What are the customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Introduction to the Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in my country. Together with the Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Qingming Festival, it is also known as the four traditional festivals of the Chinese Han people. According to historical records, ancient emperors worshiped the sun in spring and the moon in autumn on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, which happened to be in the middle of the third autumn, hence the name "Mid-Autumn Festival"; month, so it is also called the "Autumn Festival", "August Festival" and "August Meeting"; there are also beliefs and related festivals and activities to pray for reunion, so it is also called "Reunion Festival" and "Girls' Day". Because the main activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival revolve around the "moon", it is also commonly known as the "Moon Festival", "Moon Eve", "Moon Chasing Festival", "Moon Playing Festival" and "Moon Worshiping Festival"; in the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was also known as It is called "Duanzheng Month". Regarding the origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are roughly three types: it originated from the ancient worship of the moon, the custom of singing and dancing under the moon to find a partner, and the ancient custom of worshiping the earth god in the autumn reprint.

The Mid-Autumn Festival has been a national statutory holiday since 2008. The country attaches great importance to the protection of intangible cultural heritage. On May 20, 2006, the festival was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists.

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". 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, there was an ugly girl named Wu Yan from the ancient Qi State. She 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 admire the moon to celebrate a good 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.

Edit this paragraph about the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival

The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" was first seen in "The Rites of Zhou". According to the ancient Chinese calendar, the 15th day of the eighth lunar month falls in mid-August of the autumn of the year, so it is called "Mid-Autumn Festival". There are four seasons in a year, and each season is divided into three parts: Meng, Zhong and Ji. The second month of the three autumns is called Zhongqiu, so the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called "Zhongqiu". In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was a record of "ordering the minister to suppress the cattle confusion, and on the Mid-Autumn Festival night, the left and right people were incognito and flooded the river". It was not until the early Tang Dynasty that the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. "Book of Tang·Taizong Ji" records the "Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th". The popularity of the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Song Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become as famous as New Year's Day and became one of the major festivals in our country. This is also the second largest traditional festival in our country after the Spring Festival.

With the continuous development of society, the ancients have given many legends to the moon, from toads in the middle of the moon to jade rabbits making medicine, from Wu Gang cutting laurels to Chang'e flying to the moon. Their rich imagination has painted a picture of the world of the moon palace. The mottled scenery. From the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, poets and poets have chanted about the moon and the events in the middle of the moon. The full moon on August 15th has become an excellent time to express emotions. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, officials officially designated August 15th as the Mid-Autumn Festival, which was meant to be in the middle of the Three Autumn Festivals, when all people would celebrate together. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the bright moon is in the sky and the clear light fills the earth. People regard the full moon as a symbol of reunion, and August 15th as the day for the reunion of relatives. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the "Reunion Festival".

The Mid-Autumn Festival has become a major festival of the year, and it has an extremely subtle relationship with the imperial examination. In our country's feudal society, opening up subjects to obtain scholars has always been a major event that the rulers attach great importance to. The three-year Autumn Palace Competition happens to be held in August. When the scenery and passion are combined, people will regard those who take the high school examination as those who win the title in the middle of the month. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, grand celebrations must be carried out, which has become an important custom for the people of the whole society. It has remained popular through the dynasties. The Mid-Autumn Festival has gradually become one of the four major festivals in my country (Spring Festival, Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival).

Edit this paragraph Mid-Autumn Legend

Chang'e's Flight to the Moon

According to legend, one year in ancient times, ten suns appeared in the sky, which burned the earth to the point of smoke and the sea water. Withered, the people saw that they could no longer live.

This incident alarmed a hero named Hou Yi. He climbed to the top of the Kunlun Mountains, used his supernatural power, drew his magic bow, and shot down nine superfluous suns in one go.

Hou Yi made great contributions and was respected and loved by the people. Many people with lofty ideals came to study under him. The treacherous and evil-minded Peng Meng also sneaked in.

