Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Tourist attractions - Articles about the Mid-Autumn Festival

Articles about the Mid-Autumn Festival

The 15th day of the eighth lunar month every year is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival. This is the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Chinese lunar calendar, a year is divided into four seasons, and each season is divided into three parts: Meng, Zhong and Ji. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called Zhongqiu. The moon on August 15th is rounder and brighter than the full moon in other months, so it is also called "Yuexi" and "August Festival". On this night, when people look up at the bright moon in the sky, they naturally look forward to family reunions. Wanderers who are far away from home also use this to express their longing for their hometown and relatives. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the "Reunion Festival".

Our people have had the custom of "autumn twilight and evening moon" in ancient times. On the eve of the moon, worship the moon god. By the Zhou Dynasty, every Mid-Autumn Festival night would be held to welcome the cold and worship the moon. Set up a large incense table and place moon cakes, watermelons, apples, dates, plums, grapes and other sacrifices. Moon cakes and watermelons are absolutely indispensable. The watermelon should also be cut into lotus shapes. Under the moon, the moon statue is placed in the direction of the moon, with red candles burning high. The whole family worships the moon in turn, and then the housewife cuts the reunion moon cakes. The person who cuts the food must calculate in advance how many people are in the family. Those who are at home and those who are out of town must be counted together. They cannot cut more or less, and the sizes must be the same.

According to legend, Wu Yan, an ugly girl from the ancient Qi State, worshiped the moon devoutly when she was a child. When she grew up, she entered the palace with outstanding moral character, but she was not favored. On August 15th of a certain year, the emperor saw her under the moonlight while admiring the moon. He thought she was beautiful and outstanding, so he made her his queen. This is how the Mid-Autumn Festival came to worship the moon. In the middle of the moon, Chang'e is famous for her beauty, so the girl worships the moon and wishes that she "looks like Chang'e and has a face like the bright moon."

In the Tang Dynasty, admiring and playing with the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival was quite popular. In the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. On the night of August 15th, people all over the city, rich and poor, old and young, wear adult clothes, burn incense, worship the moon, express their wishes, and pray for the blessing of the moon god. In the Southern Song Dynasty, people gave each other mooncakes as gifts to symbolize reunion. In some places, there are activities such as dancing grass dragons and building pagodas. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival have become more popular; many places have formed special customs such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn Festival trees, lighting tower lanterns, releasing sky lanterns, walking on the moon, and dancing fire dragons.

Today, the custom of playing under the moon is far less popular than in the past. However, it is still very popular to hold banquets to admire the moon. People drink wine to celebrate the wonderful life, or wish their relatives far away to be healthy and happy, and to "live thousands of miles away" with their families.

There are many Mid-Autumn Festival customs and different forms, but they all express people's infinite love for life and yearning for a better life.

The origin and legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival

Text

The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history. Like other traditional festivals, it also developed slowly. Ancient emperors There is a ritual system of worshiping the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. As early as "Zhou Li", the word "Mid-Autumn Festival" has been recorded. Later, nobles and literati also followed suit. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, they would look at the bright and round moon in the sky, watch and worship, and express their feelings. This custom was spread to the people and became a traditional activity until the Tang Dynasty. After that, people paid more attention to the custom of worshiping the moon, and the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. "Book of Tang·Taizong Ji" records the "Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th". This festival was popular in the Song Dynasty and became popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is as famous as New Year's Day and has become one of the major festivals in our country.

The legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival are very rich. Mythical stories such as Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang conquering Gui, and the Jade Rabbit making medicine are widely circulated.

One of the legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival - Chang'e flying to the moon

According to legend, in ancient times, ten suns appeared in the sky at the same time, which caused the crops to wither and the people to live in dire straits. A hero named Hou Yi, who Infinitely, he sympathized with the suffering people, climbed to the top of Kunlun Mountain, exerted his magical power, drew his magical bow, and shot down more than nine suns in one go, and strictly ordered the last sun to rise and set on time to benefit the people.

As a result, Hou Yi was respected and loved by the people. Hou Yi married a beautiful and kind-hearted wife named Chang'e. In addition to spreading his skills and hunting, Hou Yi stayed with his wife all day long. People envied this loving couple with talent and beauty.

Many people with lofty ideals came here to learn from Tou Shi, and Peng Meng with evil intentions also got in.

