The Mid-Autumn Festival [zhōng qiū jié]

(One of the four traditional festivals in China)

Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, Moonlight Festival, Moon Night, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Worship Festival, Moon Festival, Moon Festival, Reunion Festival, etc., is a traditional Chinese folk festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena, and evolved from the Qiu Xi festival in ancient times. Since ancient times, the Mid-Autumn Festival has folk customs such as offering sacrifices to the moon, admiring the moon, eating moon cakes, watching lanterns, and guessing riddles.

Traditional activities

Worship the moon (worship the moon)
Sacrificing the moon is a very ancient custom in China. It is actually a worship activity for the “moon god” by the ancients. Offering sacrifices to the moon and admiring the moon, entrusting the moon in memory, expressing people’s best wishes. As one of the important rituals of the Mid-Autumn Festival, worshipping the moon has continued from ancient times to the present, and has gradually evolved into folk activities to appreciate the moon and praise the moon.
Burning lamp

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is a custom of lighting lanterns to help the moonlight. The custom of lighting lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival is even more popular in modern times. The lanterns hung by wealthy families are several feet high. Family members gather under the lanterns to drink and have fun. Ordinary people put up a flagpole and two lanterns to enjoy themselves. The lights in the city are like a world of glass. “The custom of burning lanterns in the Mid-Autumn Festival seems to be second only to the Lantern Festival in scale.
Enjoy the moon
The custom of appreciating the moon comes from offering sacrifices to the moon, and serious sacrifices have turned into relaxed entertainment. It is said that the moon is the closest to the earth on this night, and the moon is the largest, roundest and brightest, so there has been the custom of feasting and enjoying the moon since ancient times.
Guessing
There are many lanterns hanging in public places on the Mid-Autumn Festival full moon night. People gather together to guess the riddles written on the lanterns. Because it is an activity that most young men and women like, and love stories are also spread in these activities, so the Mid-Autumn Festival guessing lantern riddles It has also been derived a form of love between men and women.
Eat moon cakes

Moon cakes, also known as moon cakes, harvest cakes, palace cakes, reunion cakes, etc., are offerings to worship the moon god in the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival. Moon cakes were originally used as offerings to worship the moon god. Later, people gradually regarded the Mid-Autumn Moon viewing and tasting moon cakes as a symbol of family reunion. Moon cakes symbolize great reunion. People regard them as festive food, offering sacrifices to the moon and gifts to relatives and friends. Up to now, eating moon cakes has become an essential custom for Mid-Autumn Festival in all parts of China. On this day, people eat moon cakes to show “reunion”.