Soon, Hou Yi married a beautiful and kind-hearted wife named Chang'e. In addition to spreading his skills and hunting, Hou Yi spent all day with his wife. People envied this loving couple with talent and beauty.

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, but Pengmeng saw it.

Three days later, Hou Yi led his disciples out for hunting. Peng Meng, who had evil intentions, pretended to be sick and stayed.

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 and told what happened during the day. Hou Yi was frightened and angry. He drew his sword and went to kill the villain, but Peng Meng had already escaped. Hou Yi was so angry that he beat his chest and stamped his feet and screamed. The grief-stricken Hou Yi looked up at the night sky and called his beloved wife's name. At this time, he was surprised to find that today's moon was particularly bright and bright, and there was a swaying figure that looked like Chang'e.

Hou Yi hurriedly sent people to Chang'e's favorite back garden, set up an incense table, placed her favorite sweetmeats and fresh fruits, and offered sacrifices to Chang'e who was attached to him in the moon palace.

After the people heard the news that Chang'e flew to the moon and became an immortal, they set up incense tables under the moon and prayed to the kind-hearted Chang'e for good luck and peace. From then on, the custom of worshiping the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival spread among the people.

This story of Chang'e flying to the moon sings and praises Chang'e with a distinctive attitude and brilliant colors. Compared with the records about Chang'e in ancient documents, it can be seen that people have done a lot of processing to the story of Chang'e flying to the moon. Modification makes Chang'e's image as beautiful as the moon and makes it in line with people's pursuit of beauty. Contrary to the widely circulated modern "Chang'e flying to the moon", "Lingxian" compiled by "Quan Shang Gu Wen" records the story of "Chang'e turning into a toad": "Chang'e, Yi's wife, stole the Queen Mother's immortal medicine and took it, and flew to the moon. The moon is about to pass, and Huang Zhanzhi says: "Ji, Pian Pian returns to her sister, and will go west alone. Don't be frightened when the sky is dim, and she will be prosperous later." toad.

"After Chang'e turned into a toad, she was punished to pound the elixir all day long in the moon palace, and lived a lonely and miserable life. Li Shangyin once lamented Chang'e in a poem: "Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir, and the blue sea and blue sky are in her heart every night. ”

Wu Gang Cutting Down Gui

Looking up at the bright moon, you can see some dark shadows in it. In our country, it is said that this is Wu Gang cutting down Gui. In the Tang Dynasty, the myth of Wu Gang cutting down Gui was interpreted. Legend has it that the laurel tree in the moon is five hundred feet high. This laurel tree is not only tall, but also has a magical self-healing function. There was a man from Xihe named Wu Minggang. He was a woodcutter and was obsessed with immortality, but he always refused to concentrate on his studies. The Emperor of Heaven was furious and placed him in the Moon Palace, where he ordered him to cut down the osmanthus tree. He said, "If you cut down the osmanthus tree, you will gain immortality." "But every time Wu Gang struck the axe, the wound on the tree healed immediately. Day after day, Wu Gang's wish to cut down the osmanthus was still not fulfilled. Therefore, Wu Gang cut down the osmanthus in the Moon Palace all year round, but he could never cut down the tree, and he could not cut down the tree.

Jade Rabbit Pounds Medicine

According to legend, three gods turned into three poor old men and asked for food from foxes, monkeys, and rabbits. Both foxes and monkeys had food to eat. Only the rabbit was helpless. Later, the rabbit said: "Eat my meat!" "He jumped into the fire and cooked himself. The gods were so moved that they sent the rabbit to the Moon Palace and became the Jade Rabbit. He accompanied Chang'e and made elixirs for her to descend to earth.

The Jade Rabbit Enters the Moon Palace

Legend has it that a long time ago, there was a pair of rabbits who had practiced spiritual practice for thousands of years and became immortals. They had four lovely daughters, all of whom were pure white and smart.

