What are the customs in various parts of China during the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Sacrificing 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.

Literati appreciating the moon

The custom of appreciating the moon originated from worshiping the moon, and the serious worship 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.

In ancient times, there was the custom of "autumn twilight and evening moon". On the eve of the moon, worship the moon god. Set up a large incense table and place mooncakes, watermelons, apples, dates, plums, grapes and other offerings. Mooncakes 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.

Moonlight Horse

In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the image of the Moon God underwent important changes. From the early purely Taoist picture of the Moon Palace 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 "The Years of Yanjing" (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 the rabbit pounding medicine on the bottom. The figure is standing upright 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, or yellow, and they are burned with incense and worshiped towards the moon. After the sacrifice, they are burned together with thousands of pieces of gold and ingots. "< /p>

Rabbit Lord

The origin of Rabbit Lord dates back to the late Ming Dynasty. Ji Kun of the Ming Dynasty (lived around 1636) wrote in "The Remaining Manuscript of Kao Pavilion": "On the Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing, people often wear rabbit shapes with mud, wearing clothes and hats, sitting like people, and children worshiping them." By the Qing Dynasty. , the function of Lord Rabbit has been transformed from offering sacrifices to the moon to being a Mid-Autumn Festival toy for children. The production is also becoming more and more sophisticated. Some are dressed as military commanders wearing armor and robes, some have paper flags or umbrellas on their backs, and some are sitting or standing. Sitting there are unicorns, tigers, leopards and so on. There are also vendors dressed as rabbit heads, some are head-shaving masters, some are sewing shoes, selling wontons, tea soup, and so on.

“Every Mid-Autumn Festival, some clever people in the city would use loess to roll out images of toads and rabbits for sale, and they were called Lord Rabbits.” In the old days, there were often stalls selling Lord Rabbits in the Dongsi Archway area of ??Beijing, specializing in the sale of toads and rabbits for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Use Lord Rabbit. In addition, Nanzhi Store also sells incense candles. This Lord Rabbit has been personified through the bold creation of folk artists. It has the body of a rabbit and holds a jade pestle. Later, some people imitated opera characters and carved Lord Rabbit into warriors with golden helmets, some riding lions, elephants and other beasts, and some riding peacocks, cranes and other birds. In particular, the rabbit riding a tiger is a strange thing, but it is a bold creation of folk artists.

There is also a kind of rabbit with movable elbow joints and chin, commonly known as "Bada Zui", which is more lovable. Although it is an offering for worshiping the moon, it is actually a wonderful toy for children.

On the streets of Beijing decades ago, even Beijingers over sixty years old can still remember it. As soon as July 15th passes, the Rabbit Master stall is set up. The Five Archways at the front door, in front of the Drum Tower at the back door, Xidan, Dongsi and other places are full of rabbit stalls, large and small, high and low, and they are extremely lively.

Mid-Autumn 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, pomegranates and other seasonal 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 sacrifice 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."

Playing with lanterns

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

In the Northern Song Dynasty's "Old Martial Arts", it is recorded that the customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival include "putting a "little red" lantern into the river to float and play." People who play with lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival are 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 admire.

In Guangzhou, Hong Kong and other places, Mid-Autumn Festival activities are held on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the trees are also erected, which means that the lights are put up high. With the help of their parents, children tie up rabbit lanterns, carambola lanterns or square lanterns with bamboo paper, hang them horizontally on short poles, and then erect them on high poles. When they are skilled, the colorful lights shine, adding to the Mid-Autumn Festival. A scene. Children often compete with each other to see who can erect taller, more lanterns and the most exquisite lights. There are also sky lanterns, that is, Kongming lanterns, which are made into large-shaped lanterns with paper. Candles are burned under the lanterns, and the heat rises, causing the lanterns to fly in the air, attracting people to laugh and chase them. In addition, there are various lanterns carried by children to enjoy under the moonlight.

In Nanning, Guangxi, in addition to making various lanterns tied with paper and bamboo for children to play with, there are also very simple sleeve lanterns, pumpkin lanterns, and orange lanterns. The so-called grapefruit lamp is made by hollowing out the grapefruit to create a simple pattern, putting it on a rope and lighting a candle inside. The light is elegant. Pumpkin lanterns and orange lanterns are also made by removing the flesh. Although simple, it is easy to make and very popular. Some children even float the oil lamps into the pond and river as a game.

Guangxi has a simple household autumn lantern, which is made of six circles of bamboo strips tied into a lantern, with white gauze paper on the outside and candles inserted inside. Hang it next to the moon festival table to worship the moon, and it can also be played by children.

Nowadays, many areas in Guangxi and Guangdong arrange lantern festivals on the Mid-Autumn Festival night. Large modern lanterns illuminated by electric lights are made, as well as various new lanterns made of plastic for children to play with. However, there are few A simple beauty of old-time 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 popular 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.

It is said 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 Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival Fire Dragon Dance: 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 among some ethnic minorities

This 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 the mountain 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 the sacrifices, then kneel in front of the basin and worship 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 Mongols "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.

Every Mid-Autumn Festival night, the Miao people bathe in the silky 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.

The Gaoshan people "appreciate the moon". The Gaoshan people who live in the mountainous areas of Taiwan Province, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the bright moon hangs high and the clear light fills the earth, they dress in ethnic costumes, sit around, sing, dance, drink and enjoy the moon. Moon, *** enjoy family happiness.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Dong Township, Hunan, an interesting custom of "stealing moon vegetables" is popular.

According to legend, in ancient times, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the fairies in the Moon Palace would descend to the lower world and spread nectar all over the world. The fairy's nectar is selfless, so people can enjoy the fruits and vegetables sprinkled with nectar together that night. The Dong family named this custom "stealing moon vegetables".

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Dong girls hold flower umbrellas and choose the gardens of their beloved children to pick vegetables without being regarded as "stealing". They even shouted loudly and intentionally: "Hey! I've ripped off your vegetables. Come to my house to eat oil tea!" It turned out that they were using the Fairy of the Moon Palace to pass on the red thread. If they can pick a melon with parallel stems, it means they will have a happy love. Therefore, beans growing in pairs became their picking targets. The sisters-in-law also went to other gardens to "steal moon vegetables" that night. However, they hoped to pick the fattest melon or a handful of fresh and green edamame, because this symbolizes the child's fatness and hairiness. health (the homophone of edamame refers to children). Young men also have the custom of "stealing moon vegetables" because they also hope that the Moon Palace Fairy will give them happiness. However, they could only cook and eat it in the wild and could not take it home. "Stealing moon vegetables" adds infinite joy and magic to the Mid-Autumn Festival night in Dong Village.