Why do people hang lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival?
The meanings of hanging lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival are three:(1) To inherit traditional Chinese culture and create a strong festival atmosphere;
(2) Symbolizing happiness and reunion. In ancient times, lanterns were used for lighting. Hanging lanterns on streets and alleys during the Mid-Autumn Festival represents illuminating the path of reunion;
(3) The meaning of hoping for more children.
The Mid-Autumn Festival has many game activities, the first of which is playing with lanterns. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the three major lantern festivals in China. Celebrating the festival involves playing with lanterns. Of course, unlike the large-scale lantern fairs of the Lantern Festival, playing with lanterns is mainly done within families and among children.
The Mid-Autumn Festival has had customs such as worshiping the moon, admiring the moon, paying homage to the moon, eating mooncakes, appreciating osmanthus flowers, and drinking osmanthus wine since ancient times, and these customs have been passed down and continue to this day. The roundness of the moon symbolizes family reunion, expressing longing for hometown and loved ones, and praying for harvest and happiness, making it a colorful and precious cultural heritage.
As early as in the Northern Song Dynasty, "Wulin Jiusi" recorded that during the Mid-Autumn Festival night, there was an activity of placing a "point red" lantern into the river to float and play. Playing with and appreciating lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival is mostly concentrated in the southern water towns, symbolizing sending blessings. The lanterns are diverse, such as sesame lamps, eggshell lamps, carving flower lamps, rice straw lamps, fish scale lamps, grain husk lamps, melon seed lamps, and bird, beast, flower, and tree lamps, all of which are beautiful, exquisite, and small, and are amazing to behold.
Traditional customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival
Walking under the MoonAnother unique moon-viewing activity during the Mid-Autumn Festival night is called "walking under the moon." Under the bright moonlight, people dressed in elegant clothes go out in groups of three or five, either strolling through the streets, boating on the Qinhuai River, or climbing towers to admire the moonlight and chat happily.
In Ming Dynasty Nanjing, there were the Moon-Viewing Tower and the Play-Moon Bridge. In Qing Dynasty, there was the Morning-Moon Building at Lion Mountain. These were all popular places for people to "walk under the moon"; while the Moon-Embracing Building in Mouchou Lake Park, built after the liberation, has become a new scenic spot for citizens to admire the moon.
Worshiping the Moon
Worshiping the moon is an ancient custom in China. According to historical records, as early as the Zhou Dynasty, ancient emperors had the custom of worshipping the sun on the spring equinox, the earth on the summer solstice, the moon on the autumn equinox, and the heaven on the winter solstice.
The sites for these rituals were called the Sun Altar, Earth Altar, Moon Altar, and Heaven Altar, located in the four directions of east, south, west, and north. The Moon Altar in Beijing was where the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties worshipped the moon.
Playing with Lanterns
The Mid-Autumn Festival has many game activities, the first of which is playing with lanterns. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the three major lantern festivals in China. Celebrating the festival involves playing with lanterns. Of course, unlike the large-scale lantern fairs of the Lantern Festival, playing with lanterns is mainly done within families and among children.
Worshiping the Moon Deity
In ancient times, there was a custom called "evening moon worship" in autumn. "Evening moon" refers to worshiping the moon deity. A large incense stand is set up, with mooncakes, watermelons, apples, red dates, plums, grapes, and other offerings. Among these, mooncakes and watermelons are absolutely essential, and the watermelon must be cut into a lotus shape.
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