Mid-Autumn Festival is an ancient festival in China. Because August 15th is in the middle of autumn, it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival is characterized by eating moon cakes and carrying lanterns.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is as happy as the Lunar New Year. On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon is the roundest and brightest, and the moonlight is the most beautiful. Every household puts fruits and moon cakes on the table in the yard, and the family eats moon cakes while enjoying the moon. It is "a round in the sky, everyone looks up." What a beautiful picture.

The traditional food of Mid-Autumn Festival is moon cakes, which are round, symbolizing reunion and reflecting people's good wishes for family reunion. Eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival is said to have started in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang led the Han people to resist the tyranny of the Yuan Dynasty, agreed on the August 15th uprising, and put a note in the moon cake to convey the news. The custom of eating moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival spread among the people.

Later, Zhu Yuanzhang finally overthrew the Yuan Dynasty and became the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Although Manchu people later entered China, people still celebrated this festival, which symbolized the overthrow of alien rule.

celebrate

The Mid-Autumn Festival in Singapore is quite lively. One month before the festival, mooncake lanterns began to go on sale. Moon cakes not only satisfy people's tastes, but also serve as a memorial to their ancestor Yue Bai. More importantly, they are holiday gifts for relatives and friends. Besides moon cakes, another good festival of Mid-Autumn Festival is "grapefruit".

For young people, what interests them is all kinds of beautifully made lanterns. They also take advantage of the festival to show their talent in making lanterns. Adults can also take part in the annual lantern making competition and lantern exhibition.

Singaporeans can also attend the Mid-Autumn Festival party held by the People's Liaison Office or the Guild Hall. It is also a beautiful thing for a family to enjoy the moon together. Putting melons and fruits, moon cakes and children's lanterns at home is a warm and harmonious Mid-Autumn Festival night.

In order to make the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere stronger and the celebrations more common, we suggest hanging lanterns in public places and holding solve riddles on the lanterns and other activities.

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Mid-Autumn Festival used to be a bumper harvest family. In the agricultural society of China, farmers always hold grand celebrations during the harvest season. The reason why this family became a festival is also related to the beautiful myth of "the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon".

According to legend, there were ten suns in the ancient sky, which made the earth smoke and the sea dried up, and ordinary people could not live any longer. This incident alarmed a hero named Hou Yi. He climbed to the top of Kunlun Mountain, walked with divine power, drew the bow, detonated nine redundant suns in one breath, and saved the people in from the mire. Soon, Hou Yi married a beautiful wife named Chang 'e.

One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek truth. He happened to meet the Queen Mother passing by and asked her for a pack of elixir. It is said that after taking this medicine, he can ascend to heaven immediately. However, Hou Yi was reluctant to leave his wife, so he had to hand over the elixir to Chang 'e for collection.

Unexpectedly, it was seen by Meng Peng, the doorman of Hou Yi. When Meng Peng and other Hou Yi went out, they threatened Chang 'e to hand over the elixir. Knowing that Chang 'e was no match for Meng Peng, he decided to take out the elixir of life and swallow it in one gulp. After Chang 'e swallowed the medicine, her body immediately flew off the ground and into the sky. Because Chang 'e was worried about her husband, she flew to the nearest moon and became a fairy.

When Hou Yi came back, the maids cried about everything. In grief, she looked up at the night sky and called his wife's name. At this time, she was surprised to find that the moon was particularly bright tonight, and there was a swaying figure resembling Chang 'e. Hou Yi ordered people to put a table of incense, put on Chang 'e's favorite honey and fresh fruit, and sacrificed Chang 'e in the moon palace. When people heard that the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon flew to the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon as a fairy child, they would put an incense table on the edge of the moon and pray for kind the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon. Since then, the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival in Yue Bai has spread among the people.

