Customs and habits in Baoding, Hebei Province

The Legend of Mid-Autumn Festival-Xiaoyou

On the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, the Mid-Autumn Festival. This is a festival that has always been praised as the most humane and poetic. It is said that I miss my relatives twice every holiday. The Mid-Autumn Festival will certainly be more deeply missed, especially when the moon is high.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is the Mid-Autumn Festival because the 15th day of the eighth lunar month is the lunar calendar in Sanqiu. On this day, the full moon in the sky is particularly bright and special, so this day is also considered a good day for marriage.

Speaking of the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival, there are many different legends and fairy tales among the people. Among them, there are stories such as moths to the fire, Zhu Yuanzhang's moon cake uprising, and Tang's visit to the Moon Palace.

Of course, the most familiar story is the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon. Chang 'e stole her husband Hou Yi's elixir of life and ran to the Moon Palace. There are also many versions of the story. In earlier records, Chang 'e stole the fairy medicine and became a toad, known as the moon essence.

After the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, the Moon Palace where Chang 'e lived was actually a deserted place. There is nothing but a laurel tree and a rabbit. But there is also a saying that there is a man named WU GANG in the Moon Palace.

Legend 1

According to legend, one year in ancient times, ten suns appeared in the sky, which made the earth smoke and the ocean dry up, and ordinary people could no longer live. This incident alarmed a hero named Hou Yi. He climbed to the top of Kunlun Mountain, drew his bow and shot down nine redundant suns in one breath. Hou Yi has made great achievements in the world and is respected and loved by the people. Many people with lofty ideals come here to study and be teachers. The treacherous and cunning Meng Peng also mixed in. Soon, Hou Yi married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang 'e. Besides hunting, Hou Yi spends all his time with his wife, and people envy this beautiful and loving couple. One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek truth. He happened to meet the Queen Mother passing by and asked her for a bag of elixir. It is said that taking this medicine can instantly ascend to heaven and become immortal. However, Hou Yi was reluctant to leave his wife, so he had to temporarily give the elixir to Chang 'e. Chang 'e hid the medicine in the dresser's treasure chest, but Meng Peng saw it. Three days later, Hou Yi led his entourage out hunting, while Meng Peng with ulterior motives pretended to be ill. Shortly after Hou Yi led the crowd to leave, Meng Peng broke into the backyard of the back room with a sword in his hand, threatening Chang 'e to hand over the elixir. Chang 'e knew that she was no match for Meng Peng. In times of crisis, she made a decisive decision, turned around and opened the treasure chest, took out the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp. Chang 'e swallowed the medicine and immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window and flew into the sky. Because Chang 'e was worried about her husband, she flew to the nearest moon and became a fairy. In the evening, when Hou Yi came home, the maids cried and told what happened during the day. Hou Yi was surprised and angry, and drew his sword to kill the villain. Meng Peng has escaped. I was so angry that Hou Yi beat his chest and shouted. The grief-stricken Hou Yi looked up at the night sky and called the name of his beloved wife. At this time, he was surprised to find that today's moon is particularly bright and bright, and there is a swaying figure resembling Chang 'e. Hou Yi hurriedly sent someone to Chang 'e's favorite back garden, put on a table sweetmeats, and put on her favorite candied fruit to pay tribute to Chang 'e at the Moon Palace. After hearing the news that the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon became an immortal, people set up an incense table under the moon and prayed for good luck and peace to the kind Chang 'e. Since then, the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival in Yue Bai has spread among the people.

Legend 2

The Mid-Autumn Festival was originally a harvest festival. In the agricultural society of China, farmers always hold grand celebrations during the harvest season. The reason why this festival became a festival is also related to the beautiful myth of "the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon".

Legend has it that there were ten suns in the ancient sky, which appeared in turn to illuminate and bring warmth to the earth. But one day, ten suns appeared together, and the crops on the earth were burnt. At this time, a sharpshooter named Hou Yi shot down nine suns, which eliminated the disaster for all people. So people made him king. After Hou Yi proclaimed himself emperor, he indulged in debauchery and killed people at will and became a tyrant. He wants to live forever and go to Kunlun Mountain to steal the elixir of the Queen Mother. His wife Chang 'e was afraid that he would live forever and the people would suffer. She stole the elixir and took it, so she flew to the Moon Palace lightly. Later, every Mid-Autumn Festival in Yue Bai, ordinary women offered sacrifices to Chang 'e in the Moon Palace.