One day, the Jade Emperor summoned the male rabbit. It reluctantly left its wife and children and walked up to the Heavenly Palace on the clouds. When it came to the Nantian Gate, it saw Taibai Jinxing leading the general escorting Chang'e away. The Rabbit Fairy didn't know what happened. Asked the god who was guarding the Tianmen nearby. After hearing what happened to her, the Rabbit Fairy felt that Chang'e was innocent and felt sorry for her. But he had little power, so what could he do to help? He thought of how lonely and sad Chang'e was when she was locked up in the moon palace. , it would be great if someone could accompany her. Suddenly she thought of her four daughters, and she immediately ran home.

The rabbit fairy told the female rabbit what happened to Chang'e, and said that she wanted to send a child to keep Chang'e company. Although the female rabbit deeply sympathized with Chang'e, she was reluctant to leave her precious daughter. This was like cutting off her heart! The daughters were also reluctant to leave their parents, and the male rabbit said earnestly: "What if?" I am locked up alone, are you willing to accompany me? Chang'e was implicated in trying to save the people. Can we not sympathize with her? Children, we can’t just think of ourselves! "

The children understood their father's intention and expressed their willingness to go. The male rabbit and the female rabbit smiled with tears in their eyes. They decided to let the youngest daughter go.

The Little Jade Rabbit bid farewell to his parents and sisters and went to live with Chang'e in the Moon Palace!

Xuanzong's Roaming in the Moon Palace

According to legend, the most legendary thing in the Tang Dynasty was the tour of the Night Palace. Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Shen Tianshi and Taoist Hongdu were looking at the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Suddenly Xuanzong wanted to visit the Moon Palace, so the Tianshi did it. The three of them walked up the blue clouds together and roamed the Moon Palace. However, there was a heavy guard in front of the palace and they could not enter. They could only look down from outside. On this occasion, in the imperial city of Chang'an, I suddenly heard the sound of immortals, which was so clear and beautiful that it was melodious and melodious! Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty had always been familiar with the music, so he kept it in his heart. Smell back! "Later, Xuanzong recalled the music and singing of Xian'e in the Moon Palace, and composed and choreographed the music himself. This is the famous "Nancy Clothes and Feather Clothes Song" in history.

Legends of mooncakes from various places

Mooncakes Symbolizing reunion, it is a necessary sacrifice to worship the moon and the Lord of the Earth during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The custom of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival was handed down from the late Yuan Dynasty.

In the late Yuan Dynasty, the Han people planned to rebel against the Mongols. Later, Liu Bowen came up with a plan to spread rumors that there was a winter plague. This could only be avoided if every household bought moon cakes to eat during the Mid-Autumn Festival. He was holding a note that read: "On Mid-Autumn Night, kill the Tatars and welcome the rebels! "So everyone revolted against the rulers, and the custom of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival was left.

People in Wuxi usually eat braised rose sugar taro on the morning of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is said to be related to this. According to legend, the Mongols destroyed the Song Dynasty. After that, the national oppression was severe, and the Han people always wanted to resist. One year, everyone made an appointment to do it together on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

In order to get tired of winning, people eat braised taro, which symbolizes the head of the "Tatar" falling to the ground. This is the origin of eating sugared taro during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

This legend has mutated in various places in Chaoshan: At that time, the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty stipulated that every Chao family must live with a Mongolian soldier, be supported by the Han people, monitor the actions of the Han people, and only allow three families to use it. A kitchen knife. The common people were so disgusted that they took advantage of the opportunity to eat mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival and put notes announcing the incident into the stuffing of mooncakes. The Chaozhou people named taro as a homophonic word for "beard head" and resembled a human head. Therefore, every Mid-Autumn Festival, taro was used to worship their ancestors, which has been passed down through the generations and still exists today.

