The Mid-Autumn Festival comes from the celestial worship, from the ancient times autumn Festival on the evolution of the moon. Offering sacrifices to the moon is a very ancient custom in China. It is a kind of worship activity for the “moon god” in some places of ancient China. In the 24 solar terms of the autumn equinox season, is the ancient “lunar festival”. The Mid-Autumn Festival comes from the traditional “autumn equinox”. In ancient farming society, the ancients believed that the movement of the moon was closely related to agricultural production and seasonal changes, so offering sacrifices to the moon became an important sacrificial activity. Moon worship, as one of the important customs of folk festival, gradually evolved into moon appreciation, moon praise and other activities.

The Mid-Autumn Festival was popularized in the Han Dynasty, which was a period of economic and cultural exchange and integration between the North and the south of China. The earliest extant written records of the word “Mid-Autumn Festival” are found in the Han Dynasty literature. The book was written in the “Rites of Zhou” (handed down by the Duke of Zhou, actually written in the Han Dynasty). It is said that the pre-Qin Dynasty has “the autumn night to greet the cold”, “the Mid-Autumn Festival to offer good qiu”, “the autumn equinox evening month (worship the moon)” activities. According to records, in the Han Dynasty, there is in the Mid-Autumn Festival or the start of autumn on the day of respect for the elderly, pension, to give male coarse cake activities. During the Jin Dynasty, there are also written records of the Mid-Autumn Festival, but it is not very common. Before Jin Dynasty, Mid-Autumn Festival was not popular in northern China.

During the Tang Dynasty, Mid-Autumn Festival custom was popular in northern China. The Mid-Autumn Festival became an official national holiday in the Tang Dynasty. “Tang Book · Taizong records” recorded “August 15 Mid-Autumn Festival”. The custom of appreciating the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival was extremely popular in Chang ‘an in the Tang Dynasty. Many poets have verses chanting the moon in their famous works. And the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Chang ‘e moon, Wu Gang cut laurel, Yutu pound medicine, Yang Guifei changed the moon god, Tang Ming Emperor travel moon Palace and other fairy tales, make it full of romantic color, play on the wind just Daxing. The Tang Dynasty is an important period for the integration of traditional festival customs, the main part of which has been passed down to today.

The Northern Song Dynasty, the official lunar calendar August 15 for the “Mid-Autumn Festival.” Literature appeared in the “cookies such as chewing month, there are crisp and Yi” seasonal food. Such as Meng Yuanlao “Tokyo Menghualu” said: “in the autumn night, your home knot decoration, folk restaurant play month”; And “string heavy boiling, near the residents, late at night to hear the sound of sheng taro, just like outside the cloud. Between the children, even night marriage play; The night market, as for the familiar “.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the secular interest of the year became increasingly strong. The Ming and Qing dynasties of the moon activities, “its fruit cake will be round”, each to set up “moonlight”, in the direction of the month “to the month for worship”. Lu Qihong “Beijing years old China record” contained: “in the autumn night, the people each place moon palace symbol, character on avoid such as people stand; Old melon and fruit in court, cake surface painting moon palace toad free; Men and women worship and burn incense, Denier burnt.” “Imperial scenery slightly” also said: “August 15, the cake will be round, melon will tooth wrong, carved petals such as lotus. … It has a woman to return to the home, is the day will return to her husband, Yue reunion also.
Until now, eating moon cakes has been a necessary custom in all parts of China. Moon cakes symbolize reunion and are used as festival food to offer sacrifices to the moon and gifts to relatives and friends. In addition to moon cakes, all kinds of seasonal fresh and dried fruits are also delicious food on the autumn night. Mid-Autumn Festival, less clouds and fog, the moon is bright and bright, folk have the moon, moon offering, eating moon cakes, eating sweet potatoes, carrying lanterns, dancing grass dragon, tree Mid-Autumn Festival, laying bricks or stones pagoda and a series of festival activities.