What are the folk customs of Mid-Autumn Festival? What are the folk customs of Mid-Autumn Festival in different regions?

Speaking of Mid-Autumn Festival, I believe everyone is very familiar with it, our traditional festival in China. The Mid-Autumn Festival is also called Moon Festival, Autumn Festival, Moon Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Worship Festival, Reunion Festival, etc. This festival originally originated from the worship of astronomical phenomena and evolved from the autumn festival in ancient times. Since ancient times, the Mid-Autumn Festival has had some folk customs, such as offering sacrifices to the moon, enjoying the moon, eating moon cakes, playing with lanterns, enjoying osmanthus flowers and drinking osmanthus wine, which have lasted for a long time.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a colorful and precious cultural heritage, with the full moon as a sign of people's reunion, for the purpose of missing their hometown and their loved ones, and hoping for a bumper harvest and happiness. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in ancient times, popularized in the Han Dynasty, shaped in the early years of the Tang Dynasty and prevailed after the Song Dynasty. Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional cultural festival popular in China and Chinese areas around the world. Mid-Autumn Festival, Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day and Dragon Boat Festival are also called the four traditional festivals in China. Mid-Autumn Festival has been listed as a national legal holiday since 28. On May 2th, 26, the State Council listed it in the first national intangible cultural heritage list.

Mid-Autumn Festival Folklore Walking on the Moon

There is also a special activity called "Walking on the Moon" on Mid-Autumn Festival night. In the bright moonlight, people wear gorgeous clothes, travel in groups of three or five, or wander the streets, or lack boats on the Qinhuai River, or go upstairs to watch the Yuet Moon, talking and laughing. In the Ming Dynasty, there was a Moon-looking Building and a Moon-playing Bridge in Nanjing, and there was a Moon-looking Building under Lion Mountain in the Qing Dynasty, all of which were scenic spots for tourists to enjoy the moon when they "walked on the moon". Traveling in mid-autumn night to enjoy the moon is called "walking on the moon" by Shanghainese. Wu has the custom of walking the moon and three bridges, that is, traveling in the moonlight and crossing at least three bridges (see Gu Lu's Qing Jia Lu Volume 8). There is also this custom in Shanghai (see Yu Yousheng's "A Travel Record of Sea-bound Metallurgy"). The so-called three bridges, obviously the taste of urban.

Mid-Autumn Festival Folk Sacrifice to the Moon

Sacrificing to the Moon is a very old custom in China, and it is actually a worship activity of the ancients to the "Moon God". In ancient times, there was a custom of "autumn dusk and evening moon". The evening moon is to worship the moon god. In ancient times, in some parts of Guangdong, people had the custom of worshipping the moon god on the Mid-Autumn Festival night. In Yue Bai, a big incense table was set up, offering sacrifices such as moon cakes, watermelons, apples, red dates, plums and grapes. Under the moon, put the "Moon God" tablet in the direction of the moon, and the red candle burns high. The whole family worships the moon in turn and prays for blessings. Sacrificing the moon to admire it and remembering it expressed people's good wishes.

Mid-Autumn Festival folk custom of enjoying the moon

The custom of enjoying the moon comes from offering sacrifices to the moon, and serious sacrifices have turned into light pleasures. It is said that the moon is closest to the earth this night, and the moon is the largest and brightest, so there is a custom of drinking and enjoying the moon since ancient times; The daughter-in-law who goes back to her mother's house will return to her husband's house in the future, in order to express her happiness and good luck. Written records show that the folk Mid-Autumn Festival activities began in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, but they did not become a habit. In the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival, and many poets wrote poems about the moon in their masterpieces.

Mid-Autumn Festival Folklore Begging for the Moon to shine on the Moon

In the old days, some women in Dongguan believed that "the old man is the medium". Anyone who has adult men and women at home and has no lover is convenient to burn incense and candles under the moon in the middle of the Mid-Autumn Festival night and beg the old man to fix them up. According to legend, quiet moonlight on Mid-Autumn Festival night can make women pregnant. In some areas, on the Mid-Autumn Festival moonlit night, some infertile women who have been married for a long time go out and bathe in the moonlight, hoping to have a baby early, which is called "according to the moon".