One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek enlightenment. He happened to meet the Queen Mother who was passing by, and asked the Queen Mother for a package of elixir. It is said that if you take this medicine, you can immediately ascend to heaven and become an immortal. However, Hou Yi was reluctant to leave his wife, so he had to temporarily give the elixir to Chang'e for collection. Chang'e hid the medicine in the treasure box on the dressing table. Unexpectedly, the villain Peng Meng saw it. He wanted to steal the elixir and become an immortal himself.

Three days later, Hou Yi led his disciples out for hunting. Peng Meng, who had evil intentions, pretended to be sick and stayed behind. Soon after Hou Yi led everyone away, Peng Meng broke into the backyard of the inner house with a sword and forced Chang'e to hand over the elixir. Chang'e knew that she was no match for Peng Meng. In the critical moment, she made a prompt decision, turned around, opened the treasure box, took out the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp. Chang'e swallowed the medicine, and her body immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window, and flew to the sky. Because Chang'e cared about her husband, she flew to the moon closest to the world and became an immortal.

In the evening, Hou Yi returned home, and the maids cried about what happened during the day. Hou Yi was frightened and angry, so he drew his sword to kill the villain, but Peng Meng had already escaped. Hou Yi was so angry that he beat his chest and was heartbroken. He looked up at the night sky and called out the name of his beloved wife. At this time, he was surprised to find that the moon today was particularly special. It is bright and bright, and there is a swaying figure that looks like Chang'e.

He chased the moon desperately, but he chased three steps, the moon took three steps back, he took three steps back, and the moon took three steps forward. No matter what, he couldn't catch up.

Houyi had no choice but to miss his wife, so he had to send people to Chang'e's favorite back garden, set up an incense table, put her favorite sweetmeats and fresh fruits, and offer sacrifices to him in the moon palace. of Chang'e. After the people heard the news that Chang'e flew to the moon and became an immortal, they all set up incense tables under the moon and prayed to the kind-hearted Chang'e for good luck and peace.

Since then, the custom of worshiping the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival has spread among the people.

Mid-Autumn Legend No. 2 - Wu Gang won the laurel

There is another legend about the Mid-Autumn Festival: It is said that the laurel tree in front of the Guanghan Palace on the moon grows luxuriantly and is more than 500 feet tall. There is a man below who is always cutting it down, but every time he cuts it down, the cut area immediately closes up again. For thousands of years, this osmanthus tree has been cut down as it goes. This osmanthus tree can never be cut down. It is said that the man who cut down the tree was named Wu Gang, who was from Xihe in the Han Dynasty. He once followed the immortals to practice Taoism and reached the heaven. However, he made a mistake, and the immortals demoted him to the Moon Palace, where he did such futile and hard work every day as punishment. . There is a record in Li Bai's poem "If you want to cut the laurel in the moon, you will hold on to the salary of those who are cold".

The third legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival - Zhu Yuanzhang and the Mooncake Uprising

Eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival is said to have begun in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the vast number of people in the Central Plains could not bear the cruel rule of the Yuan Dynasty's ruling class, and they revolted against the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang united various resistance forces to prepare for the uprising. However, the officers and soldiers of the court conducted a very strict search, making it very difficult to convey the news. Military counselor Liu Bowen came up with a plan and ordered his subordinates to hide the note with "uprising on August 15th" in the cakes, and then sent people to distribute it to the insurrectionary armies in various places, informing them to respond to the uprising on the night of August 15th. . On the day of the uprising, all rebel armies responded together, and the insurrectionary army was like a spark igniting a prairie fire.

Soon, Xu Da captured Yuan Dadu and the uprising was successful. When the news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy that he quickly passed down an oral order to let all the soldiers and the people have fun during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, and to reward the officials with the "mooncakes" that were used to secretly convey the message when the army was launched as seasonal cakes. Since then, the production of "mooncakes" has become more and more sophisticated, with more varieties, and the large ones are as big as discs, which have become a good gift. From then on, the custom of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival spread among the people.

Mid-Autumn Festival customs in various places

The most important activities of people during the Mid-Autumn Festival are to admire the moon and eat moon cakes.

Moon Appreciation

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, our country has had the custom of appreciating the moon since ancient times. The "Book of Rites" records that "Autumn Twilight and Evening Moon" means worshiping the moon god. By the Zhou Dynasty, every Mid-Autumn Festival night would be held to welcome the cold and worship the moon. Set up a large incense table and place mooncakes, watermelons, apples, plums, grapes and other seasonal fruits. Mooncakes and watermelons are absolutely indispensable. The watermelon should also be cut into lotus shapes.