The traditional food of Mid-Autumn Festival is moon cakes, which are round, symbolizing reunion and reflecting people's good wishes for family reunion. Eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival is said to have started in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang led the Han people to resist the tyranny of the Yuan Dynasty, agreed on the August 15th uprising, and put a note in the moon cake to convey the news. The custom of eating moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival spread among the people.

Later, Zhu Yuanzhang finally overthrew the Yuan Dynasty and became the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Although Manchu people later entered China, people still celebrated this festival, which symbolized the overthrow of alien rule.

Legend 3

Tang visited the Moon Palace and said that the son of heaven Tang was very infatuated with Chang 'e. One day, he went to the Moon Palace, where he saw a jade rabbit and a group of fairies who could sing and dance.

Zhu Yuanzhang successfully overthrew the Mongols and established the Ming Dynasty. According to folklore, mooncakes are used as a communication tool. Zhu Yuanzhang took the lead in upholding justice and stuffed a note in each mooncake stuffing, calling on everyone to revolt in time.

Regarding the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival, there is a saying that the 15th day of the eighth lunar month happens to be the time when rice is ripe, and all families worship the land god. Mid-Autumn Festival may be the legacy of Qiubao.

On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, besides offering sacrifices, there are moon cakes and lanterns to celebrate the festival. Of course, Chang 'e is enshrined in the sky, and some people call her Moon Mother. The old man said that children should not point at the moon, or their ears will be cut off.

Today, not many people know the original intention of the Mid-Autumn Festival. For the new generation, the most memorable Mid-Autumn Festival is moon cakes and lanterns. Of course, a festival with a full moon in the sky is a good day for people to get together.

Origin of the Mid-Autumn festival

Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in China. According to historical records, the word "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the book Zhou Li. In the Wei and Jin dynasties, there was a record of "telling Shangshu Town about the cow's confusion, crossing the river in mid-autumn, and traveling incognito around". It was not until the early years of the Tang Dynasty that the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. The Book of Emperor Taizong recorded the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15. The prevalence of Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Song Dynasty, and it became one of the major festivals in China in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This is also the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival.

According to the China calendar, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is in the middle of autumn, and the second month of autumn is called "Mid-Autumn Festival", and August 15th is in the middle of it, so it is called "Mid-Autumn Festival". Mid-Autumn Festival has many nicknames: it is called "August Festival" and "August and a half" because it falls on August 15th; Because the main activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival are all around the moon, it is also commonly known as the "Moon Festival" and "Moon Festival". The full moon in Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes reunion, so it is also called "Reunion Festival". In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was also called "correcting the moon". The record of "Reunion Festival" was first seen in the Ming Dynasty. "Journey to the West Lake" says: "August 15th is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people send moon cakes to show their reunion". "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" also said: "On August 15th, the moon was sacrificed, the cakes were round, the melons were wrongly divided, and the petals were carved with lotus flowers. ..... Those who get married and stay at home will return to their in-laws in the future. This is the so-called reunion festival. On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, there is a custom of "reunion" in most parts of our country, that is, flipping a small cake symbolizing reunion, which is similar to a moon cake. The cake contains sugar, sesame, sweet-scented osmanthus and vegetables, and the moon, sweet-scented osmanthus tree and rabbit are pressed outside. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the elders at home will divide the cake into pieces according to the number of people, and each person will have one. If someone is not at home, leave one for them to show family reunion.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are fewer clouds and more fog, and the moonlight is bright and bright. In addition to a series of activities such as enjoying the moon, offering sacrifices to the moon, eating moon cakes and wishing for reunion, there are activities such as dancing grass dragons and building stupas in some places. In addition to moon cakes, all kinds of seasonal fresh fruits and dried fruits are also delicious in the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Another explanation for the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival is that the 15th day of the eighth lunar month happens to be the time when rice is ripe, and all families worship the land god. Mid-Autumn Festival may be the legacy of Qiubao.

