". Ming Dynasty historian Shen Bang in the "Miscellany of the Wan Department" describes the Beijing Mid-Autumn Mooncakes, wrote "the creation of face cakes to each other, varying in size. Cakes filled with fruit, cleverly named, there is a cake worth hundreds of dollars." The book also introduces the production process, has reached a high level. Beijing Imperial Palace for the use of moon cakes "from the bottom to the top of the diameter of more than a foot, weighing two pounds." Later, with the evolution of the generations, the moon cake varieties and patterns more and more rich, the production process is newer, more flavor, August 15 to eat the moon cake has become an ancient and very meaningful tradition of the Chinese people.
During the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Northern Song Dynasty, on the fifteenth night of the eighth month, people all over the city, rich or poor, old or young, had to put on adult clothes, burn incense and worship the moon to say their wishes and pray for the blessing of the moon god. Southern Song Dynasty, the folk to mooncakes to give each other, to take the meaning of reunion. In some places, there are also activities such as dancing with grass dragons and building pagodas. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival has become more prevalent, and many places have formed special customs such as burning douxiang, tree mid-autumn, pointing pagoda lamps, releasing sky lanterns, walking on the moon, and dancing with fire dragons.
Today, the custom of playing under the moon is far less prevalent than in the old days. However, it is still very popular to hold banquets to enjoy the moon, people drink wine and ask about the moon, to celebrate a better life, or to wish the health and happiness of distant relatives, and family members "thousands of miles of *** Canyuanjuan".
The Mid-Autumn Festival has many customs, and the forms are different, but all of them are based on people's infinite love of life and the desire for a better life.
A collection of ancient poems about the moon
Mid-Autumn night, the moon is bright. The full moon is regarded as a symbol of reunion, and it is also the emotion of literati and writers. The following is a collection of famous lines related to the moon and the Mid-Autumn Festival, selected from poems of the past dynasties.
A pot of wine in the flower room, drinking alone without relatives. The moon and the shadow of the moon are three in number. The moon does not know how to drink, and the shadow follows me. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get a good look at this, but I'm sure I'll be able to get a good look at this. I sing to the moon, I dance to the shadows. --Li Bai's "Drinking Alone Under the Moon"
The moon is out of the sky, between the clouds and the sea. The long wind blows for tens of thousands of miles, blowing through the Jade Gate Pass. --Li Bai, "Moon over the Mountains"
The moonlight in front of the bed is suspected to be frost on the ground. I look up at the bright moon and think of my hometown. --Li Bai "Silent Night Thoughts"
The bright moon at the sea, the end of the world **** this time. The lover complains about the distant night, and thinks of each other in the evening! --Zhang Jiuling, "Looking at the Moon"
The dew is white from tonight, and the moon is bright in the hometown. The magpies are not yet settled, and the fireflies are rolling in the curtains. --Meng Haoran, "Reminiscences of the Autumn Night Under the Moon"
On the fifteenth night of the eighth month in the past, I was at the Apricot Garden by the Qujiang Pond. This year, on the fifteenth night of the eighth month, in front of the water pavilion at the head of the Penpu sand, I was looking at my hometown from the northwest. I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I'm sure I'm going to be able to find a way to make it work. Yesterday the wind blew and no one was there, but tonight the light is as clear as in past years. Tonight the moon is bright and people are looking at it all the time, I don't know who's home I'm thinking of in autumn. --Wang Jian's "Looking at the Moon on the Fifteenth Night"
Ten rounds of frosty shadows turn to the courtyard, and this evening the detainee is alone in the corner. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get through this, but I'm sure I'll be able to get through this," he said. I don't know the palace in the sky, what year is this evening ...... people have sadness and happiness, the moon has a clear and sunny and round and short, this matter is ancient difficult to complete. But I wish that people will be long-lasting, thousands of miles*** Canyuan Juan. --Su Shi "Song of Water"
The bright moon is easy to low people are easy to disperse, return to call the wine more to see. The color of the moon in front of the hall is more and more clear, and the cold cicada is singing in the dewy grass. The curtains are rolled up and the door is silent, and under the window there is only the old man Chu. I am not ashamed to be poor in Nandu, how many of us have written poems to the moon? --Su Shi's "Mid-Autumn Moon Festival and Ziyu"
The evening clouds are overflowing with cold, and the silver man has no sound to turn the jade disk. I'm not sure if I'll be able to see the moon next year," said Su Shi. If there is no moon household in the sky, the osmanthus branch will be damaged to the west wheel. But I'm afraid that the sky will release the floating clouds to cover the moon. But I want to take the jade fiber transverse flute and blow it out ...... if I can get a long and round night like this, I may not be able to see the human feelings of the people to see the farewells. --Xin Qiji's "Man Jiang Hong"
To the moon to raise a cup, called the fragrant bottle in the green net. I'd like to pay my respects to the star of China, and I'd like to make an appointment with the moon. I was able to see the full moon on the long bridge. I was able to see the distant smoke floating on the grass, and I was able to see the high pavilion falling in front of the eaves. --Xu Wei's "Arrival at Jianning on the Fifteenth Night"
The road is long with the light of autumn, and the orchid radius and the guizhao are filled with the fragrance of the sky. The moon is the highest peak, and the wind is blowing, and the sails are light and the swallows are traveling. --Zhang Huangyan, "Mid-Autumn Festival in a Boat"