Mid-Autumn Festival

　　The 15th day of the 8th lunar month is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival. This is the middle of the autumn season in the year, so it is called Mid-Autumn. In China's lunar calendar, a year is divided into four seasons, and each season is further divided into three parts: Meng (the first), Zhong (the middle), and Ji (the last). Hence, Mid-Autumn is also known as Zhongqiu (Mid-Autumn). The moon on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month is rounder and brighter than the full moons of other months, so it is also called "Yuexi" (Moon Evening) and "August Festival". On this night, when people look up at the bright moon in the sky, which is as round as a jade plate, they naturally look forward to family reunions. Wanderers far away from home also take this opportunity to express their yearning for their hometown and relatives. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the "Reunion Festival".

　　In ancient times, the Chinese people had the custom of "worshipping the moon at the end of autumn". Worshipping the moon means paying homage to the moon god. By the Zhou Dynasty, every Mid-Autumn night, ceremonies to welcome the cold and worship the moon were held. A large incense table was set up, with offerings such as mooncakes, watermelons, apples, red dates, plums, and grapes, among which mooncakes and watermelons were absolutely indispensable. Watermelons were also cut into the shape of lotus flowers. Under the moon, the statue of the moon god was placed in the direction of the moon, red candles were lit high, and the whole family worshipped the moon in turn. Then, the housewife would cut the reunion mooncakes. The person cutting them would calculate in advance how many people were in the whole family, including those at home and those away, and the pieces must be neither more nor less, and of the same size.

　　It is said that in ancient Qi, there was an ugly woman named Wuyan. When she was a child, she虔诚ly worshipped the moon. When she grew up, she entered the palace with extraordinary virtue but was not favored. One year, while admiring the moon on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, the emperor saw her in the moonlight and thought she was extremely beautiful. Later, he made her queen, and thus the custom of worshipping the moon on Mid-Autumn Festival began. Chang'e in the moon is famous for her beauty, so young girls worship the moon, hoping to "look like Chang'e and have a face as bright as the moon".

　　In the Tang Dynasty, admiring and playing under the moon during Mid-Autumn was quite popular. In the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, on the night of the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, all families in the city, regardless of wealth, age, or gender, would put on adult clothes, burn incense, worship the moon, express their wishes, and pray for the protection of the moon god. In the Southern Song Dynasty, people gave mooncakes to each other, symbolizing reunion. In some places, there were activities such as dancing the grass dragon and building pagodas. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, the customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival have become more prevalent; many places have formed special customs such as burning douxiang (a kind of incense), setting up mid-autumn trees, lighting tower lanterns, releasing sky lanterns, walking under the moon, and dancing fire dragons.

　　Today, the custom of playing under the moon is far less popular than in the old days. However, holding banquets to admire the moon is still very common. People raise their glasses to the moon, celebrating a good life, or wishing relatives far away health and happiness, sharing the beauty of the moon "though thousands of miles apart".

　　There are many customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival, with different forms, but all embody people's infinite love for life and yearning for a better life.

　　The Origin and Legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival

　　The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history. Like other traditional festivals, it has gradually developed and formed. Ancient emperors had the ritual of worshipping the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. As early as in the book "Rites of Zhou", there is a record of the term "Mid-Autumn". Later, nobles and scholars followed suit. During the Mid-Autumn season, they admired and worshipped the bright and round moon in the sky, expressing their feelings. This custom was thus passed down to the people, forming a traditional activity. It was not until the Tang Dynasty that the custom of worshipping the moon was taken more seriously by people, and the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. The "Book of Tang · Records of Emperor Taizong" records "the 15th day of the 8th lunar month as the Mid-Autumn Festival". This festival was prevalent in the Song Dynasty, and by the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was as famous as the New Year's Day, becoming one of the major festivals in China.

　　The legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival are very rich, such as the story of Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang chopping the osmanthus tree, and the jade rabbit pounding medicine, which are widely spread.

　　Mid-Autumn Legend 1 - Chang'e Flying to the Moon

　　It is said that in ancient times, ten suns appeared in the sky at the same time, scorching the crops to death and making people's lives miserable. A hero named Hou Yi, with immense strength, sympathized with the suffering people. He climbed to the top of Kunlun Mountain, gathered his divine power, drew his divine bow, and shot down more than nine suns in one go. He also strictly ordered the last sun to rise and set on time to benefit the people.

　　Hou Yi was thus respected and loved by the people. He married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang'e. Apart from teaching archery and hunting, Hou Yi spent all his time with his wife, and people admired this loving couple with both talent and looks.

　　Many scholars came to learn from him, and Peng Meng, who had evil intentions, also mixed in.