In the Tang Dynasty, admiring and playing with the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival was quite popular. In the Song Dynasty, the custom of enjoying the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival became even more popular. According to "Tokyo Menghua Lu", "On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, noble families decorated their terraces and pavilions, and people competed in restaurants to enjoy the moon." On this day, all shops and restaurants in the capital will redecorate their facades, tie up silk and hang colorful decorations on the archways, and sell fresh fruits and refined foods. The night market is bustling with people, and many people go to the balcony. Appreciate the moon in the pavilion, place food or arrange a family banquet, reunite the children, and talk to each other while admiring the moon.

After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the custom of appreciating the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival remained unchanged. In many places, special customs such as burning incense sticks, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting tower lanterns, releasing sky lanterns, walking on the moon, and dancing fire dragons were formed.

Eating moon cakes

People in both urban and rural areas of our country have the custom of eating moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. As the saying goes: "August and fifteenth are full, and Mid-Autumn moon cakes are fragrant and sweet." Moon cakes were originally used as sacrifices to worship the moon god. The word "moon cake" was first seen in "Meng Liang Lu" written by Wu Zimu in the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, it was just a cake-shaped food like caltrop cake. Later, people gradually combined the Mid-Autumn moon appreciation with the tasting of mooncakes, which symbolized family reunion.

Mooncakes were originally made at home. Yuan Mei of the Qing Dynasty recorded the making of mooncakes in the "Sui Yuan Food List". In modern times, there have been workshops specializing in making mooncakes. The production of mooncakes has become more and more sophisticated, with exquisite fillings and beautiful appearance. Various exquisite patterns are printed on the outside of the mooncakes, such as "Chang'e Flying to the Moon", "Galaxy" "Yueyue", "Three Pools Reflecting the Moon", etc. The roundness of the moon signifies people's reunion, and the roundness of cakes signifies people's eternal life. Mooncakes are used to convey the feeling of missing one's hometown and relatives, and to pray for a good harvest and happiness. These have become the wishes of people all over the world. Mooncakes are also used as gifts for relatives. Friends, contact feelings.

Other Mid-Autumn Festival customs

China has a vast territory, a large population, and different customs. The ways to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival are also diverse and have strong local characteristics.

In Pucheng, Fujian, women have to cross the Nanpu Bridge during the Mid-Autumn Festival in order to live longer. In Jianning, hanging lanterns on the Mid-Autumn Festival night is a good omen to ask for a child from the Moon Palace. People in Shanghang County celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, and most of their children ask the moon aunt when they worship the moon. When Longyan people eat moon cakes, parents will dig out a round cake with a diameter of two or three inches in the center for the elders to eat, which means that secrets cannot be known to the younger generations. This custom stems from the legend that mooncakes contain anti-Yuan messages to kill enemies. Before worshiping the moon during the Kinmen Mid-Autumn Festival, you must first worship God.

In various places in Chaoshan, Guangdong, there is a custom of worshiping the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, mainly for women and children. There is a common saying that "men do not worship the full moon, women do not worship the stove". In the evening, when the bright moon rises, women set up tables in the courtyard and on the balcony to pray in the air.

Silver candles were burning high, incense was lingering, and the table was filled with fruits and cakes as offerings. There is also a local custom of eating taro during the Mid-Autumn Festival. There is a proverb in Chaoshan: "When the river and stream meet the mouth, the taro will be eaten." August is the taro harvest season, and farmers are accustomed to using taro to worship their ancestors. Although this is related to farming, there is also a widely circulated legend among the people: In 1279, the Mongolian nobles destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty, established the Yuan Dynasty, and brutally ruled the Han people. Ma Fa defended Chaozhou against the Yuan Dynasty. After the city was defeated, the people were massacred. In order not to forget the suffering of the Hu people's rule, later generations used taro, which is homophonic with "beard head" and resembles a human head, to pay homage to their ancestors. This has been passed down through the generations and still exists today.

Burning pagodas on Mid-Autumn Festival is also very popular in some places. The tower height ranges from 1 to 3 meters, and is mostly built with broken tiles. Large towers are also built with bricks, accounting for about 1/4 of the tower height, and then stacked tiles, leaving a The tower mouth is used for putting fuel. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, fires are lit, and the fuel includes wood, bamboo, chaff, etc. When the fire is strong, rosin powder is poured on it to ignite the flames, which is very spectacular. There are also folk rules for burning pagodas. Whoever burns the pagoda until the whole pagoda is red will win. The one who fails to do so or collapses during the burning process will lose. The winner will be given colorful flags, bonuses or prizes by the host. It is said that the burning of pagodas is also the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival uprising in which the Han people resisted the brutal rulers in the late Yuan Dynasty and used fire as a sign.

