The Early Beginnings of Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival

History of the Early Beginnings of the Mid-Autumn Festival:

Mid-Autumn Festival has been celebrated for more that two thousand year and can be trace to the early Zhou Dynasty where celebrating the moon during mid-autumn appears to have occurred since Zhou Dynasty (ending in 221BC ) where during this period the night of the roundest moon of the year was an occasion for the Chinese to hold rituals to greet the cool weather and sacrifice to the Moon Goddess at that times, it was during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) that the festival was made official. Becoming grander over time, by Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) times, the mid-autumn festival was second only in importance to the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year).

----------------

The Moon festival for 2008 (also called the Mooncake or Mid-Autumn festival) falls on This September 14th 2008

READ MORE - The Early Beginnings of Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival

The History of Chinese Mid Autumn Festival

The History of Mid Autumn Festival

What is the Moon festival? Every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its maximum brightness for the entire year, the Chinese all around the world celebrate "zhong qiu jie”. Or “Middle Autumn Season” Literally meaning Mid-Autumn festival

When did this festival first begin? No exact date can be found in historical documents, but scholars assume that it is related to 2 customs in China.

The first custom Concern that during the autumn of the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese calendar is the time when rice paddies are harvested; some people believe that the Mid Autumn Festival came from the autumn reward ritual.

The second custom concerns worship of the moon. According to astronomy, the Mid Autumn Festival occurs at the autumn equinox. At this time, the sunlight shines vertically on the equator, equally dividing the day and night in both the southern and northern hemispheres. The moon appears in the evening with gentle winds and light clouds. This is the best time to watch the moon. People later made this day, the day to worship the moon.

Still it should not be confuse that the moon are just for celebration only.

Enjoying the moon is an ancient tradition in the world and also in China going back nearly 1,400 years. Visit any historical palace or classical garden and you will very likely find a "Moon Viewing Pavilion" or two.

--------

It is lovely to think about actually, isn't it?

--------

"Taking time with your friends and family to sit outside under a starless sky, gazing at the round white orb shining brightly from the heavens above, is something we, in this century, ought to schedule in our daytimes."

READ MORE - The History of Chinese Mid Autumn Festival

The Mid Autumn festival, Why Chinese Celebrate it

What is The Mid Autumn festival, Why Chinese Celebrate it?

" When the moon is full, mankind is one "

--In China, the full moon is Symbolism: is traditionally a symbol for reunion, tuanyuan, as yuan means round. The Chinese people celebrate by coming together as families to eat, drink and be merry and has always been represented the gatherings of friends and family.

Thus, Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for family reunions. On this night, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomeloes together out side in the courtyard and some families will go together to scenic spots and parks for moon appreciation parties, holding barbecues outside under the moon, and to put pomelo rinds on one's head, and eating moon cakes.

Brightly lit lanterns are often carried around by children during the 14 th and 15th night of the festival

*

Together with the celebration, there appear some special customs in different parts of the country, such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting lanterns on towers, and fire dragon dances. Shops selling mooncakes, before the festival, often display pictures of Chang'e, floating to the moon.

Another one of the reason traditionally is that it is a reward ritual, Moon Cake Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month in observance of the bountiful Autumn harvest in the paddies field this is because China in the ancient time is an agricultural country, and farming is closely related to the seasons.

In ancient times, farmers worshipped the Earth God to pray for a good harvest, when they sowed the seeds in spring. This was known as spring worship. During autumn, farmers also worshipped the Earth God to thank him for giving them a good harvest. This was known as autumn reward. Since the 15'" month of the 8th month in the Chinese calendars is the time when rice paddies are harvested . Thus the Mid Autumn Festival also can be said is a day to celebrate and thank for the reward from God and Earth that came from the mid autumn season.

--------------

PS:

From Memories of My late Great GrandMother

Why? putt pomelo rinds on one's head – this is usualy done by the doughter or grand doughter in the family will put a Pomelo skin on the head of the father or their grandfather and any family member who is the family patriarch. During this celebration This is because the Chinese word for "pomelo" or "grapefruit" is yu, which is homophonous with the word for "protection," yu, expressing the hope that the moon god give them protection.

*****

My Small and Humble Comment about The Mid Autumm Festival...

