About the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival

About the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in my country. There are many festival customs on this day. We eat moon cakes and admire the moon. Moreover, there are many kinds of myths and stories about the Mid-Autumn Festival. Let’s take a look at the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival 1

The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in my country. It is also the second largest traditional festival in my country after the Spring Festival. Also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, Reunion Festival, August Festival, etc., it is a traditional festival for the Han people and most ethnic minorities in my country. It is also popular in neighboring countries such as North Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Because among the three months of July, August, and September in autumn (referring to the lunar calendar), August is in the middle, and among the thirty days in August, fifteenth is in the middle, so it is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. And because of this night when the moon is in the sky, many people reunite with their families on this night, so it is also called the Reunion Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the custom of autumn sacrifice and moon worship in ancient my country. "Book of Rites" contains: "The emperor faces the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. The sun is in the morning and the moon is in the evening." The "Xiyue" here means worshiping the moon. It took shape in the Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, the custom of admiring the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival became popular and was designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Ouyang Zhan (785-about 827 AD) said in the "Preface to the Poetry of Wan Yue in Chang'an": "The eighth month is in autumn. The season begins and ends in Meng; the fifteenth is in the night, and the moon is in the clouds. According to the way of heaven, the cold and heat will be equal, and the On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon is bright and clear. The ancients regarded the full moon as a symbol of reunion, so the fifteenth day of August is also called "Reunion." Festival". Throughout the ages, people have often used the terms "full moon" and "waning moon" to describe "joys and sorrows", and wanderers living in foreign lands use the moon to express their deep feelings. Poet Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty wrote "Looking up at the bright moon, bowing his head thinking about his hometown", Du Fu's "The dew is white tonight, the moon is bright in my hometown", Wang Anshi of the Song Dynasty wrote "The spring breeze is green again on the south bank of the river, when will the bright moon shine on me again" and other poems, They are all eternal songs.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, the Lantern Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival are also known as the three traditional festivals in my country. The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is closely related to myths and legends such as "Chang'e flying to the moon", "Wu Gang conquering Gui", and "Jade Rabbit pounding medicine". Therefore, the folk customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival are mostly related to the moon. Appreciating the moon, worshiping the moon, eating reunion moon cakes, etc. all originate from this. Ancient emperors had a social system of worshiping the sun in spring and the moon in autumn, and people also had the custom of worshiping the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Later, appreciating the moon became more important than worshiping the moon, and serious sacrifices turned into relaxed entertainment. The custom of appreciating the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival peaked in the Tang Dynasty. Many poets included poems praising the moon in their famous works. In the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties, the activities of worshiping and appreciating the moon among the court and the people became more extensive. There are many ancient monuments such as "Moon Worship Altar", "Moon Worship Pavilion" and "Moon Watching Tower" remaining in various parts of our country. The "Altar of the Moon" in Beijing was built during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty for the royal family to worship the moon. Whenever the moon rises during the Mid-Autumn Festival, a table is set up in the open air, and moon cakes, pomegranates, dates and other fruits are offered on the table. After worshiping the moon, the whole family sits around the table, eats and talks, and enjoys the bright moon. Nowadays, the activities of worshiping and worshiping the moon have been replaced by large-scale and colorful mass moon-viewing recreational activities.

Eating moon cakes is another custom of the festival. Moon cakes symbolize reunion. The production of mooncakes has become more and more sophisticated since the Tang Dynasty. Su Dongpo wrote in a poem: "Small cakes are like chewing the moon, with crispness and sweetness in the middle." Yang Guangfu of the Qing Dynasty wrote: "Moon cakes are filled with peach and meat fillings, and ice cream is sweet with cane sugar frosting." It seems that the mooncakes at that time are quite similar to those now.

Many people often say that the Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the story of Chang'e flying to the moon. According to historical records: "In the past, Chang'e took the medicine of immortality from the Queen Mother of the West, and then flew to the moon and became the moon spirit." The price paid by Chang'e for this move was to be punished with hard labor and she would not be able to return to the world for the rest of her life. Li Bai was quite sad about this, and wrote a poem: "The white rabbit makes medicine, autumn returns to spring, who will the female Chang'e live alone next to?" Although Chang'e herself felt that the moon palace was good, she could not bear the loneliness. When the moon is full and the night is clear, they return to the human world to reunite with their husbands, but they must return to the Moon Palace before dawn. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people in later generations not only want to go to the moon to reunite with Chang'e, but also hope that Chang'e will come down to earth to see her beautiful face. Therefore, when many people burn incense and worship the moon, they pray that "men may go to the Toad Palace early and climb up to the fairy laurel...women may look like Chang'e and be as round as the bright moon." Year after year, people celebrate this day as a festival.