Folks in the Jiangnan area also have various customs during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Nanjing people love to eat mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and they must eat Jinling’s famous dish, osmanthus duck. "Osmanthus duck" is on the market when osmanthus is fragrant. It is fat but not greasy and delicious. After drinking, you must eat a small amount of sugar taro and pour it with cinnamon syrup. It goes without saying that it is delicious. "Guangxi Pulp" is named after Qu Yuan's "Songs of the Chu: Shao Siming" "Help the North be closed and drink Guangxi Pulp". Guijiang, also known as sugar osmanthus, is picked around the Mid-Autumn Festival and pickled with sugar and sour plums. Jiangnan women are skillful in turning the things chanted in poems into delicacies on the table. Nanjing people call it "celebrating reunion" when they enjoy the moon with their families, "full moon" when they sit together and drink together, and "walking on the moon" when they go out to the market.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Nanjing built the Moon Tower and the Moon Bridge. In the Qing Dynasty, the Moon Tower was built under the Lion Mountain, both for people to admire the moon, and those who visited the Moon Bridge were the most popular. When the moon is high in the sky, people go to the Moon Tower and visit the Moon Bridge together, and enjoy seeing the Jade Rabbit. "Wanyue Bridge" is located in the Confucius Temple in Qinhuai, Henan. Next to the bridge is the residence of Ma Xianglan, a famous prostitute. That night, scholars gathered at the bridge to play the sheng and Xiao, reminiscing about Niuzhu playing with the moon and composing poems to the moon, so it was called the Wanyue Bridge. . After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, it gradually declined, and later generations had poems to write about it: "Fengliu Nanqu has been sold out, leaving only the West Wind Long Banqiao, but I recall the jade man sitting on the bridge, teaching me how to play the flute against the bright moon." Changbanqiao is the original Wanyue Bridge. In recent years, Nanjing Confucius Temple has been renovated, restoring some pavilions from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and dredging the river. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, you can come together to enjoy the fun of moonlighting here.

In Wuxi County, Jiangsu Province, incense sticks are burned on the Mid-Autumn Festival night. The incense cup is surrounded by gauze and silk, with scenes from the Moon Palace painted on it. There are also incense buckets made of incense threads, with Kuixing and colorful flags tied with paper inserted on them. The Shanghainese Mid-Autumn Festival feast is served with sweet-scented osmanthus honey wine.

In Ji'an County, Jiangxi Province, on the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival, every village uses straw to burn earthen pots. After the crock is hot, add vinegar. At this time, the fragrance will fill the whole village. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in Xincheng County, grass lanterns are hung from the night of August 11th until August 17th.

On the Mid-Autumn Festival in Wuyuan, Anhui Province, children build a hollow pagoda with bricks and tiles. Decorations such as curtains and plaques are hung on the tower. A table is placed in front of the tower and various utensils for worshiping the "God of the Tower" are displayed. At night, lights are lit inside and outside. Children in Jixi play Mid-Autumn Festival cannons. Mid-Autumn Cannon is made of straw tied into a braid, soaked and then picked up and struck on a stone to make a loud noise and a fire dragon custom. The fire dragon is a dragon made of grass with incense sticks stuck on its body. During the Fire Dragon Tour, a gong and drum team accompanied them, and they visited various villages before being sent to the river.

In addition to eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival, people in Sichuan Province also make cakes, kill ducks, and eat sesame cakes, honey cakes, etc. In some places, orange lanterns are also lit and hung at the door to celebrate. There are also children who put incense on the grapefruit and dance it along the street, which is called "Dancing Meteor Incense Ball". During the Mid-Autumn Festival in Jiading County, people worship the Earth God, perform dramas, vocal music and cultural relics, which is called "watching party".

In the north, farmers in Qingyun County, Shandong Province worship the God of Earth and Valley on August 15th, which is called "Qingmiao Society". In addition to worshiping the moon, people in Zhucheng, Linyi, Jimo and other places also have to visit their graves to worship their ancestors. Landlords in Guanxian, Laiyang, Guangrao and Youcheng also entertained their tenants during the Mid-Autumn Festival. During the Jimo Mid-Autumn Festival, a festival food called "Mai Arrow" is eaten. Lu'an, Shanxi Province, hosted a banquet for their son-in-law during the Mid-Autumn Festival. In Datong County, mooncakes are called reunion cakes, and there is a custom of keeping vigil on Mid-Autumn Night.

