What are the customs and traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival?

What are the customs and traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival? The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in China and the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival. August 15th is just in the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. Learn the customs and traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival with me. What are the customs and traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival? 1. Sacrifice the moon, enjoy the moon and Yue Bai.

In the Book of Rites of the Spring and Autumn Period, there is a record of "Autumn dusk and evening moon", which means to worship the moon god. During the Zhou Dynasty, people held a festival to welcome the cold and offer sacrifices to the moon every mid-autumn night. 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, and watermelons should 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. People who cut should calculate in advance how many people there are in the whole family, at home and in other places, and they should all be counted together. They can't cut more or less, and the size should be the same. In the Tang Dynasty, the custom of enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival was very popular, and many poets' famous articles contained poems chanting the moon. By the Song Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was more popular to enjoy the moon. On this day, "your family decorated the pavilions and the people competed for the restaurant to play with the moon". The activities of enjoying the moon in Yue Bai in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were more extensive, and many historic sites such as Yue Bai Altar, Moon-worshipping Pavilion and Moon-gazing Tower remain in various parts of China. Literati and scholars have a special liking for moon viewing. They either go upstairs to get the moon or go boating to invite the moon, drink wine and write poems, leaving many famous poems. For example, Du Fu's "jathyapple on August 15th" uses the bright moon symbolizing reunion to contrast his wandering worries in a foreign land; Su Shi, a literary giant in the Song Dynasty, was drunk in the Mid-Autumn Festival and wrote "Water Tune Song Tou", which is a metaphor for people's clutch by the lack of the moon. To this day, it is still one of the essential activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival for the whole family to sit together and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the bright moon in the sky.

2. Quiz

Quiz, as an intellectual game with a long history, originated from the Eight Diagrams of the Book of Changes in China. Guessing refers to guessing something or words and so on in a specified range according to a certain rule through a given suggestive text or image. China riddles are the most common forms of guessing. Every Spring Festival, Lantern Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, many places in China have the custom of guessing riddles, and the way of guessing riddles in the Mid-Autumn Festival is the most novel. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are many lanterns hanging in public places. People gather together to guess the riddles written on the lanterns. Because riddles are the favorite activities of most young men and women, love stories are also heard at these activities, so the Mid-Autumn Festival solve riddles on the lanterns has also been derived as a form of love between men and women.

3. Eating moon cakes

Appreciating the moon and eating moon cakes are the necessary customs for Mid-Autumn Festival in all parts of China. As the saying goes, "August 15th is full, and the moon cakes are sweet and fragrant". Mid-Autumn Festival and moon cakes have been matched. The word moon cake originated from Wu Zimu's "Dream of Liang Lu" in the Southern Song Dynasty, when it was only a snack food. Later, people gradually associate enjoying the full moon together with the mooncakes, symbolizing family reunion and carrying their thoughts. At the same time, moon cakes are also important gifts for friends to contact their feelings during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

4. Playing with lanterns

As early as the Northern Song Dynasty, in the Old Wulin Story, it was recorded that there was an activity of "putting a little red lantern into the river to drift and play". Playing lanterns in the Mid-Autumn Festival is mostly concentrated in the south. For example, at the aforementioned Foshan Autumn Festival, there were all kinds of colorful lights: sesame lights, eggshell lights, wood shavings lights, straw lights, fish scales lights, chaff lights, melon seeds lights and flowers and trees lights of birds and animals, which were amazing. In addition, it is said that this custom is related to the righteous act of resisting the Yuan soldiers. After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the Han people were subjected to bloody rule, so the Han people made unyielding resistance, and all localities met for the Mid-Autumn Festival and lit a trumpet on the top floor of the pagoda. Similar to the fire at the peak platform, although this resistance was suppressed, the custom of burning pagodas remained. This legend is similar to the legend of eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival.

5. Drink osmanthus wine

Osmanthus wine is a famous specialty of China Han nationality in Beibei, Chongqing. Up to now, Osmanthus wine brewed by Guangxi Brewery still has WU GANG brand trademark. Osmanthus fragrans wine is light yellow in color, with outstanding fragrance of Osmanthus fragrans, and has the unique mellow taste of Vitis amurensis. It is sweet and sour, mellow and soft, and has a long aftertaste.

osmanthus wine has a long history. There are three kinds of osmanthus wine: Guilin brand, WU GANG brand and Huigui liquor. Guilin brand osmanthus wine is produced by Guilin Brewery General Factory, which belongs to sweet low-alcohol dew wine prepared from flowers and fruits. Using local osmanthus fragrans and Vitis amurensis as raw materials, it is made by soaking, distilling, adjusting, aging and filtering, and the alcohol content is 15 ~ 2. The color is light yellow, the fragrance of osmanthus fragrans is outstanding, and it has the unique mellow taste of wild grapes, which is sweet and sour, mellow and soft, and has a long aftertaste. Regular drinking can strengthen the spleen and stomach, help digestion, promote blood circulation and benefit qi. In 1984 and 2, it was rated as Guangxi high-quality wine and high-quality food respectively. WU GANG brand osmanthus wine is produced by Guilin Lingui osmanthus winery. It is made from high-quality rice and fresh osmanthus by double steaming and re-brewing. The quality of the wine is clear and transparent, and the taste is mellow and refreshing. It not only has the characteristics of Sanhua wine, but also has the fragrance of osmanthus, with a long aftertaste, and the alcohol content is 38 and 5.

