What is the origin and food of the Mid-Autumn Festival? What are the traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Contents of this article

1. The Origin of Mid-Autumn Festival

2. Mid-Autumn Festival delicacies

3. Mid-Autumn Festival traditions

The Origin of Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena, and evolved from the ancient autumn moon worship. The original "Moon Worship Festival" was held on the "Autumnal Equinox" of the twenty-four solar terms, and was later adjusted to the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. Since ancient times, the Mid-Autumn Festival has included folk customs such as worshiping the moon, appreciating the moon, eating moon cakes, playing with lanterns, appreciating osmanthus flowers, and drinking osmanthus wine.

The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in ancient times, became popular in the Han Dynasty, took shape in the early Tang Dynasty, and became popular after the Song Dynasty. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a combination of autumn seasonal customs, and most of the festivals and customs it contains have ancient origins.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four major traditional festivals in China, along with the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival and Dragon Boat Festival. Influenced by Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a traditional festival in some countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia, especially for local Chinese and overseas Chinese.

According to the Chinese calendar, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is in the middle of autumn and is the second month of autumn, called "Mid-Autumn". The fifteenth day of the eighth month is in the middle of "Mid-Autumn", so it is called "Mid-Autumn Festival".

Mid-Autumn Festival Food

There are many traditional Mid-Autumn Festival delicacies, such as moon cakes, osmanthus cakes, snails, glutinous rice cakes, water chestnuts, osmanthus wine, hairy crabs, ducks, etc. The 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar is the Mid-Autumn Festival. In order to celebrate the harvest, people will prepare many delicacies. Moon cakes are one of the most popular traditional Mid-Autumn Festival delicacies.

Mooncakes are round like the moon and contain various fillings. The main ingredients are flour, eggs, sugar, etc. It has a long history and the earliest existing document was recorded in "Dream Lianglu" by Wu Zimu in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Eating glutinous rice cake during the Mid-Autumn Festival originated in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It is a traditional custom that people started to commemorate the Chu State general Wu Zixu. Glutinous rice cake symbolizes good luck and reunion.

It is popular for people in the Jiangnan region to eat old pumpkins during the Mid-Autumn Festival. There is a local story about "eating pumpkins on August 15th". Eating pumpkins during the Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes health and longevity.

Mid-Autumn Festival Traditions

The Mid-Autumn Festival has been a traditional festival for the Chinese people since ancient times. It originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from the ancient autumn moon worship.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, Moonlight Festival, Moon Eve, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Worship Festival, Moon Goddess Festival, Moon Festival, Reunion Festival, etc., originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from the autumn evening moon worship in ancient times.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are few clouds and fog, and the moonlight is bright and clear. In addition to a series of activities such as moon-watching, moon-worshiping, eating moon cakes and wishing for family reunion, some places also hold activities such as dancing grass dragons and building pagodas.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, with the roundness of the moon symbolizing family reunion, is a way to express longing for hometown and loved ones, and to pray for a good harvest and happiness. It has become a rich and precious cultural heritage.