What is the Mid-Autumn Festival in Qing Dynasty?

People regard Mid-Autumn Festival as harvest autumn and reunion festival, and ancient emperors also had the ritual of offering sacrifices to the moon in spring.

In the Qing Dynasty, following the old system, a banquet was held in Gan Qing Palace every Mid-Autumn Festival to worship the moon. There is a moon palace symbol on the table, a big moon cake with a diameter of 55 cm and a weight of 10 kg. The moon cake is printed with the words Gong and the pattern of jade rabbit smashing medicine.

Around the big moon cake, there is a 3 kg moon cake, several plates of various small moon cakes, and several cups of wine and tea. Flowers and fresh fruits, such as lotus petal watermelon and lotus root, should also be placed on the altar.

After the moon festival, incense was burned. The emperor, queen and others bowed to the moonlight Oracle in turn. When the incense is burned out, you can light the moonlight and withdraw the offerings.

At this time, 10 Jin of moon cakes were carefully packaged and kept until New Year's Eve that year, which was shared by the whole family. And 3 kg of big moon cakes are cut into several pieces, plus small moon cakes, lotus melons, fresh fruits and so on. , to concubines, officials, eunuchs and maids.

In the fifth year of Qianlong (174 1), during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Emperor Qianlong accompanied the Queen Mother to worship Buddha in Wanshantang (Zhongnanhai) in Xiyuan, and then visited Yingtai and other scenic spots in the South China Sea.

Forty-one years after Qianlong (1777), Empress Xiao Sheng died. In the third year of Mid-Autumn Festival, Emperor Qianlong paid homage to the bright moon in the palace on his way to Shengjing to worship his ancestors.

At the beginning of August 15th, the eunuch was sitting in the courtyard of the landlord in Lianying West, with a moonlight flower in the northwest and one in the southeast. In front of the screen, there are two cutting tables in a row. Cover one with a yellow satin table (moon screen, table, feeder, etc.) Are led by eunuchs).

A table, 19 items and three ways to provide tea and a restaurant. Swing from the inside out. On both sides of the moonlight courtyard, a pair of lotus roots (with bamboo poles and flowers) are provided for mother and son. Tied to the moonlight code screen frame).

There are two soybean horns (one foot and five inches high, next to the moonlight courtyard) behind the table.

There is a bucket in the middle (behind the table) along the way, on which is a big moon cake (weighing 10 Jin, with round colored paintings). Hit three fresh fruits and a watermelon on the left. On the right are two fresh fruits and a watermelon.

On the second road, there is a censer in the middle, three cups of tea on the left and a watermelon. There are three glasses of wine and a watermelon on the right.

On the third road, in front of the incense burner, there is a sandalwood stove in the middle, and two first-class moon cakes (each weighing 3 kg) and a wax table (this is the lotus root for mother and son, weighing 10 kg and weighing 3 kg) are placed on the left side of the stove.

The emperor went to the altar to burn incense and salute, and then went to the west room to sit less.

You Zheng broke the low table made of rosewood in the tea room and put a table of yellow board wild wine and food, 15 kinds.

At exactly twenty-five minutes, the incense was burned out and the emperor burned the offering.

Then, the manager invited three cups of tea and three cups of wine with the waiter's tea tray. Kneel down, drink tea and wine with the emperor, and send them to incineration.

After that, a withdrawal form will be provided. Big moon cakes (10 kg weight) are stored according to regulations and put into storage on New Year's Eve.

Two 3 kg moon cakes were cut into one and put in a golden dragon box for the emperor to taste. He also ordered other moon cakes to be rewarded with camp concubines.

Fresh fruits, watermelons and moon cakes were presented to eunuchs.

Moon cakes in the palace are usually made in the dining room. Palace moon cakes combine the characteristics of traditional Soviet-style moon cakes, Cantonese-style moon cakes and Beijing-style moon cakes, with exquisite ingredients and exquisite workmanship, forming a unique style.

There are clouds, moon palace, osmanthus trees and jade rabbits on the skin of court moon cakes. They are colorful, with painted red hearts and white edges, white hearts and red edges, all red or all white, which is called natural invitation to red and natural invitation to white.

Mooncakes are colored with flying gold, silver sand, big green, azurite, colored yellow, indigo powder, gum, sappan, etc.

The moon cakes in the palace have different specifications, ranging from 55 cm in diameter to 10 kg. 4 1 cm, weighing 3 kg; 25 cm, weight1kg; 9 cm, weighing 5 Liang; Weight 6 cm, 3 Liang; The smallest moon cake is only 125 yuan. And the name on the moon cake mold indicates the filling type of the moon cake.