Some people believe that the Mid-Autumn Festival started when Emperor Ming of Tang Dynasty admired the moon. It is recorded in the Tang Dynasty's "Kaiyuan Legacy": On the Mid-Autumn Night, Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty and his concubine Yang Guifei were playing in the lower reaches of the moon. When they were happy, they went to the Moon Palace. The Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty also learned half of "The Song of Colorful Clothes and Feathers" in the Moon Palace. Later, Supplement it completely and become a masterpiece handed down from generation to generation. Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty never forgot his trip to the Moon Palace. At this time every year, he must admire the moon. The common people also followed suit and gathered together during the full moon to enjoy the beauty of the world. Over time, it became a tradition that was passed down.

Some people have suggested that the Mid-Autumn Festival was originally the anniversary of an uprising that overthrew the rule of the Yuan Dynasty. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the common people could not bear the government's rule. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, notes saying "Kill the Tatars and destroy the Yuan Dynasty; every family will do it on August 15th" were hidden in chrome round cakes and passed to each other. On the evening of August 15th, every household took action and overthrew the Yuan Dynasty in one fell swoop. Later, moon cakes were eaten every Mid-Autumn Festival to commemorate this historic victory.

Others have suggested that the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is related to agricultural production. Autumn is the harvest season. The meaning of the word "Autumn" is: "Autumn is when the crops are mature."

During the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, crops and various fruits mature one after another. In order to celebrate the harvest and express their joy, farmers use the "Mid-Autumn Festival" as a festival. "Mid-Autumn Festival" means the middle of autumn. The eighth month of the lunar calendar is the middle month of autumn, and the 15th is the day in the middle of the month.

The word Mid-Autumn Festival appears in "Zhou Li", but it does not refer to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but to the second month of autumn. There was an "Autumn Festival" in the Han Dynasty, and it was on the day of the Beginning of Autumn, not August 15th. There were records of the twelve festivals at four o'clock in the Tang Dynasty's books, and there was no Mid-Autumn Festival, but the "Mid-Autumn Festival" appeared in Tang poetry. ". "The full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival in August will send you off to the Mulan Boat" (Wei Zhuang's "Send Off Li Xiucai Returns to Jingxi"). The first person who made a clear record of the Mid-Autumn Festival was Wu Zishou, a native of the Southern Song Dynasty. He said in the book "Meng Liang Lu": "The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on August 15th. This day is about half of autumn, so it is called 'Mid-Autumn Festival'. '. The moonlight was twice as bright as usual on this night, and it was also called 'Yuexi'." The book also describes the grand occasion of enjoying the moon and visiting the night market in Lin'an (now Hangzhou), the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty. The Origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival 2

The Origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival

1. Imperial Sacrifice

It was first seen in the "Book of Rites", "Book of Rites·Yue Ling" said: "The moon in mid-autumn nourishes the elderly and eats rice porridge." "Book of Rites" records: "The emperor faces the sun in spring and the moon in autumn." The eclipse moon is to worship the moon, which shows that as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, emperors had begun to worship the moon and the moon. It’s been months. Later, noble officials and literati also followed suit, and gradually spread to the people.

2. Moon cakes and military rations

Some historians have pointed out that the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival should be the Tang army in the late Sui Dynasty on August 15, the 13th year of Daye. Pei Ji, the Tang army, used the full moon as a symbol. Conceived and successfully invented mooncakes, which were widely distributed in the army as military pay, and successfully solved the military ration problem arising from the large number of absorbing anti-Sui rebels.

Development of the Mid-Autumn Festival

1. Wei and Jin Dynasties

In the "Forty Songs of Midnight" of the Wei and Jin Dynasty Yuefu, there is a song "Autumn Has the Moon" that describes : "Look up at the bright moon and express your feelings for the thousand miles of light."

2. Tang Dynasty

In the Tang Dynasty, admiring the moon and playing with the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival were quite popular. Many poets included verses praising the moon in their famous works, and the Mid-Autumn Festival began to become a fixed "Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th" is recorded in "Book of Tang·Taizong Ji". Legend has it that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty dreamed of traveling to the Moon Palace and received the song of colorful clothes and feathers, and the custom of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival became popular among the people.

3. Northern Song Dynasty

In the Northern Song Dynasty, August 15th was officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the seasonal food "small cakes are like chewing the moon, with crispy and sweet fillings" appeared.

4. Ming and Qing dynasties

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, moon-appreciating activities remained popular. "The fruit cakes they offer must be round"; each family must set up a "moonlight position" and "offer offerings to the moon" in the direction of moonrise.

