The Mid-Autumn Festival is a grand festival of the Chinese nation, on this day thousands of families will look forward to reunion. In 2008, the Mid-Autumn Festival was designated as a national holiday and a one-day holiday was arranged. In 2006, the Mid-Autumn Festival was listed in the national Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Here we are going to talk about some interesting facts about the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The Other Names of Mid-Autumn Day
The Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节 zhōng qiū jié) is also known by other names because of its associations with the full moon, moon cakes, and family reunions. The Mid-Autumn Festival has many other names: because the festival in August 15, so called "August festival", "Bayue Ban (八月半)"; Because the main activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival are around the "moon", so also known as "moon festival"; The Mid-Autumn Festival has a full moon, symbolizing reunion, so it is also called "reunion Festival". Since people often eat moon cakes during Mid-Autumn Festival, we can also call it “moon cake festival (月饼节)”. In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was also called "Duanzheng Yue (端正月)".
Besides, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called Lantern Festival (灯笼节 Dēng Lóng Jié) in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia as people will light lanterns to celebrate.
Mooncake – The Must-Eat Food
The original moon cake is used to offer sacrifices to the god of the moon, later people gradually put the Mid-Autumn Festival moon and taste the moon cake, as a symbol of family reunion, the most traditional moon cake is round, meaning reunion, beautiful. It reflects people's good wishes for family reunion. Then, the mooncake also became a holiday gift, evolved into an annual custom now.
In the Tang Dynasty, the folk had engaged in the production of the baker, the capital Chang 'an also began to appear pastry shops. It is said that one year on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and Lord Yang Guifei looked at the bright moon, and their hearts were surging, so they casually said "moon cake". From then on, the name of "moon cake" gradually spread among the people. Ming Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn festival to eat moon cakes in the folk gradually spread. At that time, the ingenious baker, the myth of Chang 'e flying to the moon as an instrument art pattern printed on the moon cake, moon cake has become more favored by the people of the Mid-Autumn Festival essential food.
Mid-Autumn Festival Is Not Only Celebrated in China
Mid-Autumn Festival is also celebrated in many countries in the world. It is mainly popular in the Culture circle of Chinese characters (countries or nations influenced by the writing history of Chinese characters). Its traditional customs are diverse, but all of them, like our Mid-Autumn Festival, mainly express the expectation of reunion. There are also many countries in the world did not have the Mid-Autumn Festival, but with the increase of Chinese, overseas Chinese, the annual Mid-Autumn Festival has become very busy, various activities and moon cakes can be seen in foreign Chinatowns.
The Japanese also have the custom of appreciating the moon on this day, which is called "Yuejian“ 月见) in Japanese. The custom of appreciating the moon in Japan originated from China. More than 1,000 years ago, when it was passed to Japan, the custom of holding a banquet while appreciating the moon began to appear in the local area, which is called "Guan Yue’yan (观月宴)".
In South Korea, Mid-Autumn Festival is arguably the most important traditional holiday of the year, even bigger than Spring Festival. In addition to family reunion, it is also a day to remember the ancestors, and more importantly, to worship the ancestors and sweep the tombs.
In Vietnam, The Mid-Autumn Festival is also called Children's Day because it is set up to compensate parents for the lack of time to spend with their children during the farming rush before the festival.
Mid-Autumn Festival Is A Family Reunion Festival
The 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in China, which is the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival. 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. Therefore, the 15th day of August is also called "Reunion Festival".
There are so many festivals in a year, the best one is Mid-Autumn Festival. The weather is not hot and cold, people working outside can also come back to the reunion.
People get together on the Mid-Autumn Festival, but also related to the legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival is very rich, "Chang’e Benyue", "Wugang Fagui" and so on myths are widely spread in the folk. The most famous “Chang’e Benyue” also means the story of reunion.
Further reading:
How to Make a Chinese Mooncake
Mid-Autumn Festival