There is a custom of eating taro during the Mid-Autumn Festival in various parts of Guangdong. It is said to commemorate the historical story of the killing of Tatars in the late Yuan Dynasty. After the Tatars were killed during the Mid-Autumn Festival, their heads were sacrificed to the moon, and later they were replaced with taro. To this day, Cantonese people still call it "peeling ghost skin" when peeling taro skin.

Edit this paragraph Mid-Autumn Festival Customs

Worshiping the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival is a very ancient custom in our country. According to historical records, as early as the Zhou Dynasty, ancient emperors had the custom of worshiping the sun at the spring equinox, the earth at the summer solstice, the moon at the autumnal equinox, and the sky at the winter solstice. The places where they worship are called the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Earth, the Temple of the Moon, and the Temple of Heaven. It is divided into four directions: southeast, northwest and northwest. The Moon Altar in Beijing is where emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties worshiped the moon. "Book of Rites" records: "The emperor faces the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. When the sun rises and falls, the moon falls on the eve." The eclipse of the eclipse moon here refers to the worship of the moon at night. This custom was not only pursued by the court and upper-class nobles, but also gradually affected the people with the development of society.

Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet Customs

In ancient times, the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet customs of the Han people were the most elegant in the palace. For example, it was popular in the Ming Dynasty to eat crabs. After the crabs are steamed with cattail bags, everyone sits around and tastes them, served with wine and vinegar. After eating, drink Su Ye Decoction and wash your hands with it. During the banquet area, flowers, large pomegranates and other fresh food were placed, and mythological dramas of the Mid-Autumn Festival were performed. The Qing palace often placed a screen facing east in a certain courtyard, with cockscombs, edamame, taro, peanuts, radishes and fresh lotus roots placed on both sides of the screen. There is an Eight Immortals table in front of the screen, with an extra-large moon cake placed on it, surrounded by pastries and fruits. After the moon worship is completed, the moon cakes are cut into several pieces according to the royal family's population, and each person takes a symbolic bite, which is called "eating reunion cakes." The mooncakes made in the Qing Dynasty were so huge that it is unimaginable. For example, the mooncake given by the last emperor Puyi to the Minister of Internal Affairs Shao Ying was "about two feet in diameter and weighing about twenty kilograms."

Literati appreciate the moon

The custom of appreciating the moon comes from worshiping the moon, and the serious worship has turned into a relaxed entertainment. Folk activities of appreciating the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival began around the Wei and Jin Dynasties, but have not yet become a custom. In the Tang Dynasty, admiring and playing with the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival was quite popular, and many poets included verses praising the moon in their famous works. By the Song Dynasty, a Mid-Autumn folk festival centered on moon-viewing activities was formed, which was officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Different from the people in the Tang Dynasty, people in the Song Dynasty were more sentimental about the moon when appreciating the moon. They often used the waxing and waning of clouds and clear moons to describe human emotions. Even on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the clear light of the moon could not hide the sadness of the Song people. But for people in the Song Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival has another form, that is, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival of secular joy: "Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, all shops sell new wine, noble families decorate their terraces and pavilions, and private families compete in restaurants to play in the moonlight and play music. Hearings from thousands of miles away, playing and sitting until dawn" ("Tokyo Menghua Lu"). The Mid-Autumn Festival in the Song Dynasty was a sleepless night. The night market was open all night and there were endless tourists enjoying the moon.

Folk Worshiping the Moon

After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, due to the relationship of the times, the practical utilitarian factors in social life became more prominent, and the secular interest in festivals became more and more intense every year. "The lyrical and mythological literati tradition centered on it has weakened, and utilitarian worship, prayer, and secular emotions and wishes constitute the main form of the Mid-Autumn Festival customs of ordinary people. Therefore, "folk worshiping the moon" has become a symbol of people's desire for reunion, happiness and happiness; they use the moon to express their feelings.

