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Story 54: Tracing the Origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival
Tracing the Origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival
Author: Anonymous
Tracing the Origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in my country. According to historical records, the term “Mid-Autumn Festival” first appeared in the book “Zhou Rites”. In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was a record of “ordering the minister to suppress the cattle confusion, and on the Mid-Autumn Festival night, the left and right people were incognito and flooded the river”. It was not until the early Tang Dynasty that the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. “Book of Tang·Taizong Ji” records “Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th”.
The popularity of the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Song Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become as famous as New Year’s Day and became one of the major festivals in our country. This is also the second largest traditional festival in our country after the Spring Festival.
According to our country’s calendar, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is in the middle of autumn and is the second month of autumn, so it is called “Zhongqiu”. The fifteenth day of August is in the middle of “Zhongqiu”, so it is called 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”; because the main activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival are all centered around the “month”, it is also commonly known as “Moon Festival” “Moon Eve”; the full moon on Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes reunion, so it is also called “Reunion Festival”. In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was also called the “Duanzheng Month”.
Records about the “Reunion Festival” first appeared in the Ming Dynasty.
“West Lake Tour Notes” says: “August 15th is called the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people send moon cakes 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 engraved like lotus flowers. …
Those who have wives returning to peace will return to their husbands’ homes on this day, which is called reunion. Festival also”.
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, most areas in my country still have the custom of baking “reunion”, which is a small cake that symbolizes reunion and is similar to a moon cake. The cake is filled with sugar, sesame, osmanthus, and vegetables, and the moon, osmanthus, rabbit, and other patterns are pressed on the outside.
After worshiping the moon, the elders of the family will divide the cake into pieces according to the number of people, one piece for each person. If someone is not at home, a portion will be left for them to express family reunion.