******

Although old rituals are no longer followed, families continue to gather for a day to relax and eat moon cakes.The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the two most important holidays in the Chinese calendar (the other being the Chinese Lunar New Year), and is a legal holiday in several countries. Farmers celebrate the end of the summer harvesting season on this date.

Traditionally, on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomeloes together. It is also common to have barbecues outside under the moon, and to put pomelo rinds on one's head. Brightly lit lanterns are often carried around by children.

Together with the celebration, there appear some special customs in different parts of the country, such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting lanterns on towers, and fire dragon dances. Shops selling mooncakes, before the festival, often display pictures of Chang'e, floating to the moon.

READ MORE - The Mid Autumn festival, Why Chinese Celebrate it

The symbolism that are used in Chinese Mid Autumn prayer and celebration

"The symbolism that are used in Chinese Mid Autumn prayer and celebration"

The Thing that are use for the ceremony have many symbolism where also on the altar are moon cakes and plates of pomegranates, melons, grapes, apples and peaches, all fruits that are round like the moon, and rice, wine and tea. The pomegranates and melons represent children, the apples and grapes fertility and the peaches long life.

The melons are cut open and the edges cut in jagged shapes like the petals of the lotus. Another popular fruit for the altars is the grapefruit-like pomelo, whose Chinese name, yow, is a homophone for "to have." the filling of the moon cakes: sweet bean paste or lotus seed with a boiled egg at the heart to symbolize the moon.

Beside this, a sack of yellow beans are also (offerings to the rabbit in the moon) and cockscomb flowers. If a nine-joints lotus roots are found they will be giving to the members of the imperial court to offered to the moon but since the lotus rarely produces roots that have more than two or three joints, If they are not available several roots were patched together to get the lucky number of nine.


The full moon cakes, t'uan yuan ping, were sometimes as big as a foot in diameter and often had images on the top of the three-legged toad and the rabbit of the moon. In the old time they were made out of a greyish (moon-colored) flour and arranged in a pyramid of thirteen (13 for the 13 full moons of the year). Some people eat them as soon as they are done sacrificing to the moon, while others keep them until New Year's Eve.

*

The offering commonly made are : a brown seed called Ling Ke, or Water Caltrop also known as Water Chestnut . It looks like a Chinese bat which makes it an emblem of luck. It is sometimes found carved in jade or shaped as the knob of a teapot. It is also made into a child's toy, whirled on a string which is threaded through a hole cut in the middle.

*

One of the common popular practice are offering New toiletries on the altar for Her to bless. But now in the modern day ,When the full moon rises after sunset, each woman approaches the altar, bows three times, and lights two candles and some incense. Afterwards they burn the moon nimbus and the cardboard bowl containing the paper clothes and "spirit money." burnt at the end of the ceremonies, along with the "spirit money." and paper clothes As it dies down, firecrackers are sometimes thrown into the embers to scatter the ashes to the four winds of heaven.

*

For the rest of the night, the women sit in the courtyard all night long, feasting and drinking tea and wine, some studying the moon for auguries, some composing poems about the beauty of the moon and the night, some playing the game of “Capturing the Moon,” by trying to catch her reflection in a bowl of water. Other typical foods enjoyed on this night: chicken and roast meat and Chinese char siu.

*

The round "moon cakes" eaten on this festival are symbolic of family unity and closeness. Pomelos are also eaten on this day. The Chinese word for "pomelo" or "grapefruit" is yu, which is homophonous with the word for "protection," yu, expressing the hope that the moon god give them protection. Moon gazing is another essential part of this festival.

"To The Romantic ones"

On this day, the moon is at its roundest and brightest. This is also a time for lovers to tryst and pray for togetherness, symbolized by the roundness of the moon. Unlike most other Chinese festivals, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a low-key holiday, characterized by peace and elegance.
But most importantly, Chinese believe in praying to the moon god for protection, family unity, and good fortune.

PS :

To the gir:l you may want to put New toiletries the altar for Her to bless as She endows her worshippers with beauty and aids in love relationships..... TJ

READ MORE - The symbolism that are used in Chinese Mid Autumn prayer and celebration

*The Tradition in Chinese Mid Autumn and How It is celebrated*

The Tradition and How it is celebrated.

The Date -The date of Mid-autumn Festival also known as Chinese Moon Festival is on the 15th moon day of 8th Chinese lunar month (Chicken month). Since the new moon day is the first day of a Chinese Lunar Month. The first day of 8th lunar month in this year is 31 first August 2008, thus the Moon Festival is on 14 September 2007.