Mid-Autumn Festival folk custom tide watching

The custom of Mid-Autumn Festival tide watching has a long history. "I know that the Jade Rabbit is very round, and it has been frosty and cold in September. "The message was that the door should be closed, and the night tide would stay to see the moon." This is the poem "Watching the Tide on August 15th" written by Su Shi, a great poet in the Song Dynasty. In ancient times, in Zhejiang, besides enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival, tide watching was another Mid-Autumn Festival event.

Eating moon cakes is a folk custom in Mid-Autumn Festival

Eating moon cakes has become a necessary custom in all parts of China. People eat moon cakes on this day to show "reunion". Moon cakes, also called moon group, harvest cake, palace cake and reunion cake, are offerings to worship the moon god in ancient Mid-Autumn Festival. Moon cakes were originally used as sacrifices to the moon god. Later, people gradually regarded the Mid-Autumn Festival as a symbol of family reunion. Moon cakes symbolize a happy reunion. People regard them as holiday food, and use them to worship the moon and give them to relatives and friends.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a folk custom to burn incense

In Jiangsu, it is necessary to burn incense in the Mid-Autumn Festival. There are gauze and silk around the incense bucket, and the scenery of the moon palace is painted. There are also incense sticks woven with thread incense, with paper kuixing and colorful banners inserted on them. There is also the custom of burning incense and fighting among the people in Shanghai.

Mid-Autumn Festival folk lanterns

Light lanterns to help the moonlight. On Mid-Autumn Night, candles are burned in the lamp, which is tied to bamboo poles, eaves of tiles, terraces and other high places, commonly known as "Mid-Autumn Festival on trees" or "Mid-Autumn Festival vertically".

Folk riddles in Mid-Autumn Festival

There are many lanterns hanging in public places on the full moon night in Mid-Autumn Festival. People gather together to guess riddles written on lanterns. Because they are the favorite activities of most young men and women, love stories are also heard at these activities, so solve riddles on the lanterns in Mid-Autumn Festival has also been derived as a form of love between men and women.

The Mid-Autumn Festival folk custom of playing with rabbit

Playing with rabbit originated in the late Ming Dynasty and became popular in Beijing. Ji Kun, a Ming dynasty (living around 1636), wrote "The Remaining Draft of Kao Pavilion": "The Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing is mostly in the shape of a mud rabbit, dressed like a human figure, and children worship it." By the Qing Dynasty, the function of male prostitute had changed from offering sacrifices to the moon to children's Mid-Autumn Festival toys. The rabbit is made of mud. The rabbit's head is covered with armor, a flag is inserted to protect his back, his face is covered with gold mud, and he is painted, sitting or standing, pounding on a pestle or riding a beast, with two big ears standing upright, which is also harmonious. "Yanjing Years Old": "Every Mid-Autumn Festival, people who are clever in the city use loess to make a toad and rabbit image for sale, which is called male prostitute." The court in the Qing Dynasty called the Jade Rabbit in the Moon Taiyin Jun.. However, Beijingers call it male prostitute. In the folk customs around Beijing, the Mid-Autumn Festival sacrifice to male prostitute is actually less solemn and more games.

Mid-Autumn Festival folk play with lanterns

There are many game activities in Mid-Autumn Festival, the first is to play with lanterns. Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the three major lantern festivals in China, so we should play with lanterns on holidays. Of course, there is no large lantern festival in Mid-Autumn Festival like Lantern Festival, and playing with lanterns is mainly between families and children. As early as the Northern Song Dynasty, in the Old Wulin Story, it was recorded that the Mid-Autumn Festival was a custom, and there was an activity of "putting a little red lamp into the river to drift and play". Playing lanterns in the Mid-Autumn Festival is mostly concentrated in the south. For example, at the aforementioned Foshan Autumn Festival, there were all kinds of colorful lights: sesame lights, eggshell lights, wood shavings lights, straw lights, fish scales lights, chaff lights, melon seeds lights and flowers and trees lights of birds and animals, which were amazing.