5. New China

Since 2008, Mainland China has listed the Mid-Autumn Festival as a statutory holiday. If the day coincides with a Saturday or Sunday, a compensatory day will be given on the following Monday.

Nicknames for the Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival has many nicknames: because the festival falls on August 15th, it is called "August Festival" and "August Half"; The main activities are carried out around the "moon", so it is also commonly known as "Moon Festival" and "Moon Eve"; the Mid-Autumn Festival has a full moon, symbolizing reunion, so it is also called "Reunion Festival". In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was also called the "Duanzheng Month".

Records of the "Reunion Festival" first appeared in the Ming Dynasty. "West Lake Tour Notes" says: "August 15th is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people send mooncakes to each other to symbolize reunion." "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" also says: "When worshiping the moon on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, the cakes will be round, the melons will be broken into pieces, and the petals will be carved like lotus flowers. ... Those who have a wife who has returned to peace will return to her husband's house on this day, which is called reunion. "Festival".

Mid-Autumn Customs and Habits

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, admiring the moon and eating moon cakes are essential customs for celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in various parts of China. As the saying goes: "August and fifteenth month are full, and the Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncakes are fragrant and sweet.” The term mooncake originated from "Meng Liang Lu" written by Wu Zimu in the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, it was just a snack food. Later, people gradually combined moon appreciation with moon cakes, which symbolized family reunion and expressed their longing for each other. At the same time, mooncakes are also an important gift used to connect friends during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Mid-Autumn Myths and Legends

1. Chang'e flying to the moon

According to legend, Hou Yi went to the Kunlun Mountains to visit friends and seek enlightenment, and asked the Queen Mother for help. After getting a package of elixir, but being threatened by the emperor, Chang'e had no choice but to swallow the elixir and fly to the moon palace. Hou Yi missed his wife, so he sent people to the back garden that Chang'e loved, and set up an incense table with the sweetmeats and fresh fruits that Chang'e usually loved. Sacrifice to Chang'e in the moon palace from afar. After the people heard the news that Chang'e flew to the moon and became an immortal, they all 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.

2. Wu Gang won the title

According to legend, there was a man named Wu Gang in the Moon Palace. He was from Xihe in the Han Dynasty. He was demoted to the Moon Palace and had to cut down the laurel tree in front of the Moon Palace every day as punishment. This osmanthus tree grows luxuriantly and is more than 500 feet high. Every time it is cut down, the cut area will immediately close up again. Li Bai wrote in the poem "Gift to Cui Sihu Wenkunji": "If you want to cut the osmanthus in the moon, you will hold on to the salary of those who are cold."

3. The Jade Rabbit Pounds Medicine

There was a Jade Rabbit beside Chang'e. It is said that Chang'e's body became lighter and when she began to lift into the air, she panicked and picked up the white rabbit she had been feeding. The white rabbit followed her to the moon. The Jade Rabbit has a medicine pestle in the moon palace, and he uses it to pound the elixir of immortality at night. After this myth spread to Japan, it became a jade rabbit pounding rice cakes.

4. Xuanzong visited the Moon Palace at night

It is said that Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Shen Tianshi and the Taoist priest Hongdu were looking at the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Start on the blue clouds and roam the moon palace. However, the palace is heavily guarded and cannot be entered. The only option is to overlook the Chang'an Imperial City from outside. On this occasion, I suddenly heard the sound of immortals. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty had always been familiar with the music, so he kept it in his heart. This is exactly what "this song should only be heard in heaven, and how many times it can be heard in the world!" Later, Xuanzong recalled the music and singing of Xian'e in Yuegong, composed and choreographed his own music, and created the famous "Nancy Dress and Feather Clothes Song" in history.

5. Mooncake Uprising

It is said that eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the vast number of people in the Central Plains could not bear the cruel rule of the Yuan Dynasty's ruling class, and they revolted against the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang united various resistance forces to prepare for the uprising. However, the officers and soldiers of the court conducted a very strict search, making it very difficult to convey the news. Military counselor Liu Bowen came up with a plan and ordered his subordinates to hide the note with "uprising on August 15th" in the cakes, and then sent people to deliver it to the insurrectionary armies in various places, informing them to respond to the uprising on the night of August 15th. . On the day of the uprising, all rebel armies responded together.

Soon, Xu Da captured Yuan Dadu and the uprising was successful. When the news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy that he quickly passed down an oral order to let all the soldiers and the people have fun during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, and to reward the officials with the "mooncakes" that were used to secretly convey the message when the army was launched as seasonal cakes. Since then, the production of "mooncakes" has become more sophisticated and there are more varieties. After that, the custom of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival spread among the people.