　　One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek Taoism. He happened to meet the Queen Mother of the West passing by, so he asked her for a pack of elixir of immortality. It was said that taking this elixir could make one ascend to heaven and become an immortal immediately. However, Hou Yi was reluctant to leave his wife, so he temporarily gave the elixir to Chang'e for safekeeping. Chang'e hid the elixir in a treasure box on her dressing table, but unexpectedly, it was seen by the villain Peng Meng, who wanted to steal the elixir to become an immortal himself.

　　Three days later, Hou Yi led his disciples out hunting. Peng Meng, who had an evil plan, pretended to be ill and stayed behind. Soon after Hou Yi and his men left, Peng Meng broke into the inner chamber with a sword and forced Chang'e to hand over the elixir. Chang'e knew she was no match for Peng Meng. In a critical moment, she made a prompt decision, turned around, opened the treasure box, took out the elixir, and swallowed it in one gulp. After swallowing the elixir, Chang'e's body immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window, and flew towards the sky. Because Chang'e missed her husband, she flew to the moon, the closest place to the human world, and became an immortal there.

　　In the evening, when Hou Yi returned home, his maids哭诉ed what had happened during the day. Hou Yi was both shocked and angry. He drew his sword to kill the villain, but Peng Meng had already escaped. Hou Yi was so angry that he beat his chest and stamped his feet, overcome with grief. He looked up at the night sky and called out his wife's name. At this moment, he was surprised to find that the moon that day was particularly bright and clear, and there was a晃动的 figure that looked exactly like Chang'e. He desperately chased after the moon, but every time he took three steps forward, the moon moved three steps back; every time he took three steps back, the moon moved three steps forward. No matter what, he couldn't get close to it.

　　Hou Yi had no choice but to miss his wife. He had to send people to the back garden that Chang'e loved, set up an incense table, and place the sweet foods and fresh fruits she usually loved to eat, to remotely pay homage to Chang'e, who was in the moon palace and missed him. When the people heard the news that Chang'e had flown to the moon and become an immortal, they all set up incense tables under the moon, praying to the kind Chang'e for good luck and peace.

　　Since then, the custom of worshipping the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival has spread among the people.

　　Mid-Autumn Legend 2 - Wu Gang Chopping the Osmanthus Tree

　　There is another legend about the Mid-Autumn Festival: It is said that the osmanthus tree in front of the Guanghan Palace on the moon grows luxuriantly, reaching a height of more than 500 zhang (a unit of length). There is a person below who is always chopping it, but every time he cuts it, the cut part immediately closes up. For thousands of years, this has been the case - as he chops, it closes, and the osmanthus tree can never be cut down completely. It is said that the person chopping the tree is named Wu Gang, from Xihe in the Han Dynasty. He once followed immortals to practice Taoism and reached the heavenly realm, but he made a mistake. The immortals banished him to the moon, making him do this futile hard labor day after day as punishment. Li Bai's poem contains the line "I want to chop the osmanthus in the moon and use it as firewood for the cold".

　　Mid-Autumn Legend 3 - Zhu Yuanzhang and the Mooncake Uprising

　　It is said that eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the people in the Central Plains could not bear the cruel rule of the Yuan Dynasty's ruling class and rose up one after another to resist the Yuan. Zhu Yuanzhang united various rebel forces to prepare for an uprising. However, the court soldiers searched very strictly, making it very difficult to pass messages. His military advisor Liu Bowen came up with a plan: he ordered his subordinates to hide notes saying "Uprising on the night of the 15th day of the 8th lunar month" in cakes, and then sent people to deliver them to the rebel armies everywhere, informing them to rise up on the night of the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. On the day of the uprising, all the rebel armies responded together, and the uprising spread like wildfire.

　　Soon, Xu Da captured Dadu (the capital of the Yuan Dynasty), and the uprising succeeded. When the news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy that he immediately issued an oral order: during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, all soldiers should enjoy the festival with the people, and the "mooncakes" that were used to secretly pass messages during the uprising should be given as seasonal pastries to the officials. Since then, mooncakes have been made more exquisitely with more varieties, some as big as a plate, becoming a good gift for presentation. Later, the custom of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival spread among the people.

　　Customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival

　　During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the main activities of people are admiring the moon and eating mooncakes.

　　Admiring the Moon

　　In China, the custom of admiring the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival has existed since ancient times. The "Book of Rites" records "worshipping the moon at the end of autumn", that is, paying homage to the moon god. By the Zhou Dynasty, every Mid-Autumn night, ceremonies to welcome the cold and worship the moon were held. A large incense table was set up, with seasonal fruits such as mooncakes, watermelons, apples, plums, and grapes, among which mooncakes and watermelons were absolutely indispensable. Watermelons were also cut into the shape of lotus flowers.

