Mid-Autumn Festival: Morning or Afternoon for Ancestor Worship
Worshipping ancestors during the Mid-Autumn Festival is generally done in the afternoon.Worshipping ancestors during the Mid-Autumn Festival is a custom in the Chaoshan area of Guangdong. On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, in the afternoon, families set up an altar in their hall, place the ancestral tablets, and offer various types of offerings. After the worship is completed, each offering is cooked one by one, and the whole family enjoys a lavish dinner together.
Since the reunion dinner during the Mid-Autumn Festival is usually eaten in the evening, ancestor worship should be conducted in the afternoon so that the family can start preparing the dinner after the worship. The reason why the reunion dinner is usually eaten in the evening is that the Mid-Autumn Festival's reunion dinner is eaten while appreciating the moon, and moon-gazing is an activity that can only be done at night. Therefore, the reunion dinner naturally takes place in the evening.
What is the meaning of worshipping ancestors during the Mid-Autumn Festival?
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival of reunion. In China, filial piety is highly valued, not just small filial piety but great filial piety. Therefore, on this day, it is also important to honor the ancestors.Worshipping ancestors during the Mid-Autumn Festival is to allow the ancestors to also feel the atmosphere of the Mid-Autumn Festival with the descendants and celebrate the festival of reunion together. Therefore, many people go to pay respects to the graves before or on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, express their filial thoughts, remember the virtues of their ancestors, be grateful for their origins, face the future, bring blessings, and strive to be successful. This reflects the idea that a harmonious family brings prosperity to everything.
What cultural significance does the Mid-Autumn Festival have?
In ancient times, the Mid-Autumn Festival was called "the Moon-Worshipping Festival," but nowadays it is referred to as "the Reunion Festival." The most important meaning of the Mid-Autumn Festival is "reunion."Whether it is moon-worshipping for blessings or sharing mooncakes, from its name to its customs, the Mid-Autumn Festival reveals the hope and wish of Chinese people, both past and present, for a happy and beautiful life and a complete family.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is marked by a round moon, symbolizing the dream of reunion among the Chinese people and the psychological need for family reunions. When the flowers are in bloom and the moon is bright and round, it is the time for family reunions. Linking the moon in the sky with family reunions is a unique way of thinking for the Chinese people. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, when the golden osmanthus fragrance fills the air and the flowers bloom under the round moon, people gaze at the bright and round moon, perform worship, think of their hometowns and loved ones, and express their feelings, adding more emotional color and giving people a pure and sweet spiritual experience.