This is a day to worship the moon god. According to folk legend, this day is also the birthday of the earth god (T'u-ti Kung). This festival signals that the year's hard work in the fields will soon come to an end, with only the harvest left to attend to. People use this opportunity to express their gratitude to heaven (represented by the moon) and earth (symbolized by the earth god) for the blessings they have enjoyed over the past year.

Praying to the moon goddess traditionally by custom are done women and girl who is over the age of 13. If you are wandering why only girl pray to the moon and celebrate the Moon this is because the full moon of the eighth Chinese lunar month is a “women”. This is the beginning of the yin part of the year, when the dark takes precedence over the light, and the Moon is the symbol of yin energy, which also includes water, women and night. In the old Chinese agrarian system, autumn and winter were the women’s seasons.

There is a Peking (Beijing) proverb that says: "Men do not bow to the moon. Women do not sacrifice to the God of the Kitchen”

The Moon Goddess, known in many variation's of the stories are known as Hengo or Chang-e ,who rule rules the Jade Palace of the Moon. Where in may stories and fable she swallowed the pill of immortality given to her husband, the archer Hou Yi, and then fled to the moon to avoid his wrath. Her husband later became the God of the Sun and now the two meet only once a month during the New Moon. Other creatures that live in the Moon include a rabbit who is always pictured working with a pestle, pounding up the elixir of life, a three-legged toad (sometimes said to be Chang-O) and a cassia tree, which although attacked by a woodcutter, keeps renewing itself.

Usually shortly before sunset they will set up the altar or before the moon rises, the women in the village or the family will set up an altar in the middle of the court yard with an image of the Moon Hare or sometimes put a ceramic figure of the Moon Hare or the three-legged toad of the moon in the center, surrounded by 13 moon cakes, the fruit, and any other symbols that represent the moon, like pearls, dimes, abalone shells, mirrors, water, or thing that are link representing the Moon.

A sand-filled receptacle in the center of the altar holds sticks of incense and candles. Spirit money is also placed on the altar, sometimes in the form of folded gold and silver paper, representing ingots, or as "thousand sheets" (a series of connected zigzag strips), or circular pieces like coins. Paper clothing is also set out for the sun and moon, for instance, a gilt and red crown, or a red apron with gold embroidery.

Decorate with lanterns and then worship the Moon silently as she comes up. The women will “draw her down into their bodies” as if they they are one with the moon, using the posture of drawing down the moon, arms open wide and held up above they heads.

When the moon full every will be bathed in her silvery rays, traditional usually sing a song in honor of the moon, This is followed by the reciting of the poems and readings they brought to honor her. Some will dance and celebrated the even of the full moon while the male will be out merry making and gazing to the moon.

READ MORE - *The Tradition in Chinese Mid Autumn and How It is celebrated*

The History of Mid Autumn Festival

The History of Mid Autumn Festival

What is the Moon festival? Every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its maximum brightness for the entire year, the Chinese all around the world celebrate "zhong qiu jie”. Or “Middle Autumn Season” Literally meaning Mid-Autumn festival

When did this festival first begin? No exact date can be found in historical documents, but scholars assume that it is related to 2 customs in China.

The first custom Concern that during the autumn of the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese calendar is the time when rice paddies are harvested; some people believe that the Mid Autumn Festival came from the autumn reward ritual.

The second custom concerns worship of the moon. According to astronomy, the Mid Autumn Festival occurs at the autumn equinox. At this time, the sunlight shines vertically on the equator, equally dividing the day and night in both the southern and northern hemispheres. The moon appears in the evening with gentle winds and light clouds. This is the best time to watch the moon. People later made this day, the day to worship the moon.

Still it should not be confuse that the moon are just for celebration only.

Enjoying the moon is an ancient tradition in the world and also in China going back nearly 1,400 years. Visit any historical palace or classical garden and you will very likely find a "Moon Viewing Pavilion" or two.

--------

It is lovely to think about actually, isn't it?

--------

"Taking time with your friends and family to sit outside under a starless sky, gazing at the round white orb shining brightly from the heavens above, is something we, in this century, ought to schedule in our daytimes."

READ MORE - The History of Mid Autumn Festival