Moonlight Horse

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the image of the Moon God underwent important changes. From the early purely Taoist moon palace picture with Chang'e as the main theme, it evolved into the Moonlight Bodhisattva and the Moonlight Bodhisattva that blended Buddhism and Taoism. The secular image of the Jade Rabbit and the Jade Rabbit. During this period, people worshiped moonlight paper with the Moonlight Bodhisattva painted on it, also called "Moonlight Horse". Fucha Dunchong's "Yanjing Chronicles" (1906). Records: "The moonlight horse is made of paper, with the lunar star king like a Bodhisattva on the top, and the moon palace and a medicine-making rabbit on the bottom. The figure is standing and holding a pestle. The algae color is exquisite and resplendent. It is sold in many shops. The longer one is seven or eight feet, the shorter one is two or three feet. There are two flags on the top, made of red and green, fence or yellow. They burn incense and offer it to the moon. After the sacrifice, they are burned together with thousands of pieces of gold and ingots.

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Rabbit Lord

The origin of Rabbit Lord is about the late Ming Dynasty. "The Remaining Manuscripts of Kao Pavilion" written by Ming Dynasty Ji Kun (around 1636): "Beijing Mid-Autumn Festival Most of them are made of clay and are shaped like rabbits. They are dressed and seated like human beings, and their children worship them. "By the Qing Dynasty, the function of Lord Rabbit had changed from offering sacrifices to the moon to being a Mid-Autumn Festival toy for children. The production has become increasingly sophisticated. Some are dressed as military commanders wearing armor and robes, and some have paper flags or umbrellas on their backs, or sit on them. Or standing. There are unicorns, tigers and leopards sitting there, and there are also vendors dressed as rabbit heads, or people sewing shoes, selling wontons, and tea soup.

"Every Mid-Autumn Festival, some ingenious people in the market make toad and rabbit images out of loess and sell them, which is called Lord Rabbit. "In the old days, there were many Rabbit stalls in the Dongsi Archway area of ??Beijing, specializing in selling Rabbits for the Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition, incense and candles were also sold in Nanzhi Store. This Rabbit has been personified through the bold creation of folk artists. It is a rabbit. Later, some people imitated the characters of the opera and carved the Lord Rabbit into warriors with golden helmets, some riding lions, elephants and other beasts, some riding peacocks, cranes and other birds, especially the Lord Rabbit riding a tiger. Although it is a strange thing, it is a bold creation of folk artists. There is also a rabbit with movable elbow joints and chin, commonly known as "Bada Zui", which is even more lovable. Although it is an offering to worship the moon, it is actually a child. A wonderful toy for us.

On the streets of Beijing a few decades ago, people in Beijing who are over sixty years old can still remember that the rabbit stalls were set up on July 15th. There are rabbit stalls everywhere in the archway, in front of the Drum Tower at the back door, Xidan, and Dongsi. They are large and small, high and low, and they are very lively.

Playing with lanterns

Mid-Autumn Festival. There are many game activities, the first is playing with lanterns. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the three major lantern festivals in my country. Of course, there is no large-scale lantern festival like the Lantern Festival. Playing with lanterns is mainly done among families and children. .

As early as the Northern Song Dynasty, "Old Stories of Wulin" recorded the Mid-Autumn Festival customs of "putting a little red lantern into the river and playing with it", which was mostly concentrated in the south. For example, at the Foshan Autumn Color Fair mentioned above, there are various kinds of lanterns: sesame lanterns, eggshell lanterns, wood shaving lanterns, straw lanterns, fish scale lanterns, chaff lanterns, melon seed lanterns, bird and animal flower tree lanterns, etc. People admired it.

In Guangzhou, Hong Kong and other places, the Mid-Autumn Festival activity is held, and the trees are also erected, which means that the children tie up bamboo paper with the help of their parents. Rabbit lanterns, carambola lanterns or square lanterns are hung horizontally on short poles and then erected on high poles. When used in a sophisticated way, the colorful lights shine, adding another scene to the Mid-Autumn Festival. Children often compete with each other to see who can stand upright. They are taller and more vertical, and the lights are the most exquisite. In addition, there are sky lanterns, which are made of large paper lanterns. Candles are burned under the lanterns, and the heat rises, making the lanterns fly in the air, attracting people to laugh and chase. . In addition, there are various lanterns carried by children to enjoy in the lower reaches of the moon.