Local custom

[Fujian Province]

Women in Pucheng County walk through nanpu bridge to eat and live a long life. Hanging lanterns is a good omen to ask the moon palace for children in the custom of mid-autumn night in Jianning. Shanghang County, Mid-Autumn Festival, when there are more children than Yue Bai, please visit your aunt. The method is that body double, who takes the bamboo basket as the moon aunt, will shake the bamboo basket by himself if there is a spirit coming, and predict good or ill luck according to the shaking times. When Longyan people eat moon cakes, parents will control the round cakes with a diameter of two or three inches in the center for the elders to eat, which means that they can't tell the secrets to the younger generation. This custom comes from the legend that moon cakes contain anti-meta-news about killing Tartars. Before the Mid-Autumn Festival in Kinmen, Yue Bai should worship God. Sacrifice to heaven, make it pink, and call it "Tiangong". The red color of Yue Bai is in the shape of pigs and sheep, and the number must be nine pigs and sixteen sheep.

[Guangdong Province]

There is a custom of eating taro in Mid-Autumn Festival all over Guangdong, which is said to commemorate the historical story of Tartars being killed at the end of Yuan Dynasty. After killing the Tatars in the Mid-Autumn Festival, they gave their heads to the moon, and later they were replaced by taro. Until now, when Cantonese peel taro, it is also called "peeling ghost skin".

[Shandong Province]

On August 15, farmers in Qingyun County offered sacrifices to the land god, which was 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 their tenants in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Jimo eats a seasonal food called "Wheat Arrow" in the Mid-Autumn Festival.

[Shanxi Province]

Lu 'an Mid-Autumn Festival banquet invites son-in-law. Yue Bai star in Yongning Mid-Autumn Festival. Datong county moon cakes, called reunion cakes, are two or three feet big and have the custom of vigil on Mid-Autumn Night. Shilou county Mid-Autumn Festival worships the city god.

Hebei Province

Wanquan County called the Mid-Autumn Festival "Little New Year's Day", and there were pictures of Xing Jun and Guandi reading Spring and Autumn at night on moonlight paper. Hejian county takes the mid-autumn rain as a bitter rain. If it rains on the Mid-Autumn Festival, the food in that year will definitely taste bad.

Shanxi(Province)

On the Mid-Autumn Festival night in Xixiang County, men go boating and climb cliffs, and women also arrange banquets. No matter rich or poor, people should eat watermelons. The Mid-Autumn Festival invites a trumpeter to preach along the door in order to ask for money, and so does the Dragon Boat Festival on New Year's Eve. In Luochuan county, parents lead students to bring gifts to pay homage to their husbands, and there are more lunches than school dinners.

Jiangsu Province

Burning incense on Mid-Autumn Festival night in Wuxi county. There are silks around the incense barrel, which depicts the scenery in the Moon Palace. There are incense sticks made of thread Kaori with paper kuixing and colorful flags on them. Shanghainese Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet with Sweet-scented osmanthus honey wine.

Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in China. According to historical records, the word "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the book Zhou Li. In the Wei and Jin dynasties, there was a record of "telling Shangshu Town about cattle confusion, crossing the river in mid-autumn and evening". It was not until the early years of the Tang Dynasty that the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. The Book of Emperor Taizong recorded the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15. The prevalence of Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Song Dynasty, and it became one of the major festivals in China in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This is also the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival.