The custom of ancient Mid-Autumn Festival

According to Volume 8 of Dream of China in Tokyo (1 147), a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the streets and alleys of the Song Dynasty were filled with a strong festive atmosphere. The shop sells new wine and redecorates the colorful building in front of the door. There are pomegranates, pears, chestnuts, grapes, colored oranges and so on. In the evening, people compete to enjoy the moon in restaurants, and the bamboo and flute play together. The children in the alley played all night and the night market was crowded. As for dawn. Wu (living around 1270) also recorded in the fourth volume of Meng Lianglu that more people arranged family dinners and reunions with their children in the Southern Song Dynasty to reward festivals. Even poor families in mean streets will pawn clothes and buy wine to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Jin Yingzhi (who lived around 1 126) recorded the custom of people from enjoying the moon to Yue Bai at that time in the fourth volume of the newly edited Notes of the Drunken Man: "The appreciation of the moon in the capital will be different from other counties. The whole family, rich or poor, can go to twelve or thirteen by themselves and dress up as adults. You have your own time to climb stairs or burn incense in the court. Men are willing to go to Toad Palace to climb Xiangui early. Women want to look like Chang 'e and be as round as the clean moon. 」

Besides Yue Bai, there is the custom of watching lanterns. Zhou Mi (1232- 1308) recorded the Mid-Autumn Night in Hangzhou in the third volume of Old Wulin: "The lights and candles are gorgeous, but the evening is over." Zhejiang also put on a sheepskin water lamp "Little Red" on Mid-Autumn Festival night. The river is covered with thousands of lanterns, which are as eye-catching as the stars in the sky. It is said that water lanterns are for the benefit of Jiang Shen, not just for viewing.

Song dynasty

In the Song Dynasty, Hangzhou also had a special Mid-Autumn Festival landscape, that is, watching the tide in Qiantang. Because the topography of Qiantang estuary is similar to a funnel, when the tide comes in, the waves overlap and pile up into a water wall, which is very spectacular. Su Dongpo wrote "Watching the Tide on a Mid-Autumn Night" when he was in Hangzhou, describing the number of people watching the Tide and the trend of the Tide:

I know the jade rabbit is round, and it has been frosty in September.

The message is don't lock the door, and the night tide stays on the moon.

Ten thousand people are clamoring for me, but they are still floating in the river like a old boys.

You know how high the tide is, and the mountains are muddy in the waves.

Another passage in "The Old Story of Wulin" describes the earth-shattering thin momentum more specifically: "When I am far away from Haimen, it is just like a silver line. It is the snowy mountain in Yucheng when it is coming, and it will come the next day. Loud as thunder, shocking and whipping, swallowing the sky and swallowing the sun, the situation is extremely heroic. " Today, Qiantang Tide Watching is still the most distinctive tourist attraction of Mid-Autumn Festival in Zhejiang Province.

the Yuan Dynasty

Although the Yuan Dynasty entered the Central Plains as an alien, it was deeply localized. Most holiday customs also follow the old Han system. In Ming Dynasty, the custom of appreciating the moon, offering sacrifices to the moon and eating moon cakes prevailed.

Tian Rucheng (around 1540) recorded that people in Ming Dynasty gave more gifts than Mid-Autumn Festival and took the circle of "reunion". In the evening, there will be a banquet to enjoy the moon, or take wine and vegetables to the lake and sea. The second volume (1635) of The Scenery of the Imperial Capital, co-authored by Dong Liu and Yu Yizheng, describes in detail the offerings of Mid-Autumn Festival: the moon cakes must be round, and the fruits offered must be cut into lotus-shaped teeth. Moonlight paper is sold in the market. There is a partial moon bodhisattva painted on the moonlight paper. There is a full moon returning to the temple on the moonlight paper, and a rabbit is standing in the temple. After the festival, burn paper and distribute fruitcakes to every family member. Mid-Autumn Festival is also a reunion festival, so even if a woman returns to visit her relatives in the province, she will definitely return to her husband's family for reunion on this day.

Ming dynasty

As for the grand gathering of the Ming people enjoying the moon, there is also Zhang Dai (1597- 167 1? ) with its wonderful pen, it made the following extremely elegant explanation for us. "Tao An Meng Yi" Volume Five Tiger Autumn Nights:

In August and a half in Huqiu, there are aborigines, floating population, scholars, family members, female musicians, geisha, famous prostitutes in the song, opera women, folk young women, good women, young children, child molesters, diners, idlers and boys and girls. Since the birth of Gongtai, Qianshi, Hejian, Jianchi, Shenwending Temple, down to Gate 1 and Gate 2 of Shishi, have all sat on the mat and looked up, like geese landing on Pingsha and Xiajiang. On the day of the moon, there were hundreds of speakers, boasting about it, taking part in it, shaking the earth, thundering and screaming, but they didn't hear the call. What is more certain is that the drums and cymbals are gradually resting, and the silk and bamboo are flourishing, mixed with singing. It's all "the brocade sail opens the lake into a lake", with big songs in the same field, the sound of squatting gongs and drums, the sound of silk and bamboo, regardless of beating and smashing. In deeper places, people gradually dispersed, scholars and their families got off the boat and played in the water. They were asked to sing. Everyone contributed their skills to the North and the South, and the orchestra played repeatedly. Listeners distinguish words and phrases, and seaweed follows. The second drum is quiet, the screen smells, and the hole is a wisp of sorrow, clear and tender, especially three or four. There are no mosquitoes and flies in the lonely moon with three drums. A lady appeared on the stage, sitting high on the stone, making a silky sound without whistling or flapping, splitting the stone through the clouds and pulling up the strings. Every word, the listener is heartbroken and exhausted. He didn't dare to clap his hands, but nodded. However, there are still hundreds of people sitting beside the goose at this time. How can you seek knowledge if you are not in Suzhou?