In Guangzhou, Hong Kong and other places, Mid-Autumn Festival activities will be held on Mid-Autumn Night, and the trees will be erected, which means that the lights will be erected high. With the help of their parents, children make rabbit lanterns, carambola lanterns or square lanterns out of bamboo paper, hang them horizontally in short poles, and then erect them on high poles. They are high-tech and colorful, adding another scene to the Mid-Autumn Festival. Children often compete with each other to see who stands tall and much taller, and the lights are the most exquisite. In addition, there are sky lanterns, that is, Kongming lanterns, which are made of paper and tied into large lights. Candles are burned under the lights, and the hot air rises, making the lights fly in the air and make people laugh and chase. In addition, there are all kinds of lanterns carried by children to enjoy in the lower reaches of the moon.

In Nanning, Guangxi, besides all kinds of lanterns tied with paper and bamboo for children to play with, there are also simple grapefruit lanterns, pumpkin lanterns and orange lanterns. The so-called grapefruit lamp is to empty the grapefruit, carve a simple pattern, put on a rope, and light a candle inside, which is elegant. Pumpkin lanterns and orange lanterns are also made by removing the pulp. Although simple, it is easy to make and very popular. Some children also float grapefruit lights into the pool water for games. There is a simple autumn lantern in Guangxi, which is made of six bamboo strips tied into a lamp, pasted with white gauze paper and inserted with candles. Hang it on the moon-offering table for the moon-offering, or for children to play with. Nowadays, in many areas of Guangxi and Guangdong, lantern festivals are arranged in mid-autumn night, large modern lanterns illuminated by electric lights are made, and all kinds of new lanterns made of plastic are used for children to play, but the simplicity of the old lanterns is missing.

Mid-Autumn Festival folk dance fire dragon

Dancing fire dragon is the most traditional custom of Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival. From the evening of the 14th day of the eighth lunar month every year, a grand dragon dance has been held for three consecutive nights in the Tai Hang area of Causeway Bay. This fire dragon is more than 7 meters long, and it is tied into a 32-section dragon body with pearl grass, which is full of longevity incense. On the night of the grand event, the streets and alleys in this area are full of excitement, with winding and undulating fire dragons dancing exultantly under the light and dragon drum music.

Mid-Autumn Festival Folklore Listening to Fragrance

Listening to Fragrance is an ancient Mid-Autumn Festival custom spread in Taiwan. In ancient times, girls who wanted to get a good wife burned incense in front of the gods at home, told their worries, and prayed to the gods for directions to listen to the incense. Then, they remembered the first words they overheard on the road in accordance with the directions, and then threw them at home to judge the good or bad of the divination. For example, divination is a lifelong event, and what you hear is eating cookies or flowers and a full moon, which means that it is a good omen and a happy event is near.

Mid-Autumn Festival folklore steals moon dishes

According to legend, if an unmarried girl steals vegetables or onions from other vegetable gardens on Mid-Autumn Night, it means that she will meet a Mr Right in the future. There is a saying in Taiwan that "steal onions and marry a good husband;" Stealing vegetables and marrying a good husband "refers to this custom." [8]

On the Mid-Autumn Festival night in Dong Township, Hunan Province, an interesting custom of "stealing moon dishes" is popular. According to legend, in ancient times, on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, fairies in the Moon Palace were coming to the lower world, and they sprinkled nectar all over the world. Fairy's nectar is selfless, so people can enjoy fruits and vegetables sprinkled with nectar this night.