　　In the Tang Dynasty, admiring and playing under the moon during Mid-Autumn was quite popular. In the Song Dynasty, the tradition of admiring the moon during Mid-Autumn became even more prevalent. According to "Dongjing Menghua Lu" (Dreams of Splendor in the Eastern Capital), "On Mid-Autumn night, noble families decorate pavilions, and common people rush to occupy restaurants to admire the moon". On this day, all shops and restaurants in the capital would redecorate their facades, with silk and colorful decorations on the signboards, selling fresh fruits and refined foods. The night market was extremely lively. People mostly climbed up to terraces and towers. Some wealthy families admired the moon on their own terraces and pavilions, set out food or arranged family banquets, gathered their children, and enjoyed the moon while chatting.

　　After the Ming and Qing dynasties, the custom of admiring the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival remained, and many places formed special customs such as burning douxiang, setting up mid-autumn trees, lighting tower lanterns, releasing sky lanterns, walking under the moon, and dancing fire dragons.

　　Eating Mooncakes

　　People in both urban and rural areas of China have the custom of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. As the saying goes: "On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, the moon is full, and the Mid-Autumn mooncakes are fragrant and sweet". Mooncakes were initially used as offerings to worship the moon god. The term "mooncake" was first seen in Wu Zimu's "Mengliang Lu" (Records of Dreams in the Cool) in the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, it was just a cake-shaped food like linghua cakes (water chestnut cakes). Later, people gradually combined admiring the Mid-Autumn moon with tasting mooncakes, which symbolized family reunion.

　　Mooncakes were initially made at home. Yuan Mei of the Qing Dynasty recorded the method of making mooncakes in "Suiyuan Shidan" (Recipes from the Sui Garden). In modern times, there are specialized workshops for making mooncakes. The production of mooncakes has become more and more exquisite, with elaborate fillings and beautiful appearances. Various exquisite patterns are printed on the outside of the mooncakes, such as "Chang'e Flying to the Moon", "Moon over the Milky Way", and "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon". The roundness of the moon symbolizes the reunion of people, and the roundness of the cake symbolizes the longevity of people. Using mooncakes to express the yearning for hometown and relatives, and to pray for a bumper harvest and happiness, has become the wish of people all over the world. Mooncakes are also used as gifts to relatives and friends to maintain relationships.

　　Other Customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival

　　China has a vast territory, a large population, and different customs. The way of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival is also various, with strong local characteristics.

　　In Pucheng, Fujian Province, women walk across Nanpu Bridge during the Mid-Autumn Festival to pray for longevity. In Jianning, hanging lanterns on Mid-Autumn night is considered an auspicious sign for praying for children from the moon palace. In Shanghang County, when people celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, children often ask the Moon Lady for blessings while worshipping the moon. In Longyan, when eating mooncakes, parents will dig out a round piece with a diameter of two or three inches from the center for the elders to eat, meaning that secrets should not be known to the younger generation. This custom originates from the legend that mooncakes contained messages about resisting the Yuan and killing enemies. In Kinmen, people worship the Heavenly Lord first before worshipping the moon on Mid-Autumn Festival.

　　In various places in Chaoshan, Guangdong Province, there is the custom of worshipping the moon on Mid-Autumn Festival, mainly among women and children, with the proverb "Men do not worship the full moon, women do not worship the kitchen god". In the evening, when the bright moon rises, women set up an altar in the yard or on the balcony to pray to the moon. Silver candles are brightly lit, incense curls, and the table is filled with fine fruits and pastries as offerings. There is also the custom of eating taro during the Mid-Autumn Festival in the local area. Chaoshan has a proverb: "When the river mouths meet, taro is eaten until full". In August, it is the harvest season for taro, and farmers are used to worshipping their ancestors with taro. This is固然 related to farming, but there is also a widely spread folk legend: In 1279, the Mongol nobles destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty and established the Yuan Dynasty, ruling the Han people cruelly. Ma Fa defended Chaozhou against the Yuan, and after the city was broken, the people were massacred. To remember the suffering under the rule of the "Hu" (foreign) people, later generations took taro, which is homophonic with "Hu head" and looks like a human head, to pay homage to their ancestors. This has been passed down from generation to generation and still exists today.

　　Burning towers on Mid-Autumn night is also popular in some places. The towers are 1-3 meters high, mostly built with broken tiles. Larger towers are also built with bricks, accounting for about 1/4 of the tower height, and then stacked with tiles, leaving a tower mouth at the top for putting fuel. On Mid-Autumn night, they are set on fire. The fuel includes wood, bamboo, rice husks, etc. When the fire is strong, rosin powder is sprinkled to boost the flame, which is extremely spectacular. There are also rules for the tower-burning competition among the people. Whoever burns the tile tower until it is completely red wins; those who fail to do so or whose towers collapse during burning lose. The winner is awarded flags, bonuses, or prizes by the host. It is said that burning towers also originated from the Han people's uprising against the cruel rulers at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, when they used fire as a signal during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

　　The folk customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival in the Jiangnan area are also various. In addition to eating mooncakes, people in Nanjing must eat the famous Jin