Wanquan County in Hebei Province calls the Mid-Autumn Festival "Little New Year's Day". On the moonlight paper, there are figures of the Lunar Star King and Emperor Guan reading the Spring and Autumn Festival at night. People in Hejian County believe that Mid-Autumn rain is bitter rain. If it rains during Mid-Autumn Festival, locals believe that vegetables must taste bad.

On the Mid-Autumn Festival night in Xixiang County, Shaanxi Province, a man went boating and climbed a cliff, while the woman arranged a banquet. Regardless of whether you are rich or poor, you must eat watermelon. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are drummers who play drums along the door to ask for rewards. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in Luochuan County, parents led their students to bring gifts to pay homage to their husbands, and there were more lunches than on-campus dinners.

Many special Mid-Autumn Festival customs have also been formed in some places. In addition to appreciating the moon, offering sacrifices to the moon, and eating moon cakes, there are also fire dragon dances in Hong Kong, pagodas in Anhui, tree Mid-Autumn Festival in Guangzhou, burning pagodas in Jinjiang, watching the moon at Shihu Lake in Suzhou, moon worship by the Dai people, and moon dancing by the Miao people. , Dong people’s moon-stealing vegetables, Gaoshan people’s ball dance, etc.

Selected Mid-Autumn Festival Poems

"Mid-Autumn Festival"

(Tang Dynasty) Li Pu

The bright soul rises in the sky and the treasure mirror rises, and the immortals among the clouds Silence and silence;

A full circle of equally divided autumn colors, always accompanied by clouds thousands of miles away;

The cunning rabbit falls from the string outside the string, and the evil toad stops growing in front of you;

< p> Lingcha plans to join hands together, and wait until the Milky Way is completely cleared.

"Playing with the Moon on the Night of August 15th"

(Tang Dynasty) Liu Yuxi

Heaven will sweep the moon across the world tonight.

The summer heat has retreated and the sky is clear, and the autumn scenery is clear and clear.

The stars make them shine, and the wind and dew make them shine.

The one who can change the human world is Yu Jing.

"Shui Tiao Ge Tou"

(Song Dynasty) Su Dongpo

Bingchen Mid-Autumn Festival, drinking happily until dawn. I wrote this article while I was drunk, and I was pregnant with my son.

When will the bright moon appear? Ask the sky for wine.

I wonder what year it is today in the palace in the sky?

I want to ride the wind back home, but I am afraid of the beautiful buildings and jade buildings.

It is too cold at high places! Dance and clear the shadow, how can it be like being in the human world?

Turn to the Zhu Pavilion, where you will find a low-rise house, and the light will make you sleepless.

There should be no hatred, why should we be reunited when we say goodbye?

People have joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, and the moon waxes and wanes. This is a difficult thing in ancient times.

I wish you a long life and a long life.

Mid-Autumn Moon

(Song Dynasty) Su Shi

The dusk clouds are all gone and overflowing with coldness, the silver man turns the jade plate silently,

This is the night of this life If it doesn’t grow well, where will the bright moon be next year?

"Taichang Yin"

(Song Dynasty) Xin Qiji

A round of autumn shadows turns to golden waves, and the flying mirror is polished again.

Ask Chang'e about the wine: What can I do if I am deceived by my gray hair!

Take advantage of the wind and see the sky thousands of miles long,

Look straight down at the mountains and rivers. Cut off the Gui Posuo. Humanity is more clear.

Taiwanese folk songs:

"Thoughts on a Mid-Autumn Journey"

The lone shadow looks at the wild geese, and the daughter misses the mink; the autumn of my hometown recalls the moon, and the night terror in a foreign country.

The hand has not climbed the osmanthus, but it is like a rolled banana; I climb the tower to compose a sad poem, looking west to the distant sea and sky.

"Homesickness on a Moonlit Night"

The stars are sparse and the moon is cold in the Milky Way, and thousands of people are singing silently; .

"Suffering"

The night is deep, the bright moon hangs high in the middle of the sky, silent; eyes are hazy with sleep,

as if in a dream; living and lying around, restless , the hometown lingers in my mind;

After suffering, returning to nothing, like burning the king's heart

"Walking with the Moon on August 15th"