In Nanning, Guangxi, in addition to various lanterns made of paper and bamboo for children to play with, there are also very simple sleeve lanterns and pumpkins. Lanterns and orange lanterns. The so-called grapefruit lanterns are made by hollowing out the grapefruit, putting it on a string, and lighting candles inside. Although the pumpkin lanterns and orange lanterns are also made by removing the flesh, they are simple. It is easy to make and is very popular. Some children even float oil lamps into the pond and river as a game.

Guangxi has a simple Huqiu lantern, which is made of six circles of bamboo strips and is white on the outside. Gauze paper and insert candles into it. Hang it beside the moon festival table to worship the moon.

Nowadays, many areas in Guangxi and Guangdong arrange lantern festivals and tie them up on the Mid-Autumn Festival night. There are large modern lanterns illuminated by electric lights and various new lanterns made of plastic for children to play with, but they lack the simple beauty of the old lanterns.

In addition, the game of burning tile lanterns (or burning flower towers, burning tile towers, burning fan towers) is also widely spread in the south, and is spread in Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi and other places. For example, Volume 5 of "China National Customs" records: Jiangxi "On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, ordinary children pick up tiles in the wild and pile them into a round tower with many holes. At dusk, they burn them in a firewood tower under the bright moon. Once the tiles are red-hot , then pour kerosene on the fire and add fuel to the fire. In an instant, the fields are as red as the sun, and it shines like daylight until late at night, when no one is watching. This is called burning a tile lamp. The tile-burning pagoda in Chaozhou, Guangdong is also a hollow pagoda built with bricks and tiles, filled with branches and set on fire. At the same time, smoke piles are also burned, which is to pile firewood into piles and burn them after the moon worship.

The burning of Fan Pagoda in the Guangxi border area is similar to this activity, but folklore is to commemorate the heroic battle of Liu Yongfu, a famous anti-French general in the Qing Dynasty, who burned the Fan ghosts (French invaders) who escaped into the tower. It is quite popular. Patriotic thoughts. There is also a "tazai burning" activity in Jinjiang, Fujian.

Legend has it that this custom is related to the righteous act of resisting Yuan soldiers. After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, it carried out bloody rule over the Han people, so the Han people resisted unyieldingly. Various places organized riots on the Mid-Autumn Festival and lit fires on the top of the pagoda as a sign. Similar to the Fenghuotai lighting uprising, although this kind of resistance was suppressed, the custom of burning pagodas remained. This legend is similar to the legend of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Fire Dragon Dance

Fire dragon dance is the most traditional custom of Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival. Starting from the 14th night of the eighth lunar month every year, a grand fire dragon dance event is held in the Tai Hang area of ??Causeway Bay for three consecutive nights. This fire dragon is more than 70 meters long, with a 32-section dragon body made of pearl grass and filled with longevity incense. On the night of the grand event, the streets and alleys of this district were filled with undulating fire dragons dancing joyfully under the lights and dragon drum music, making it very lively.

There is also a legend about the origin of the Mid-Autumn Fire Dragon Dance in Hong Kong: a long time ago, after a typhoon hit Tai Hang District, a python appeared and did evil everywhere. The villagers went out to hunt it down and finally killed it. . Unexpectedly, the python disappeared the next day. A few days later, a plague broke out in Dakeng. At this time, the elders in the village suddenly received a dream from the Bodhisattva, saying that as long as they danced the fire dragon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the plague could be driven away. As luck would have it, this move actually worked. Since then, the fire dragon dance has been passed down to this day.