Perhaps we can get a glimpse of the life interest of the late Ming people from this song "Autumn Night in Tiger House".

Ching Dynasty

The "Moonlight Paper" used in Yue Bai in the Ming Dynasty was renamed "Moonlight Horse" in the Qing Dynasty. Yanjing Time by Fu Cha Deng Chong (1906). It is recorded that: "Moonlight riders draw Taiyin Star King with paper, such as Bodhisattva, Moon Palace and rabbits with medicine. People stand up and hold the pestle, the algae are exquisite and resplendent, and they sell much in the market. Seven or eight feet old and two or three feet short, with two flags on the top, red, green, basket and yellow, all dedicated to the moon. Burn incense and salute, and burn it with a thousand ingots after the sacrifice. "

There was another saying in the Qing Dynasty: "Men don't go to Yue Bai, and women don't run around". Therefore, Yue Bai has become a patent for women. Housewives in Yue Bai are very busy and children have nothing to do. A few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, a kind of "male prostitute" for children's confinement will be sold in the market. Male prostitutes originated in the late Ming Dynasty. Ji Kun of Amin Dynasty (born around 1636) wrote in the Legacy of Flower King Pavilion: "Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing is mostly shaped like a mud rabbit, dressed like a human figure, and children worship it." By the Qing dynasty, the function of male prostitutes had changed from offering sacrifices to the moon to children's Mid-Autumn Festival toys. It is becoming more and more exquisite, some dressed as military commanders in armor robes, some with paper flags or umbrellas on their backs, or sitting or standing. Sit down, there are Kirin, tiger leopard and so on. There are also vendors dressed as rabbit heads, or hairdressers, or sewing shoes, selling wonton and tea soup, and so on.

Moon cakes on August 15th.

According to legend, in ancient China, the emperor had a system of offering sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. In the folk, every Mid-Autumn Festival in August, there is also a custom about Yue Bai or offering sacrifices to the moon. The famous proverb "The moon is full on August 15th, and the Mid-Autumn moon cake is sweet and fragrant" tells the custom of urban and rural people to eat moon cakes on Mid-Autumn night. At first, moon cakes were used to worship the moon god. Later, people gradually regarded Mid-Autumn Festival as a symbol of family reunion, and mooncakes gradually became holiday gifts.

Moon cakes originally originated from Zhu Jie food in the Tang Dynasty. During the reign of Tang Gaozu, General Li Jing conquered the Huns and returned home in triumph on August 15.

Turpan people who were doing business at that time presented cakes to the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Gao Zu Li Yuan took the gorgeous cake box, took out the round cake, smiled at the bright moon in the sky and said, "Please invite toad with Hu cake." After that, share the cake with the ministers.

The word "moon cake" has been used in Wu's Dream of the Liang Lu in the Southern Song Dynasty, but the description of enjoying the moon and eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival is recorded in the West Lake Travel Agency in the Ming Dynasty: "August 15th is called the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people use moon cakes to get together". In the Qing Dynasty, there were more records about moon cakes, and the production became more and more elaborate.

With the development of moon cakes today, there are more varieties and different tastes. Among them, Beijing-style, Soviet-style, Cantonese-style and Chaozhou-style moon cakes are deeply loved by people all over the country.

Moon cakes symbolize reunion and are a must-eat food for the Mid-Autumn Festival. On holiday nights, people also like to eat some reunion fruits, such as watermelons and fruits, and wish their families a happy, sweet and safe life.

Eating moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional folk custom in China, just like eating zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival and glutinous rice balls on Lantern Festival. Throughout the ages, people regard moon cakes as a symbol of good luck and reunion. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, when the bright moon is in the sky, the whole family will get together, enjoy cakes and the moon, talk about everything and enjoy family happiness.

