Folk customs and sayings 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 Mid-Autumn Festival is in the lunar calendar of China. 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 Mid-Autumn. The moon on August 15th is rounder and brighter than the full moons in other months, so it is also called Moon Festival, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, August Festival, August Festival, Moon Chasing Festival, Moon Worship Festival, Daughter's Day or Reunion Festival, which is a traditional cultural festival popular among many ethnic groups in China. On this night, people look up at the bright moon in the sky like jade, and naturally look forward to family reunion. Wanderers who are far away from home also take this opportunity to pin their thoughts on their hometown and relatives. Therefore, Mid-Autumn Festival is also called "Reunion Festival". 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 from ancient times to the present; 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. In some places, such as Ningbo, Taizhou and Zhoushan, the Mid-Autumn Festival is scheduled for August 16th, which is related to Fang Guozhen's change to "Lantern Festival on the 14th day of the first month and Mid-Autumn Festival on August 16th" in order to prevent attacks by officers and men of Yuan Dynasty and Zhu Yuantian. Besides, in Hong Kong, after the Mid-Autumn Festival, we will have another carnival in Izayoi called "Chasing the Moon". The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the book "Zhou Li", and it was in the Tang Dynasty that a national festival really formed. In ancient times, our people had the custom of "autumn dusk and evening moon". The evening moon is to worship the moon god. In the Zhou dynasty, every mid-autumn night was held to welcome the cold and offer sacrifices to the moon. Set up a big incense table, and put moon cakes, watermelons, apples, red dates, plums, grapes and other sacrifices, among which moon cakes and watermelons are absolutely indispensable. Watermelon has to 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 worships the moon in turn, and then the housewife cuts up the reunion moon cake. Cut the people in advance to calculate the number of people in the whole family, at home and in the field, all together, can not cut more or less, the size should be the same. As for the custom of eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival, it was formed in the Ming Dynasty. Tian Rucheng, a writer in the Ming Dynasty, wrote in "Notes on the Tour of the West Lake": "August 15th is called Mid-Autumn Festival, and the folks take mooncakes as a legacy to get together". Shen Bang, a historian of the Ming Dynasty, wrote in Miscellanies of Wan Department that "the flour cakes are different in size, and they are different in size. The cake is filled with fruit, and the name is different. 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 the 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 flavor was more. Eating moon cakes on August 15th has become an ancient and very 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 night of August 15th, people all over the city, rich and poor, old and young, put on adult clothes, burn incense and express their wishes to Yue Bai, and pray for the blessing of the moon god. In the Southern Song Dynasty, people gave each other mooncakes as a token of reunion. In some places, there are activities such as dancing grass dragons and building pagodas. 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 Festival trees, lighting tower lanterns, putting sky lanterns, walking on the moon and dancing dragon. Today, the custom of playing under the moon is far from prevailing in the old days. However, feasting to enjoy the moon is still very popular. People drink wine in asking for the moon to celebrate a better life, or wish their relatives far away healthy and happy, and have a wonderful time with their families. There are many customs and forms of Mid-Autumn Festival, but they all entrust people with infinite love for life and yearning for a better life. Legend has it that the legend of Mid-Autumn Festival is very rich, and fairy tales such as the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang's felling of laurel and Jade Rabbit's smashing medicine are widely spread. According to legend in the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, one of the legends of Mid-Autumn Festival, in ancient times, there were ten days in the sky at the same time, which scorched the crops and made the people miserable. A hero named Hou Yi had infinite strength. He sympathized with the suffering people, climbed the top of Kunlun Mountain, took full advantage of his divine power, opened his bow, shot down more than nine suns in one breath, and ordered the last one to rise and fall on time for the benefit of the people. Hou Yi was respected and loved by the people, and he married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang 'e. In addition to hunting, Hou Yi spent all his time with his wife, and people envied this beautiful and loving couple. Many people with lofty ideals came here to study as a teacher, and Peng Meng, who had ulterior motives, also mixed in. One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek Tao. He happened to meet the Queen Mother who passed by and asked her for a pack of elixir. It is said that taking this medicine can instantly ascend to heaven and become immortal. However, Hou Yi could not bear