6. Burning Tower

The game of burning tile lanterns (or burning flower tower, burning tile tower and burning fan tower) is widely circulated in the south. For example, in Volume 5 of "Records of Chinese National Customs": "On Mid-Autumn Night in Jiangxi, children usually pick up tiles in the wild and pile them into a round tower with holes. At dusk, burn it in a firewood tower under the bright moon. As soon as the tiles burn red, then pour kerosene on the fire, and suddenly the fields are red and shine like day. Until late at night, when no one is watching, it begins to pour interest, which is a famous burning tile lamp. " The tile-burning tower in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province is also a hollow tower made of bricks and tiles, which is filled with branches and burned. At the same time, it also burns smoke piles, that is, piles of grass and firewood are burned after the end of Yue Bai. The Burning Fan Tower in the border area of Guangxi is similar to this kind of activity, but the folklore is to commemorate the heroic battle of Liu Yongfu, a famous anti-French fighter in Qing Dynasty, who burned the ghost (French invaders) who escaped into the tower. There is also a "burning tower boy" activity in Jinjiang, Fujian. Legend has it that this custom is related to the righteous act of resisting the Yuan soldiers. After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the Han people were subjected to bloody rule, so the Han people made unyielding resistance, and all localities met for the Mid-Autumn Festival and lit a trumpet on the top floor of the pagoda. Similar to the fire at the peak platform, although this resistance was suppressed, the custom of burning pagodas remained.

7. Lighting lanterns

On Mid-Autumn Festival night, there is a custom of lighting lanterns to help the moonlight. Nowadays, there is still a custom of burning lamps on the tower with tiles stacked on it in Huguang area. There is a custom of making lantern boats in the south of the Yangtze River. The custom of burning lanterns in modern Mid-Autumn Festival is more prosperous. The internal combustion candle of Mid-Autumn Night Lantern is tied to a bamboo pole with a rope, which is high on the tile eaves or terrace, or it is built into a glyph or a kind of shape with small lights and hung at the height of the house, commonly known as' Mid-Autumn Festival on a tree' or' Mid-Autumn Festival vertically'.

8. Tide watching

In ancient times, besides enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival, tide watching was another Mid-Autumn Festival event in Zhejiang. The custom of watching tide in Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history, which was described in detail in Mei Cheng's Fu of Seven Hair in Han Dynasty. After the Han Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival tide watching became more popular. There are also records of watching the tide in Zhu Tinghuan's Supplementing the Past Events of Wulin in Ming Dynasty and Meng Liang Lu by Zi Mu in Song and Wu Dynasties.

What does Mid-Autumn Festival mean

(1) Reunion

On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon is bright, and the ancients regarded the full moon as a symbol of reunion, so it was also called "Reunion Festival" on August 15th. Throughout the ages, people often use "the full moon" and "the lack of the moon" to describe "joys and sorrows", and the wanderers who live in other places rely on the months to express their deep affection. Poems such as "lifting myself to look, I found that it was moonlight, sinking back again, I thought suddenly of home" by Li Bai, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, "he knows that the dews tonight will be frost, how much brighter the moonlight is at home!" by Du Fu, and "The spring breeze is green in Jiang Nanan, when the bright moon shines on me" by Wang Anshi in the Song Dynasty are all timeless. Eating moon cakes is another custom of festivals, which symbolizes reunion.

(2) Harmony

Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates and looks forward to a bumper harvest, so it also looks forward to harmony. Harmony is the core value pursuit of Chinese traditional culture. Mid-Autumn Festival brings family reunion, neighborhood harmony, class harmony, community stability, national reunion, home country harmony and world harmony. As Su Dongpo said, "I hope people will live for a long time, and thousands of miles will be beautiful." Zhang Jiuling said, "the moon, grown full now over the sea, the end of the world is at this time."

(3) Gratitude

From its earliest meaning, Mid-Autumn Festival is a set of etiquette, which reflects people's reverence for nature at that time, but at a deeper level, it also shows people's understanding of the relationship between people and a kind of emphasis on family. What are the customs and traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival? 2

First, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are 11 or 12 family reunion moments. In the Mid-Autumn Festival, we have to go home first and meet our parents. This is the most critical thing in the Mid-Autumn Festival. If you are busy at work and really can't go back, at least make a phone call.

Second, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, enjoying the moon is one of the most traditional customs. There is a saying in the ancients that "there is a bright moon at four o'clock, so what is the joy of the Mid-Autumn Festival"? In fact, it means enjoying the moon. When the family is reunited during the Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone must feel a lot when they look at the bright moon outside the window.

Third, there are some basic details about enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Before enjoying the moon, we should bathe and change clothes, and enjoy the moon with a sincere heart, which will bring you a smooth year and bring family reunion. This is a wish and hope, so don't forget it when we enjoy the moon in high spirits in autumn.

