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Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, Moonlight Birthday, Moonlight Festival, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Worship Festival, Moon Festival, Moon Festival and Reunion Festival, is a traditional cultural festival popular among many ethnic groups in China. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from the worship of the autumn moon in ancient times.
Offering sacrifices to the moon has a long history, and it is an activity of offering sacrifices to the "Moon God" in some places in ancient China. The autumnal equinox in the twenty-four solar terms is an ancient festival to worship the moon. Since ancient times, Mid-Autumn Festival has had folk customs such as offering sacrifices to the moon, enjoying the moon, eating moon cakes, watching lanterns, enjoying osmanthus and drinking osmanthus wine.
Mid-Autumn Festival is usually also the harvest season. It is an inherent law of nature that flowers bloom in spring and fruits are harvested in autumn. The ancients believed that a bumper harvest was the result of good weather. After the harvest, they will worship heaven and earth to show their gratitude. In ancient times, it gradually became a custom to offer sacrifices to the Moon God to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. With the development of the festival, the full moon gradually evolved into the meaning of "reunion of people".
Mid-Autumn Festival, Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day and Dragon Boat Festival are also called the four traditional festivals in China. On May 20th, 2006, Mid-Autumn Festival was listed in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage by the State Council. On June 65438+ 10/day, 2008, the Mid-Autumn Festival was listed as a national holiday in the State Council.
Evolved to this day
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the secular interests of Japan and China became more and more intense in the new year. In the activities of enjoying the moon in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, "the fruit cake must be round", and each family should set up a moonlight checkpoint to Yue Bai in the direction of the moon. Lu's "Year of Jinghua" contains: "On the Mid-Autumn Festival night, everyone has a symbol of the moon palace, which symbolizes freedom rather than standing like a person.
Chen melon and fruit are in court, and the moon palace is painted on the cake surface. Men and women worship God and burn incense, but they burn incense. "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of Dijing" also said: "On August 15th, the moon was sacrificed, cakes were round, melons were deformed, and lotus flowers were carved in petals. ..... Those who get married and stay at home will return to their parents-in-law's house in the future. This is the so-called reunion festival.
Today, eating moon cakes has become an essential custom of Mid-Autumn Festival in northern and southern China. Mooncakes symbolize a happy reunion. People regard them as holiday food, use them to worship the moon and give them to relatives and friends. In addition to moon cakes, all kinds of seasonal fresh fruits and dried fruits are also delicious in the Mid-Autumn Festival. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are fewer clouds and more fog, and the moonlight is bright and bright. There are a series of festivals, such as enjoying the moon, offering sacrifices to the moon, eating moon cakes, eating sweet potatoes, carrying lanterns, dancing grass dragons, planting trees and building stupas.