1. The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival
(1) The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of the moon in ancient times and has a long history. The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" was first recorded in "Zhou Li". Because of our country‘s time-occupied calendar, August 15th of the lunar calendar is exactly the autumn of the year, and it is mid-August, so it is called "Mid-Autumn Festival". In addition, in the four seasons of the year, each season is divided into three parts: "Meng, Zhong and Ji", so the second month of autumn is called "Zhongqiu". It was not until the early years of the Tang Dynasty that the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. There are still folk myths and legends that "Wu Gang cut Gui, Chang‘e flew to the moon".
(2) In a word, according to historical records, the ancient emperors had many activities to worship the moon, and the date was set on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. Because this time is half of the three autumns, it is called "Mid-Autumn Festival".
2. The customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival
(1) Eat moon cakes
Eating moon cakes on the Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional folk custom in my country, just like eating dumplings on the Dragon Boat Festival and eating dumplings on the Lantern Festival. It is said that the custom of eating moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival had already existed in the Tang Dynasty, but as a food name, moon cakes are associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival moon viewing, which is a matter of the Song Dynasty. The Royal Mid-Autumn Festival in the Northern Song Dynasty liked to eat a kind of "palace cake", which is commonly known as "small cake" in the folk. Su Dongpo wrote in a poem: "Small cakes are like chewing the moon, with crisps and glutinous rice." The first mention of the name "moon cake". Legend has it that at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, people also used moon cakes to convey anti-Yuan messages, indicating that moon cakes had entered the homes of ordinary people at that time and became a must-have food for the Mid-Autumn Festival. For a long time, our people have accumulated rich experience in making moon cakes. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, pastry chefs had printed the myths of Chang‘e flying to the moon and other myths as food art patterns on moon cakes. A Qing Dynasty literati described: "The moon cake is filled with peach meat, and the ice cream is sweetened with cane icing", which seems to be quite similar to the current moon cake. In modern times, there are workshops specializing in making moon cakes. The production of moon cakes is more refined, the fillings are exquisite, and the appearance is beautiful. As a symbol of auspiciousness and reunion, moon cakes embody people‘s good wishes, and the custom of eating and giving moon cakes has continued to this day.
(2) Enjoy the moon
Our country has the custom of offering sacrifices to the moon and viewing the moon since ancient times. In the Zhou Dynasty, activities to welcome the cold and worship the moon were held every Mid-Autumn Festival. The custom of appreciating the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival was very popular in the Tang Dynasty, and many poets‘ famous poems have poems about the moon. In the Song Dynasty, the trend of viewing the moon during the Mid-autumn Festival became more popular. On this day, "Your family will decorate the terraces, and the people will compete for the restaurant to play." In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the activities of worshiping the moon and the common people were more large-scale. There are still many historical sites such as the "Waichang Altar", "Moon Worship Pavilion" and "Wangyue Tower" all over our country. Literati and doctors have a special liking for viewing the moon. They either go upstairs to admire the moon or go boating to invite the moon, drink and compose poems, and leave behind many well-known masterpieces through the ages. For example, Du Fu‘s "August 15th Night Eye" uses the fifteen bright moon, which symbolizes reunion, to contrast his autumn thoughts of wandering in Manxiang: Song Dynasty writer Su Shi, who drank happily on the Mid-Autumn Festival, was drunk and wrote "Song Head of Water Melody", borrowing the fullness of the moon Lack of metaphor for the clutches of people. To this day, sitting together as a family and enjoying the beautiful view of the bright moon in the sky is still one of the essential activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
In addition to watching the moon and eating moon cakes, people in different regions also celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival according to their own regional traditions and social customs, forming different Mid-Autumn Festival customs with strong local characteristics. For example, in many areas in the south, it is popular to enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival and watch the tide. In old Beijing, it is popular to play with Rabbit Lord. In addition, there are also the Mid-Autumn Festival in Guangzhou, the burning tower in Anhui, the dragon dance in Hong Kong, etc. Many ethnic minorities also have Mid-Autumn Festival such as dancing to the moon and worshipping the moon. Customs, these activities have greatly enriched our traditional festival culture.
"Raise a glass to invite the bright moon and celebrate the festive season together", in response to national policies, in accordance with the national statutory holiday regulations, combined with the company‘s actual situation, our company‘s holiday time is: September 10, 2022 ~ September 12, 2022, September 2022 On the 13th of the month (Tuesday), we will go to work as usual.
If new and old customers need to consult our company during the holiday, please call our staff‘s mobile phone: 13711970518
I wish everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival and family reunion! !