Fourth, when a family gets together and enjoys the moon, of course, mooncakes are indispensable. In fact, at the beginning, mooncakes were a tribute to the gods, showing their respect for the moon god. With the passage of time, mooncakes are now more delicious and also people's yearning for family reunion.

Fifth, appreciating the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival has many other meanings. For example, two married people want to have a healthy baby, so you can pray for your wishes during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is also a custom left by our ancestors for thousands of years.

Sixth, there are many blessings for the Mid-Autumn Festival. When we are in the Mid-Autumn Festival, we can decorate our home with lanterns to bless our family and be happy. In fact, the method is very simple. Hang two lanterns or light two candles at home, so that your good wishes will be prayed out.

Seventh, on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, literati would like to take a walk under the moon, and now people have started such activities, especially in the southern region, and at present, there are many such activities in northern cities. In fact, this is a version of visiting the lake and enjoying the moon. You might as well try it. What are the customs and traditions of Mid-Autumn Festival? 3

1. Eating moon cakes: advocating practical rationality

Almost all the traditional festivals in China focus on the word "eating". Spring Festival, killing pigs, making jiaozi, frying and eating New Year's Eve; Lantern Festival, eat dumplings; Tomb-Sweeping Day, giving food to ancestors; Dragon Boat Festival, eat zongzi; Mid-Autumn Festival, eat moon cakes; Mid-Autumn Festival, giving food to ghosts; Double Ninth Festival, eat crabs, drink chrysanthemum wine and realgar wine.

In this way, China people really attach great importance to eating. This is because China people have a practical and rational philosophy.

This practical rationality was established in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The basic ideas of these contending Confucianists, Legalists, Taoists, Military strategists, Mohists, Yin and Yang theorists, etc. all revolve around practical issues such as how to achieve world peace, how to defeat opponents, and how to achieve immortality. At the same time, the ancient Greek philosophers thought about what the world was made of and whether there were metaphysical problems in objective truth.

The folk beliefs of China people are the same. Many people in China can't tell Taoism, Buddhism or Christianity, so they worship the immortals as long as they see them. As the saying goes, "burn incense at the temple and worship the Buddha at the sight of the Buddha". What they pray for, of course, is not that their souls are saved, they go to heaven after death, or they are reborn into a good family in the afterlife, but that they are in good health, have a smooth job, succeed in their studies, and marry a good husband and wife. For peace of mind, they usually donate some sesame oil money as a hard-earned fee for the Buddha to bless themselves.

This practical rationality is formed because China has been in a small-scale peasant economy society for a long time. In a good year, you can ensure a family's food and clothing, and in a lean year, you are likely to starve to death. Long-term survival pressure has made China people form a pragmatic thinking habit. When you see something, the first consideration is whether you can eat it. If you can't eat it, can you use it? If we can neither eat nor use it, we will ask: what's the use of it?

Up to now, the joke that Cantonese people can eat anything is still a reflection of practical rationality.

2. Celebrate reunion: Pay attention to family ethics

Before and after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Su Dongpo's Mid-Autumn Festival with a Water Tune is always sung repeatedly, because Su Dongpo expressed the expectation of family reunion and the regret of not being able to reunite for people all over the world in beautiful language.

Mid-Autumn Festival is associated with "reunion" because the moon is the roundest during the Mid-Autumn Festival. People naturally think that the moon is full and the family should be reunited.

Wang Wei's phrase "I miss my family more often during the festive season" shows that China people attach importance to family ethics.

This longing for reunion is reflected in the sea of people at the railway station during Spring Festival travel rush, in the highway full of vehicles during the Spring Festival, and in the fragrance of moon cakes.

China's emphasis on the formation of family ethics culture is also the result of historical accumulation, especially the long-term education of Confucian culture.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty "ousted a hundred schools of thought and respected Confucianism alone", and Confucianism began to become the ruling ideology of China. Confucianism attaches importance to "ceremony" and advocates the rule of the world with ceremony. Confucianism believes that as long as everyone in the society is in his place, keeps his duty, and abides by loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom, the whole society will run forever like a smoothly functioning machine. This set of Confucian philosophy, perfected by generations of great scholars and practiced by clan system, has gradually become the operating rule of China society and internalized into the cultural genes of China people.

This emphasis on family ties, when expanded, has formed the * * * isomorphic consciousness of China people that "we are all a family", which has shaped and strengthened the cohesion of China people.

3. Worship the Moon: Respect the historical tradition

The custom of Mid-Autumn Festival in Yue Bai has a long history. In ancient times, emperors had a social system of offering sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn, and there was also a custom of offering sacrifices to the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival among the people. The Story Of Diu Sim, one of the four beauties in China, left the story of "Yue Bai, The Story Of Diu Sim". Later, appreciating the moon was more important than offering sacrifices to the moon, and serious sacrifices turned into light pleasures, but there are still many places where Yue Bai's customs are preserved.

In fact, Yue Bai didn't want to pray for anything from the moon, but rather a kind of respect for historical traditions.

historical tradition is the collective memory of a nation. One of the most important reasons why China can become the only country with an unbroken civilization among the four ancient civilizations is its respect for history and tradition.

as early as the childhood of China civilization,