No matter how much superstition there is in this legend, China is the homeland of dragons. The fire dragon dance has a history of more than 100 years during the Mid-Autumn Festival in Tai Hang, Hong Kong. This is worth cherishing. Nowadays, the fire dragon dance activity in Tai Hang District is quite large-scale. In addition to the head coach, coach, chief conductor and conductor, the safety team and so on. More than 30,000 people take turns dancing the dragon.

The custom of worshiping and worshiping the moon is also popular among ethnic minorities. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Dai people of Yunnan have a popular custom of "moon worship". According to Dai legend, the moon was transformed by Yan Jian, the third son of the emperor. Yanjian is a brave and strong young man. He once led the Dai people to defeat the enemy and won the love of the Dai folks. Later, after his unfortunate death, he turned into the moon and rose into the sky, continuing to emit soft moonlight and bring light to the Dai people in the darkness. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, young men take their gunpowder guns and go up to the mountains to shoot finches and pheasants early in the morning to hunt for festive game. Girls and wives are busy catching fish in lakes and ponds. They were all busy preparing the festive dinner. The old lady was busy pounding glutinous rice and making food of different sizes. There was a round glutinous rice cake on each of the four table corners, and a stick of cold incense was placed on each cake. As soon as the moon rises over the mountains and forests, cold incense is lit, and the whole family begins to "worship the moon." Then, gunpowder guns are fired into the air to show respect for the hero Yanjian. Finally, the whole family sat happily around the small square table, tasting food, talking and laughing, admiring the moon, and then left happily.

When the Oroqen people worship the moon, they put a basin of water in the open space, place offerings, then kneel in front of the basin and bow to the moon; Then, people kept hitting the moon in the basin with pebbles, which is commonly known as "beating the moon".

The "Moon Sacrifice and Invitation to the Gods" activity of the Zhuang people in western Guangxi is more typical. Every year in the middle of August of the lunar calendar, sometimes on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, people set up a table in the open air at the head of the village to place sacrifices. Along with the incense burner, there is a tree branch or bamboo branch about one foot high on the right side of the table, which symbolizes the social tree and also serves as the ladder for the moon god to descend to earth and ascend to heaven. The elements of the ancient moon myth are preserved here. The whole activity is divided into four stages: inviting the moon god to come down to earth, with one or two women acting as the spokesperson of the moon god; antiphonal songs between gods and men; fortune telling by the moon god; and singers singing songs to send the moon god back to heaven.

The Mongolian people "chasing the moon". On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Mongolian people love to play the game of "Chasing the Moon". People mounted their horses and galloped on the grassland under the silvery moonlight. They galloped toward the west, and the moon rose from the east and set in the west. The persistent Mongolian rider will not stop "chasing the moon" until the moon sets in the west.

The Tibetan "Looking for the Moon". The custom of Tibetan compatriots in some areas of Tibet to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival is to "seek the moon". That night, young men and women and children walked along the river, followed the bright moon reflected in the water, and reflected the moon shadow in the surrounding river ponds, and then went home to reunite and eat moon cakes.

The Hezhe people "sacrifice the moon."

In the Hezhe ethnic minority settlements in northeastern my country, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, people gather grapes and worship the moon. According to legend, it is to commemorate a smart and hard-working daughter-in-law of the Hezhe ethnic group. She couldn't stand her mother-in-law's abuse and ran to the river to ask the moon for help. Finally I ran to the moon.

The De'ang people "cross the moon". The young men and women of the De'ang ethnic group in Luxi, Yunnan Province, during the Mid-Autumn Festival when the moon is high and extremely bright, from time to time there is a melodious and melodious sound of gourd and sheng playing at the top of the mountain. The young men and women "string the moon" together to express their true feelings. Some people also make engagements by sending banquets and tea through "Moon Moon".