According to the China calendar, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is in the middle of autumn, and the second month of autumn is called "Mid-Autumn Festival", and August 15th is in the middle of it, so it is called "Mid-Autumn Festival". Mid-Autumn Festival has many nicknames: it is called "August Festival" and "August and a half" because it falls on August 15th; Because the main activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival are all around the moon, it is also commonly known as the "Moon Festival" and "Moon Festival". The full moon in Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes reunion, so it is also called "Reunion Festival". In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was also called "correcting the moon". The record of "Reunion Festival" was first seen in the Ming Dynasty. "Journey to the West Lake" says: "August 15th is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people send moon cakes to show their reunion". "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" also said: "On August 15th, the moon was sacrificed, the cakes were round, the melons were wrongly divided, and the petals were carved with lotus flowers. ..... married, mothering, back to my in-laws home, say "reunion festival"? quot。 On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, there is a custom of "reunion" in most parts of our country, that is, flipping a small cake symbolizing reunion, which is similar to a moon cake. The cake contains sugar, sesame, sweet-scented osmanthus and vegetables, and the moon, sweet-scented osmanthus tree and rabbit are pressed outside. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the elders at home will divide the cake into pieces according to the number of people, and each person will have one. If someone is not at home, leave one for them to show family reunion.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are fewer clouds and more fog, and the moonlight is bright and bright. In addition to a series of activities such as enjoying the moon, offering sacrifices to the moon, eating moon cakes and wishing for reunion, there are activities such as dancing grass dragons and building stupas in some places. In addition to moon cakes, all kinds of seasonal fresh fruits and dried fruits are also delicious in the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Mid-Autumn Festival

August 15th of the lunar calendar is the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the "Reunion Festival", which is the third traditional folk festival. On this day, the whole family had a dinner. In the evening, the whole family was shortlisted to sit in the yard and drink, eat moon cakes and enjoy the moon. Before the festival, the children built a round tower with broken tiles in the yard or in the wild. There are couplets on the door of the tower, and the tower is decorated with pine and cypress and paper flowers. At night, gongs and drums are used as lighthouses. In the evening, I stuffed firewood into the tower to burn. The redder the better, and then hit the tower.

The Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15 has a long history and may have existed in primitive times. Ancient peoples held sacrificial ceremonies around the Mid-Autumn Festival, and also offered sacrifices to the moon god. The Mid-Autumn Festival has been recorded in writing for more than 2000 years. There are many records in the Tang dynasty, and later eating moon cakes was added.

According to the legend of killing Tatars, Mid-Autumn Festival has become a festival of national significance. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it has become one of the three major festivals of the year.

(1) enjoy the moon

The moon in Mid-Autumn Festival is especially bright, bright and full, which is symbolic. Many people want to see the Jade Rabbit on the Moon and WU GANG logging.

2 eat moon cakes.

The custom of eating moon cakes was recorded in the Ming Dynasty. Legend has it that holiday food has magic power and is endowed with patriotic significance. The object of Mid-Autumn Festival is moon cakes. Like eating zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival, mooncakes commemorate the resistance to foreign rule.

③ reunion

People eat moon cakes, enjoy the moon and reward landowners, one of the communities. They all pray for a bright life, a happy family reunion and a peaceful community, showing the ideal of a full moon.

August 15th is the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon on August 15 is rounder and brighter than the full moon in other months, so it is also called "moonlit night" and "August Festival". On the eve of Mid-Autumn Festival, people try their best to reunite with their families, which means bimonthly. August 15 is also called "Reunion Festival".

Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional folk festival of Han nationality and ethnic minorities. As early as the Three Dynasties, China had the custom of "Twilight in Autumn". 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. In the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Southern Song Dynasty, people gave mooncakes to each other, which meant reunion. In the evening, there are activities such as enjoying the moon and swimming in the lake. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival has become more popular. Many places have formed special customs such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting tower lanterns, putting sky lanterns, walking on 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.

In ancient times, there were sacrifices to the moon and Yue Bai. 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. If you have a pregnant woman at home, you should cut one more.

On Mid-Autumn Festival, Yue Bai doesn't mean Yue Bai. This custom originated in the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. That night, people in the whole city, rich and poor, old and young, put on adult clothes, burned incense, expressed their wishes and prayed for the blessing of the moon god. According to legend, the ugly women of ancient Qi.

Yanwu was a devout Yue Bai when he was a child. When he grew up, he entered the palace with superior moral character, but he was not favored. Seeing the moon on August 15th, the son of heaven saw her in the moonlight and thought she was beautiful and outstanding. Later, he made her queen, and Yue Bai came from the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the middle of the moon, Chang 'e is famous for its beauty, so Yue Bai, a young girl, wants to be "like Chang 'e and have a bright moon".