to leave his wife, so he had to give the immortal medicine to Chang 'e for the time being. Chang 'e hid the medicine in the treasure box of the dresser, only to be seen by the villain Peng Meng. He wanted to steal the immortal medicine and become immortal himself. Three days later, Hou Yi led his followers out hunting, and Peng Meng, who had ulterior motives, pretended to be ill and stayed. Soon after Hou Yi led the crowd away, Peng Meng broke into the backyard of the inner house with a sword in his hand, threatening Chang 'e to hand over the elixir. Chang 'e knew that she was no match for Peng Meng. When she was in a crisis, she made a decisive decision, turned around and opened the treasure box, took out the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp. Chang 'e swallowed the medicine and immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window and flew to the sky. Because Chang 'e was concerned about her husband, she flew to the nearest moon and became a fairy. In the evening, when Hou Yi came home, the maids cried about what happened during the day. Hou Yi was both surprised and angry, and drew his sword to kill the villains. Peng Meng fled early. Hou Yi was so angry and heartbroken that 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 today's moon was exceptionally bright and bright, and there was a swaying figure resembling Chang 'e. He chased after the moon desperately, but he chased three steps, the moon retreated three steps, he retreated three steps, and the moon advanced three steps, but he couldn't catch up with him anyway. Hou Yi had no choice but to miss his wife, so he had to send someone to Chang 'e's favorite back garden, put on a table sweetmeats, put on her favorite honey and fresh fruits, and pay a remote sacrifice to Chang 'e who was attached to him in the moon palace. After hearing the news that the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon became an immortal, people set up incense tables under the moon to pray for good luck and peace to the kind Chang 'e. Since then, the custom of Yue Bai in Mid-Autumn Festival has spread among the people. The second legend of Mid-Autumn Festival-WU GANG Zhegui 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, with a height of more than 5 feet, and there is a person who often cuts it down below, but after each cut, the cut place is closed immediately. For thousands of years, this laurel tree can never be cut down. It is said that this tree-chopping man named WU GANG, a native of Xihe, Han Dynasty, once followed the immortal to the heaven, but when he made a mistake, the immortal relegated him to the Moon Palace, and did this kind of futile drudgery every day to show his punishment. In Li Bai's poems, there is a record that "if you want to be in the middle of the moon, you will pay for the cold." The third legend of Mid-Autumn Festival-Zhu Yuanzhang and Moon Cake Uprising It is said that eating moon cakes in Mid-Autumn Festival began in Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the broad masses of people in the Central Plains could not bear the cruel rule of the ruling class in the Yuan Dynasty and rebelled against the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang joined forces with various resistance forces to prepare for the uprising. However, the officers and men of the court searched very closely and it was very difficult to pass on the news. Strategist Liu Bowen came up with a plan and ordered his subordinates to hide the note containing the "August 15th night uprising" into the cake, and then sent someone to send it to the uprising troops in various places separately to inform them to respond to the uprising on August 15th night. On the day of the uprising, all the rebels responded together, such as single spark can start a prairie fire. Soon, Xu Da captured the Yuan Dynasty and the uprising was successful. When the news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy that he quickly gave a message that all the soldiers would have fun with the people in the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, and he would give the "moon cakes" that were sent in secret when he started fighting that year as seasonal cakes to his ministers. Since then, the production of "moon cakes" has become more and more elaborate, with more varieties, such as discs, and has become a good gift. The custom of Mid-Autumn Festival in various places. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people's main activities are enjoying the moon and eating moon cakes. Appreciating the Moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival, China has had the custom of appreciating the Moon since ancient times. In the Book of Rites, there is a record of "autumn dusk and evening moon", that is, worshipping the moon god. In the Zhou dynasty, every mid-autumn night was held to welcome the cold and offer sacrifices to the moon. Set up a big incense table and put on seasonal fruits such as moon cakes, watermelons, apples, plums and grapes, among which moon cakes and watermelons are absolutely indispensable. Watermelon has to be cut into lotus shapes. In the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Song Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was more popular to enjoy the moon. According to "Dream of Tokyo", "On the Mid-Autumn Night, your family decorated the Taiwan Pavilion, and the people competed for the restaurant to play with the moon". On this day, all the shops and restaurants in Beijing