Mid-Autumn Festival folk pagoda lights

Mid-Autumn Festival lights are not the same as Lantern Festival lights. Pagoda lights are lit in mid-autumn night, and they are mainly popular in the south. Pagoda lamp, that is, the village children pick up rubble and build a pagoda-shaped lamp. In the Qing Dynasty, villagers in Suzhou used tiles to form a seven-level pagoda in the wilderness. The middle of the pagoda was for the king of Tibet, and lights were burned around it, which was called "tower lamp". Guangzhou children burn "Fanta lamp" and use broken tiles for it; There are also pomelo peel lamps, carved with red pomelo peel, with a glass lamp in the middle, which is radiant with red light. In addition, the game of burning tile lanterns (or burning flower tower, burning tile tower and burning fan tower) is widely circulated in the south, and it has been circulated in Jiangxi, Guangdong and Guangxi. For example, in Volume 5 of "Records of Chinese National Customs": "On Mid-Autumn Night in Jiangxi, children usually pick up tiles in the wild and pile them into a round tower with holes. At dusk, burn it in a firewood tower under the bright moon. As soon as the tiles burn red, then pour kerosene on the fire, and suddenly the fields are red and shine like day. Until late at night, when no one is watching, it begins to pour interest, which is a famous burning tile lamp. " The tile-burning tower in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province is also a hollow tower made of bricks and tiles, which is filled with branches and burned. At the same time, it also burns smoke piles, that is, piles of grass and firewood are burned after the end of Yue Bai. The burning fan tower in the border area of Guangxi is similar to this kind of activity. There is also a "burning tower boy" activity in Jinjiang, Fujian.

Mid-Autumn Festival folk custom

In some areas of Fujian, there is a custom of "throwing a handkerchief to attract relatives" on Mid-Autumn Festival night. Generally, a colorful platform is set up in the square, which is arranged in the shape of a moon palace, with jade rabbits and osmanthus trees. Some unmarried girls dress up as Chang 'e and throw handkerchiefs embroidered with different colors to the stage. If someone receives handkerchiefs with the same color as Chang 'e, they can take the stage to receive the prize. When some unmarried boys return handkerchiefs, if Chang 'e likes them, they can make friends, and those who are congenial can tie the knot.

The Mid-Autumn Festival folk custom steals melons and prays for children

In Hengyang, Hunan Province, there is a "Mid-Autumn Festival night, there is a delivery of melons". "Where XiFeng shoe the original home, marry a woman who has been infertile for several years, relatives and friends will hold a melon delivery. A few days first, a melon will be stolen in the vegetable garden, which must be unknown to the owner, painted in color, and clothes wrapped in it are human. Give a long life to those who are good at it, ring gold and shoot guns, and send them to their homes. Older people put wax gourd on the bed to be covered, so they can remember the sun in the door, and as they sow, so they reap. Those who suffer from melons hold a grand banquet to entertain them, if it happens again. When a woman gets a melon, she cuts it off. It is said that this matter is the most verified cloud. " In Hengyang, anyone who is married and has no children in the village will be given a "gift" as long as their popularity is good.

Drinking osmanthus wine in Mid-Autumn Festival

People often eat moon cakes to enjoy osmanthus flowers in Mid-Autumn Festival, and eat all kinds of foods made by osmanthus flowers, among which cakes and sweets are the most common. [12]

Mid-Autumn Festival folklore steals food to beg for a husband

In Taiwan Province, there is a custom that unmarried women "steal food to beg for a husband" on Mid-Autumn Night. The woman with beautiful decorations stepped on the moonlight and stole onions and vegetables from other people's vegetable gardens. After stealing them, it indicated that she would meet Mr. Right. Therefore, Taiwan Province has "stealing onions and marrying a good husband; The proverb "stealing vegetables and marrying a good husband".

eating snails in Mid-Autumn Festival

People believe that snails in Mid-Autumn Festival can improve eyesight. After investigation, vitamin A contained in snail meat is an important substance of eye visual pigment. It can be seen that this statement makes sense. But why do you have to eat it in the Mid-Autumn Festival? It was pointed out that before and after the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the snails were empty, there were no snails in the abdomen, so the meat quality was particularly fat. Nowadays, in Guangzhou, many families have the habit of frying snails during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Mid-Autumn Festival Folk Custom Appreciation of Osmanthus fragrans

Every Mid-Autumn Festival night, people look up at the osmanthus fragrans in the middle of the month, smell the Gui Xiang, drink a cup of osmanthus honey wine, celebrate the sweetness of the family and get together, which has become a beautiful enjoyment of the festival.