What kind of festival is the Mid-Autumn Festival and what are the legends?
The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history, and it has gradually developed from ancient times to its current scale. So, do you know what kind of festival the Mid-Autumn Festival is? Are there any legends about Mid-Autumn Festival? Let’s find out together. The arrival of the eighth month of the lunar calendar also means that the summer heat has dissipated and autumn has truly arrived. So what should we pay attention to in the eighth month of the lunar calendar in 2018? Come to Mr. Shui Mo to learn more about related content.What is the Mid-Autumn Festival?The Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Moon Festival, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, August Festival, August Meeting, Moon-Chasing Festival, Moon-Playing Festival, Moon-Worshiping Festival, Daughters' Festival or Reunion Festival. Because the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, which is exactly the middle of the three autumns, it is named Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional cultural festival popular among many ethnic groups in China and countries in the Chinese character cultural circle. Because the moon is full on this day, symbolizing reunion, the Mid-Autumn Festival has also been a day for family reunions since ancient times. The Mid-Autumn Festival began in the early Tang Dynasty, became popular in the Song Dynasty, and by the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become one of China's major festivals as famous as New Year's Day. Influenced by Chinese culture, Mid-Autumn Festival is also a traditional festival in some countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia, especially for local Chinese and overseas Chinese. Since May 20, 2006, the State Council has included it in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. Since 2008, Mid-Autumn Festival has been listed as a national statutory holiday. Records about the Mid-Autumn Festival can be found in "Xihu Youlan Zhiyu": "The 15th day of the eighth month is called Mid-Autumn Festival. People give each other mooncakes to symbolize reunion." Therefore, it can be seen that the reason why Mid-Autumn Festival is also called Reunion Festival is because of its meaning of reunion.What are the legends about Mid-Autumn Festival?1. The story of Chang'e flying to the moon is too long, so I won’t go into detail. I believe everyone knows it. 2. Wu Gang Cuts the Laurel There is another legend about the Mid-Autumn Festival: According to legend, the laurel tree in front of Guanghan Palace on the moon is lush and more than 500 feet high. There is a man below who often cuts it, but every time he cuts it, the cut place closes immediately. For thousands of years, this cassia tree could never be cut down completely. It is said that the man who chopped the tree was named Wu Gang, a native of Xihe in the Han Dynasty. He once followed an immortal to practice Taoism and reached the heaven. However, he made a mistake, so the immortal banished him to the Moon Palace to do this futile and hard work every day as a punishment. There is a line in Li Bai's poem that says "I want to chop the moon's laurel and use it as firewood for those who are cold." 3. Mooncake Uprising It is said that eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the vast majority of people in the Central Plains could not bear the cruel rule of the Yuan Dynasty's ruling class, and they rose up in rebellion against the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang united various resistance forces to prepare for an uprising. However, the court officials and soldiers searched very closely, making it very difficult to pass on information. Military counselor Liu Bowen came up with a plan. He ordered his subordinates to hide a note with the words "Revolt on the night of August 15th" inside the cakes, and then sent people to deliver them to the rebel forces in various places, informing them to revolt on the night of August 15th. On the day of the uprising, all the rebel forces responded together. Soon, Xu Da captured the Yuan capital and the uprising was successful. When the news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so delighted that he immediately issued an oral order, allowing all soldiers and civilians to celebrate the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival together. He also rewarded his ministers with moon cakes, which were used to secretly convey information when he started the uprising. Since then, the production of moon cakes has become more sophisticated and there are more varieties. After that, the custom of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival spread among the people. |
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