Moon cakes, also known as Hu cakes, palace cakes, cookies, moon cakes, reunion cakes, etc. It is an offering to worship the moon god in the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival, and the custom of eating moon cakes has been formed since it was handed down.

Moon cakes have a long history in China. According to historical records, as early as the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, there was a kind of "Taishi cake" to commemorate Taishi Wenzhong, the "ancestor" of China moon cakes. Zhang Qian introduced sesame seeds and walnuts to the Western Regions in Han Dynasty, which added auxiliary materials for making moon cakes. At this time, a round cake filled with walnuts appeared, which was called "Hu cake".

In the Tang Dynasty, people had bakers engaged in production, and pastry shops began to appear in Chang 'an, the capital. It is said that one Mid-Autumn Festival night, Emperor Taizong and Yang Guifei enjoyed the moon and ate Hu Bing. Emperor Taizong felt that the name Hu Bing was not pleasant to listen to. Yang Guifei looked up at the bright moon, and her emotions surged. She casually came up with "moon cakes". Since then, the name of "moon cake" has gradually spread among the people.

The royal family in the Northern Song Dynasty likes to eat a kind of "palace cake" in the Mid-Autumn Festival, commonly known as "small cake" and "moon group". Su Dongpo has a poem: "Small cakes are like chewing the moon, crisp and pleasing."

The screenwriter of the Song Dynasty was thorough. The name "moon cake" was first mentioned in Old Wulin, which described what Lin 'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, saw.

In the Ming Dynasty, eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival gradually spread among the people. At that time, ingenious bakers printed the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon's fairy tales on moon cakes as food art drawings, making moon cakes a necessary food for Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Journey to the West, a Tian Rucheng in Ming Dynasty, said: "August 15th is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people send moon cakes to show their reunion." By the Qing Dynasty, the production technology of moon cakes had been greatly improved, and there were more and more varieties. Moon cakes prepared for the moon can be seen everywhere. Yuan Jinglan, a poet in the Qing Dynasty, has a long poem "Moon Cake Poetry", which includes "If you enter the kitchen, you can defrost and steam the pot. Rub fine dust and polish rouge marks. This sentence, "Let friends and relatives exchange gifts and save everything ... children sit together and the cups and plates are exhausted" is described, from the making of moon cakes, the exchange of moon cakes between friends and relatives, to the holding of family banquets and the appreciation of the moon.

On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, the moonlight is bright. The ancients regarded the full moon as a symbol of reunion, so August 15 was also called "Reunion Festival". Throughout the ages, people often describe "joys and sorrows" as "the moon is full and the moon is absent", and the wanderers living in other places rely on the moon to express their deep affection. Li Bai, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote poems such as "Looking up, it's moonlight, then leaning back, suddenly thinking about hometown", "Knowing that the dew is frost tonight, the moonlight at home is bright!" Du Fu's "Spring Breeze is Green in Jiang Nanan" and Wang Anshi's "When Will the Moon Shine on Me" in the Song Dynasty are all timeless masterpieces.

Mid-Autumn Festival is an ancient festival, and it is an important custom to offer sacrifices and enjoy the moon. Ancient emperors had a social system of offering sacrifices to the moon in spring, and folks also had the custom of offering sacrifices to the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Later, it was more important to enjoy the moon than to sacrifice it, and serious sacrifice turned into light entertainment. The custom of enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival prevailed in the Tang Dynasty, and many poets wrote poems about the moon in their masterpieces. In the Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Yue Bai's court and folk activities to enjoy the moon were even larger. So far, there are many historical sites in China, such as Yue Bai Altar, Moon Pavilion and Moon Tower.

The "Moon Altar" in Beijing was built during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, and was used for royal sacrifice to the moon. Whenever the moon rises in the Mid-Autumn Festival, a box is set up in the open air, with moon cakes, pomegranates, dates and other fruits on the console table. After Yue Bai, the family sat around the dining table, chatting while eating and enjoying the bright moon. Now, the activities of offering sacrifices to the moon in Yue Bai have been replaced by large-scale and colorful activities of enjoying the moon by the masses.

Eating moon cakes is another custom of festivals, symbolizing reunion. Since the Tang Dynasty, the making of moon cakes has become more and more exquisite. Su Dongpo wrote in a poem: "Small cakes are like chewing the moon, and there is pulp in the cake", and Yang Guang copied in Qing Dynasty: "Moon cakes are filled with peach meat and ice cream is sugar paste". It seems that the moon cakes at that time were quite similar to those now.