have to redecorate their facades, tie silk on the archway, sell fresh fruits and refined food, and the night market is very lively. Many people board the balcony, and some rich families enjoy the moon on their own pavilions, and arrange food or family banquets to reunite their children. After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the custom of enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival remained the same. In many places, special customs such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn Festival trees, lighting tower lanterns, putting sky lanterns, walking on the moon and dancing dragon were formed. Eating moon cakes People in urban and rural areas in China have the custom of eating moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. As the saying goes, "August 15th is full, and the Mid-Autumn Festival moon cakes are sweet and fragrant". Moon cakes were originally used as sacrifices to the moon god. The word "moon cakes" first appeared in Wu Zimu's Dream of the Liang Lu in the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, it was just a cake-shaped food like Linghua cake. Later, people gradually combined the Mid-Autumn Festival with mooncake tasting, which symbolizes family reunion. Mooncakes were originally made at home, and the practice of mooncakes was recorded in Yuan Mei's Sui Garden Food List in Qing Dynasty. In modern times, with workshops specializing in making moon cakes, the production of moon cakes has become more and more elaborate, with exquisite fillings and beautiful appearance. There are also various exquisite patterns printed on the outside of moon cakes, such as "the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon", "jathyapple on the Galaxy" and "Three Tans Printing the Moon". It has become the wish of people all over the world to show people's reunion with the full moon, to show people's eternal life with the full moon cake, to pin their thoughts on their hometown and their loved ones, and to pray for a bumper harvest and happiness. Mooncakes are also used as gifts to send relatives and friends and to connect feelings. Other Mid-Autumn Festival customs China has a vast geographical area, a large population and different customs. The Mid-Autumn Festival is also celebrated in a variety of ways with strong local characteristics. In Pucheng, Fujian, women have to cross Nanpu Bridge during the Mid-Autumn Festival to live longer. In Jianning, hanging lanterns in mid-autumn night is a good omen for asking for children from the moon palace. People in Shanghang County celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, and most of their children are invited to visit their parents when they are in Yue Bai. When Longyan people eat moon cakes, parents will dig out round cakes with a diameter of two or three inches in the center for their elders to eat, which means that the secret can't be told to the younger generation. This custom stems from the legend that moon cakes contain anti-yuan killing messages. Before the Mid-Autumn Festival in Jinmen, Yue Bai should pay homage to God. There is a custom of Yue Bai in the Mid-Autumn Festival in Chaoshan, Guangdong Province, mainly for women and children. There is a common saying that "men don't have a full moon, and women don't sacrifice stoves". In the evening, when the bright moon rises, women set up a case in the yard and on the balcony to pray. Silver candles are burning high, cigarettes are lingering, and the table is filled with good fruits and cakes as a sacrifice. There is also the custom of eating taro in the Mid-Autumn Festival in the local area. There is a common saying in Chaoshan: "The river is opposite to the mouth, and the taro is eaten." In August, it is the harvest season of taro, and farmers are used to worshipping their ancestors with taro. This is certainly related to farming, but there is also a popular folk legend: in 1279, Mongolian nobles destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty and established the Yuan Dynasty, which brutally ruled the Han people. Ma Fa defended Chaozhou against Yuan Dynasty. After the city was broken, the people were massacred. In order not to forget the suffering of Hu people's rule, later generations took taro as a homonym with "Hu tou" and it looked like a human head, so as to pay homage to their ancestors, which has been passed down from generation to generation and still exists today. Burning towers on Mid-Autumn Night is also popular in some places. Towers vary in height from 1 to 3 meters, and are made of broken tiles. Large towers are made of bricks, accounting for about 1/4 of the tower height, and then stacked with tiles, leaving a tower mouth at the top for fuel delivery. In the Mid-Autumn Festival night, it will be ignited and burned. The fuel is wood, bamboo, chaff, etc. When the fire is prosperous, rosin powder will be poured to cheer, which is very spectacular. There are also folk regulations for burning pagodas. Whoever burns the pagodas to a full house will win, and those who fail or collapse during the burning process will lose. The winner will be awarded colorful flags, bonuses or prizes by the host. It is said that burning the tower was also the origin of the Han people's rebellion against the cruel rulers at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the Mid-Autumn Uprising. The folk customs in the south of the Yangtze River are also varied during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Nanjing people love