How to Worship Ancestors on the Mid-Autumn Festival
Worshipping ancestors on the Mid-Autumn Festival usually takes place in the afternoon of the Mid-Autumn Festival day. A table is set up in the family hall, with the ancestral tablet placed, and various offerings are presented, followed by the worship.One, prepare the offerings first. Usually, it is hot three animals (three out of five animals) or dishes (six bowls, ten bowls, or twelve bowls), rice flour yam, fruits, mooncakes, two small cups of clear tea, and seven or nine or eleven small cups of alcohol.
Two, when worshipping, first offer the wine (the number of cups corresponds to the number of chopsticks), then light the candles, present the tea and wine, burn incense (three sticks), and pray for peace.
Three, when the incense is burned to one-third, hold the gold and silver paper with both hands to worship the ancestors. Then burn the money and large silver, pour the wine over the ashes, and then remove the offerings.
Four, additionally, it is worth noting that you can add burning of the "living money", gold foil paper as gold, horse silver, and money used in the afterlife.
Can the Mid-Autumn Festival Ancestor Worship Be Done a Day Earlier?
It is not advisable to worship ancestors earlier on the Mid-Autumn Festival, because after the worship, the offerings need to be removed, and the offerings are re-cooked as the family reunion dinner, so it needs to be done in the afternoon of the Mid-Autumn Festival day.If it's other places to worship ancestors, and there is no custom of using offerings as the family reunion dinner, then it can be done one or two days earlier to worship ancestors, but if it's only for worshipping the ancestral tablet, it's best to do it on the Mid-Autumn Festival day.
Who Is the Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrating?
The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the Moon Worship Festival, with the custom of worshipping the moon god. The moon god usually refers to the Queen of the Moon and Chang'e, both of whom are characters in mythological stories, so it is not a matter of commemoration.In ancient times, the most important activity during the Mid-Autumn Festival was moon worship. In traditional culture, the moon and the sun were both alternately appearing celestial bodies, which became objects of worship for the ancients. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the ancient people's worship of the moon, and it is the legacy and development of the Chinese nation's moon worship customs.
In addition, moon worship also means worshipping the moon god. In Taoism, the moon god is called "Queen of the Moon," commonly known as "Queen of the Moon" or "Moon Lady." Of course, with the passage of time, some regions regard Chang'e as the master of the Moon Palace, i.e., the moon god. However, Chang'e and the Queen of the Moon are completely different individuals.
Worshipping the Queen of the Moon has been a long-standing tradition in China, and it is also a common phenomenon worldwide, originating from the celestial body worship in primitive beliefs. In some Chinese folk legends, the Queen of the Moon is sometimes merged with Heng'e Fairy into one deity, considered as a beautiful woman, so everyone admires her, and because of this reason, the birthday ceremony of the Queen of the Moon on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month is held after dusk, facing the full moon, every household sets up an incense table outdoors, lights a pair of red candles, offers four kinds of fresh fruits, burns incense and worships, creating a very sincere atmosphere, with a touch of leisurely sentiment.