The Axi people "jump to the moon". The traditional custom of the Axi people during the Mid-Autumn Festival is to "dance over the moon". On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, people from various villages gathered in the open space in the mountain village. Girls in veils danced, and young men with big sanxian on their shoulders danced. However, what is particularly sultry is the antiphonal song in which young men and women express their love, as if the moon is also moved by it.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival night, the Miao people bathe in the moonlight, play the melodious Lusheng, and dance Miao songs and dances. Young people look for each other in the "Moon Festival" activity. The people you love should express their love for each other like the moon and clear water, with pure and bright hearts, and a lasting friendship that lasts for a hundred years.

On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, people eat moon cakes to express "reunion." Moon cakes, also called Hu cakes, palace cakes, moon cakes, harvest cakes, reunion cakes, etc., were offerings to worship the moon god during the Mid-Autumn Festival in ancient times.

According to historical records, as early as the Yin and Zhou Dynasties 3,000 years ago, people had already made "Taishi Cake, thin in edge and thick in heart" to commemorate Taishi Wen Zhong. In the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian was sent to the Western Regions and introduced walnuts, sesame seeds, etc., and round "Hu cakes" with walnut kernels as fillings appeared. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jing went to conquer the Turks and returned in triumph during the Mid-Autumn Festival. At that time, a Tibetan businessman offered Hu cakes. Li Yuan was very happy to receive the cake. He pointed at the bright moon in the sky and said, "The cake should be given to the toad (the moon)." Then he gave it to the ministers to eat. If this is true, this may be the beginning of the sharing of mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. But the word "mooncake" was first seen in the red caltrop cake of Wu Zimu in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Moon cakes are round and are given the meaning of reunion in the Ming Dynasty. Liu Tong's "Scenery of the Imperial Capital" says: "On August 15th, when worshiping the moon, the fruit cake must be round." Tian Rucheng "West Lake Tour Chronicles" said: "August 15th is called the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people also use moon cakes as gifts to take the meaning of reunion." Shen Bang also recorded the grand occasion of making moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing in the Ming Dynasty in "Wanshu Miscellaneous Notes": Villagers all "make mooncakes for each other, varying in size, and call them mooncakes. In the shops, fruit is used as filling, and the name is so clever that one cake is worth hundreds of dollars." The ingenious cake-making workers made surprising innovations, and the mooncakes were made with There are various tricks. Peng Yunzhang's "Youzhou Native Wind Song" describes: "The moon palace talisman is painted as a jade rabbit on the kiln terrace; the moon palace cake is made into a silver toad and purple mansion shadow. A pair of toads and rabbits fill the world, regretting Chang'e's stolen medicine. "I rushed to Guanghan but could not return, and the jade pestle stayed in Danyan for a long time."

In the Qing Dynasty, eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival has become a common custom, and the making skills are getting higher and higher. Yuan Mei, a native of the Qing Dynasty, introduced in "Suiyuan Food List": "Puff-skin mooncakes are stuffed with pine nuts, walnut kernels, melon seeds, rock sugar, and lard. They taste sweet, fragrant, pine, and greasy, which is very unusual." Mooncakes in Beijing The one made by Qianmen Zhimizhai is the first. Throughout the country, five flavor series have been formed, namely Beijing, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Guangzhou and Chaozhou. Many local folk customs have also emerged around worshiping and appreciating the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, such as the "Bu Zhuangyuan" in Jiangnan: cutting the moon cakes into large, medium and small pieces. The blocks are stacked together, and the largest one is placed at the bottom, which is the "number one"; the medium one is placed in the middle, and it is the "second place"; and the smallest one is on top, which is the "third flower". Then the whole family rolls dice, and whoever has the most numbers will be the number one winner and eat a big chunk; the number two and the third overall pick will be the top pick in turn, and they have fun playing the game.

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The Mid-Autumn Festival is full of poetry because of the wonderful moonlight. Under the moon is the best time for young men and women to sing and find their spouses, so it is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is a festival for pursuing love. Young men and women sing, dance and play under the moonlight, and they can become spouses when they meet the person they like. In modern times, this kind of ancient custom still exists and is full of interest.