to eat moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival, and they must eat osmanthus duck, a famous Jinling dish. "Sweet-scented osmanthus duck" should be in the market when cinnamon is fragrant, fat but not greasy, and delicious. After drinking, you must eat a small piece of sugar taro and pour it with cinnamon pulp. The beauty goes without saying. "Cinnamon pulp" is named after Qu Yuan's "Songs of the South, Less Commandments" and "Helping the North to close its doors and drink cinnamon pulp". Cinnamomum cassia pulp, a sweet osmanthus, was picked around the Mid-Autumn Festival and pickled with sugar and sour plum. Women in the south of the Yangtze River are skillful in turning the chanting in poems into delicacies on the table. Nanjing people enjoy the moon with their families, which is called "celebrating reunion", group sitting and drinking is called "full moon", and traveling in the market is called "walking on the moon". In the early Ming Dynasty, there was a Moon-looking Building and a Moon-playing Bridge in Nanjing. In the Qing Dynasty, a Moon-watching Building was built under Lion Mountain, all of which were for people to enjoy the moon, and those who played the Moon-playing Bridge were the most. When the bright moon is hanging high, people go to the moon tower and play the moon bridge together, taking pleasure in seeing the jade rabbit. "Playing Moon Bridge" is located in Qinhuai River, Confucius Temple, next to the famous prostitute Ma Xianglan's mansion. On this night, scholars gathered at the bridge to play flute and sing, reminiscing about Niuzhu's playing with the moon and writing poems to the moon, so it was called Playing Moon Bridge. After the death of the Ming Dynasty, it gradually declined, and later generations had a poem: "The romantic southern song has been sold out, leaving the west wind with a long slab bridge, but I remember sitting on the Jade Man Bridge and teaching the flute in the moonlight." Long Banqiao, the original Moon Bridge. In recent years, the Confucius Temple in Nanjing has been renovated, restored some pavilions in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and dredged rivers. Until the Mid-Autumn Festival, you can enjoy the fun of playing the moon together. In Wuxi County, Jiangsu Province, it is necessary to burn incense in mid-autumn night. There is gauze and silk around the incense bucket, and the scenery in the moon palace is painted. There are also incense sticks woven with thread incense, with paper kuixing and colorful banners inserted on them. Shanghainese Mid-Autumn Festival banquet is accompanied by osmanthus honey wine. In the evening of Mid-Autumn Festival in Ji 'an County, Jiangxi Province, every village burns crocks with straw. After the crock is red, put the vinegar in it. At this time, there will be a fragrance floating all over the village. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in Xincheng County, grass lanterns are hung from the night of August 11th until August 17th. Children build a hollow pagoda with bricks during the Mid-Autumn Festival in Wuyuan, Anhui Province. Decorations such as curtains and plaques are hung on the tower, and a table is placed in front of the tower to display all kinds of utensils to worship the "tower god". At night, lights and candles are lit inside and outside. Children in Jixi Mid-Autumn Festival play Mid-Autumn Festival firecrackers. The Mid-Autumn Festival cannon is made of straw tied into a braid, soaked and then picked up to hit the stone, making a loud noise and having the custom of swimming in the dragon. A fire dragon is a dragon made of grass with incense sticks inserted in it. When you visit the dragon, there are gongs and drums teams, which travel around the villages before being sent to the river. In addition to eating moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival in Sichuan Province, people also eat cakes, ducks, sesame cakes and honey cakes. In some places, orange lanterns are also lit and hung at the door to celebrate. There are also children who put incense on grapefruit and dance along the street, which is called "dancing meteor balls". The Mid-Autumn Festival in Jiading County is called "Watching the Meeting" for offering sacrifices to the land gods and performing zaju, vocal music and cultural relics. In the north, farmers in Qingyun County, Shandong Province offer sacrifices to the God of Earth Valley on August 15th, which is called "Young Miao Society". Zhucheng, Linyi, Jimo and other places have to pay homage to their ancestors in addition to the moon. Landlords in guanxian, Laiyang, Guangrao and Postal City also entertain tenants in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Jimo Mid-Autumn Festival eats a festive food called "Wheat Arrow". Lu 'an, Shanxi Province hosted a banquet for her son-in-law in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Datong county calls moon cakes reunion cakes, and it is the custom to keep vigil in mid-autumn night. Wanquan County, Hebei Province calls the Mid-Autumn Festival "Little New Year's Day", and the moonlight paper is painted with the images of Taiyin Xingjun and Guandi reading the Spring and Autumn at night. Hejian county people think that the mid-autumn rain is bitter rain. If it rains on the Mid-Autumn Festival, local people think that vegetables must taste bad. On mid-autumn night in Xixiang County, Shaanxi Province, men went boating and climbed the cliff, and women arranged a good banquet. Rich or poor