Who can tell us the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival?

Origin of Mid-Autumn Festival: The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in China. This is the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. This is also the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival.

The origin of the Mid-Autumn festival

In China's lunar calendar, a year is divided into four seasons, and each season is divided into three parts: Meng, Zhong and Ji, so the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon on August 15 is rounder and brighter than the full moons in other months, so it is also called Mid-Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, August Festival, Moon Chasing Festival, Moon Worship Festival, Daughter's Day or Reunion Festival, which is a popular traditional cultural festival of many ethnic groups in China. On this night, people look up at the bright moon like jade in the sky and naturally look forward to family reunion. Wanderers who are far away from home also take this opportunity to pin their thoughts on their relatives in their hometown. Therefore, Mid-Autumn Festival is also called "Reunion Festival".

The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the book Zhou Li, and it really became a national holiday in the Tang Dynasty. In ancient China, there was a custom of "autumn and dusk". The moon at night is to worship the moon god. In the Zhou Dynasty, every Mid-Autumn Festival night, activities to welcome the cold and offer sacrifices to the moon were held. Put a big incense table, with offerings such as moon cakes, watermelons, apples, red dates, plums and grapes, among which moon cakes and watermelons are absolutely indispensable. Watermelon must be cut into lotus shapes. Under the moon, put the moon statue in the direction of the moon, and the red candle burns high. The whole family takes turns in Yue Bai, and then the housewife cuts the reunion moon cakes. If people are laid off in advance, the number of people in the whole family will be counted, including those at home and those from other places. You can't lay off more or less, but the size should be the same.

As for the custom of eating moon cakes in Mid-Autumn Festival, it was formed in Ming Dynasty. Tian Rucheng, a writer in the Ming Dynasty, wrote in Notes on Traveling to the West Lake: "August 15th is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people take moon cakes as a legacy to get together.". Shen Bang, a historian in the Ming Dynasty, wrote in Miscellanies of Ten Thousand Parts: "Breads vary in size. There is fruit in the cake with a different name. There is a cake worth hundreds of dollars. " The book also introduces the production process at that time, which has reached a high level. The moon cakes used for the moon in Beijing Palace are "more than feet in diameter from bottom to top and weigh two pounds." Later, with the evolution of the past dynasties, the varieties and patterns of moon cakes became more and more abundant, the production technology was updated, and the taste was more. Eating moon cakes on August 15th has become an ancient and meaningful tradition of the Chinese nation.

In the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Northern Song Dynasty, on the evening of August 15, people all over the city, rich and poor, old and young, put on adult clothes and burned incense to express their wishes to Yue Bai and pray for the blessing of the Moon God. In the Southern Song Dynasty, people gave each other moon cakes as a symbol of reunion. In some places, there are activities such as dancing grass dragons and building stupas. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival has become more popular, and many places have formed special customs such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting tower lanterns, putting sky lanterns, enjoying the moon and dancing dragons.

Nowadays, the custom of playing under the moon is far less popular than in the old days. However, feasting and enjoying the moon are still very popular. People drink alcohol in the middle of the moon to celebrate a better life, or wish their distant relatives health and happiness and spend a good time with their families.

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