Investigation and Research on the Customs of Mid-Autumn Festival

Moon cakes: When it comes to Mid-Autumn Festival food, everyone must immediately think of moon cakes. In fact, the custom of eating moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival didn't catch on until the Ming Dynasty. Before this, the Mid-Autumn Festival food was mainly melons and fruits. There is a legend about the origin of moon cakes: at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Han people thought of resisting Mongolian rule, but they were unable to pass on the news. So Liu Bowen came up with a plan. It is said that there will be a winter epidemic this year, which can be avoided unless every household buys moon cakes on the Mid-Autumn Festival. When I got home, I bit open the moon cake and found a note hidden inside, which read: "Kill the Tartars on Mid-Autumn Festival night and welcome the rebels!" " "So many people rebelled against the rulers, so the custom of eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival has been preserved. The characteristics of moon cakes vary from place to place. Su-style moon cakes are mostly crisp, oily, heavy, crisp and crisp. Cantonese-style moon cakes have more sugar and less oil, thin skin and beautiful stuffing, and are not fragile. The filling of Beijing-style moon cakes is plain oil, and most of them are hard skin. Chaozhou moon cake stuffing is sugar wax gourd, which is crisp and moist. There is also a kind of moon cake made in Northeast China, which is specially used for giving gifts. The largest chassis is about 33 cm in diameter, and it narrows from bottom to top, and a set of moon cakes is like a pagoda. Moreover, each moon cake has a different pattern, which forms a set of the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon comic books. According to Gao Gonggan's Records of Taiwan Province Province in Qing Dynasty, mooncakes are also props used by students in Taiwan Province Province to predict their future fame and achievements! In the Qing Dynasty, August 15th was autumn, that is, the day of the third exam after the provincial examination. Therefore, moon cakes also took some names corresponding to the imperial examinations. Including a champion, a runner-up, a flower cake, four Huiyuan cakes, eight Jinshi cakes, sixteen Juren cakes and thirty-two Scholar cakes. Students who take part in divination take turns throwing six dice into the bowl to predict their fame according to the points. " Bo moon cake is a good color to win the first prize. Crab: Autumn is also the season for crabs. For many gourmets who love seafood, it is a good time to try it early. Crabs are cold, so it's best to eat them while they are hot, and get in touch with ginger and alcohol to get rid of the cold. Taro: Eating taro on Mid-Autumn Festival is also very popular in Taiwan Province Province. There is a saying: "Eating rice noodles and taro has a good start". Take the homonym of impression and road and pray for ancestors to bless themselves to find a good job. Water duck man: The culture of raising water ducks in Kaohsiung County is very prosperous. Before and after the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is the most tender time for water ducks. Therefore, Hakkas in Meinong area often slaughter water ducks and add vegetables during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which has become a local Mid-Autumn Festival feature. Cake: In the Mid-Autumn Festival in Yilan, besides moon cakes, there is also a kind of cake. Vegetable cakes are made of flour and baked with brown sugar in the middle. It tastes crisp and refreshing. Others: holiday fruits, such as Madou Wendan pomelo and loquat in Taiwan Province Province. Religious customs of Mid-Autumn Festival: Moonlight Paper and Male Prostitutes. As we have said, the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival comes from the custom of ancient emperors offering sacrifices to the moon on August 15th. In the private sector, this trend is gradually developing. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, moon cakes must be round and fruits must be cut into lotus-shaped teeth. There is something called "Moonlight Paper" on the market, which depicts the moonlight shining on the bodhisattva, and the moon palace is painted below, where a rabbit stands to make medicine. Moonlight paper will be burned after the festival. There is a saying in Qing Dynasty: "A man is not Yue Bai". Therefore, Yue Bai has become a patent for women. Housewives in Yue Bai are very busy and children have nothing to do. A few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, a kind of "male prostitute" was sold in the market for children Yue Bai. Male prostitutes originated in the late Ming Dynasty. They were shaped into rabbit heads with clay and sat in a human posture. By the Qing Dynasty, the function of male prostitutes had changed from offering sacrifices to the moon to toys for children in the Mid-Autumn Festival. The production is getting more and more exquisite. Some people dress up as military commanders and wear armor, while others dress up as vendors, or shave their heads, sew shoes and sell wonton tea soup. Worship the Land Lord: Farmers in Taiwan Province Province have the custom of worshipping the Land Lord in the Mid-Autumn Festival, and thank the Land Lord for blessing their autumn harvest. In addition to offering sacrifices to landlords, farmers should plant "landlords' crutches" in the fields. The land crutch is made of bamboo inlaid with land gold and inserted in the ground. In addition, in South Taiwan Province Province, there is also the custom of worshipping the prince on the Mid-Autumn Festival. Worship the Moon King and Queen: Both the Moon King and Queen are the moon gods in China, and their status is just like Diana in western mythology. Since the Mid-Autumn Festival is dedicated to the moon, it is natural to worship the moon god. Take Miaoli Sun Palace as an example. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, the activities to celebrate the birthday of Empress Taiyin include playing watches, chanting scriptures, holding moonlight parties, chanting blood basin scriptures and so on. Women-related Mid-Autumn Festival Folk Custom in Taiwan Province Province: Pray for Longevity: There is a saying in Taiwan Province Province: The later you sleep on Mid-Autumn Festival night, the longer you live. A girl who sleeps on Mid-Autumn Night can make her mother live longer. Pray for a husband: According to legend, if an unmarried girl steals vegetables or onions from other gardens on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, it means that she will meet a husband in the future. There is a saying called "stealing onions to get married; "Stealing vegetables and marrying a good husband" refers to this custom. "Pray for the children: On the Mid-Autumn Festival night, a childless woman stole a melon from someone else's garden and took it home. It is said that this will give birth to a fat doll next year. Listening to incense: Lian Heng's "General History of Taiwan Province Province" records that in the middle of the Mid-Autumn Festival, women first burn incense in front of the gods at home to show what they want to ask, and then go out with incense after asking for directions. Use the dialogue or song heard on the road to smash the cup on the spot and ask God until you get an answer recognized by the gods. Other Mid-Autumn BBQ: Recently, Mid-Autumn BBQ in Taiwan Province Province is more popular. It is a beautiful thing to barbecue outdoors in crisp autumn and enjoy the moon, but in the absence of public morality, it has created a lot of garbage that destroys the environment for the Mid-Autumn Festival. When we have fun, don't forget to give the earth a clean face! Mid-Autumn Festival Gifts: In Taiwan Province Province, giving gifts to each other during the Mid-Autumn Festival is also very popular. At the beginning of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, all kinds of gift boxes and coupons are launched in stores to attract customers in the name of Mid-Autumn Festival gifts. The heads of companies and institutions also reward their employees in the Mid-Autumn Festival, either by giving gifts or adding bonuses. It is said that the weather in Mid-Autumn Festival and Lantern Festival next year are mutually causal. As the saying goes, "In Yun Zheyue on August 15th, it will rain and light the lantern festival next year". He added: "Rain hits lanterns, and clouds cover the autumn moon. "