The tradition and modernity of the Mid-Autumn Festival: from the elegant taste of literati to the carnival of the whole people

China News Service, Beijing, September 25 (Reporter Shangguan Yun) "It's a good night all year long, and you can see the light from thousands of miles away." It's the Mid-Autumn Festival again. People buy mooncakes as gifts for relatives and friends, sit around with their families and enjoy delicious food...to welcome this beautiful festival in their own way.

Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as "Zhongqiu", has titles such as "Moon Eve" and "Autumn Festival". It is a rather romantic festival. Its main meaning is to celebrate harvest, family reunion, and promote interpersonal communication, etc.

In ancient times, how did people spend this culturally rich festival? Are there any new changes in the way of "celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival" nowadays? In this regard, Zheng Yan, a researcher at the Cultural Institute of the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences, said that in the Tang Dynasty, admiring and playing with the moon was an elegant fashion for literati; during the Song Dynasty, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, night markets would be open all night. Nowadays, people have more and more ways to celebrate the festival, but the core of "the moon is round and the people are round" has never changed.

Data map: On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, in the night sky in Fuzhou, Fujian, a full moon hangs high and shines brightly. Photo by China News Service reporter Wang Dongming

The Mid-Autumn Festival in the Tang Dynasty was full of poetry

The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history, so how did the ancients celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival? In this regard, Zheng Yan explained that in ancient times, the way to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival would have some differences in different dynasties, but the core always revolved around "the moon is full and the people are round", but the focus kept changing.

Moon appreciation is the core collective activity of the Mid-Autumn Festival. It was generally formed in the Wei and Jin Dynasties and flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties. The Tang Dynasty was a turning point in the development of the Mid-Autumn Festival. At this time, admiring and playing with the moon became an elegant fashion among literati.

Looking through the literature, we can see a large number of poems and essays with the theme of "August 15th" or "Mid-Autumn Festival" in Tang poetry. However, at that time, the custom of moon appreciation was mostly concentrated on the literati and urban residents. It was not until the middle and late Tang Dynasty that it gradually spread to a wider range of people.

In the Song Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival officially became a folk festival, and its celebration was more like a folk festival. According to records, "every store in Tokyo sells new wine", people stayed up all night to enjoy the moon and drink, and night markets were open all night.

Not only that, according to records, Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, was even more lively, "drinking wine and singing songs to predict the joy of the evening." Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival during the Song Dynasty was a day of "carnival" for the people.

"In the Tang Dynasty, many literati admired the moon and wrote poems during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which was more elegant; in the Song Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was enjoyed by all the people, and the atmosphere in the market was strong," she said.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was popular to give each other moon cakes.

As time went by, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, new changes appeared in the way the ancients celebrated festivals.

Data map: During the Mid-Autumn Festival, an intangible cultural heritage fish lantern parade was staged at Panlong World in Shanghai. The picture shows children watching fish lanterns. Photo by China News Service reporter Yin Liqin

"During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Mid-Autumn Festival further rose to become a major folk festival alongside the Spring Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival." Zheng Yan said that at this time, "reunion" became its clearest theme, and mooncakes became popular as seasonal foods and gifts.

In addition, offering sacrifices to and worshiping the moon have become the core rituals of every household during the Mid-Autumn Festival. People set up a "moonlight place" and offer moon cakes and watermelons. After bowing, the whole family shares food and offerings. The folk custom is more solemn and tender.

Interestingly, after the Ming Dynasty, "moonlight paper" with an image of a jade rabbit pounding medicine appeared in the moon worship ceremony. In the Qing Dynasty, it evolved into a clay sculpture of "Rabbit Lord". He was dressed in armor and had various shapes, and became a festival object for people to worship and play with.

Zheng Yan explained that the jade rabbit can be regarded as the mascot of the Mid-Autumn Festival. It has a long history of connection with the moon and is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Mid-Autumn Festival. As early as the Han Dynasty, people generally believed that "there is a rabbit in the moon."

"It is not only the most recognizable resident of the Moon Palace, but also carries auspicious wishes for health, longevity and harvest." Zheng Yan analyzed that its image evolved from a solemn fairy beast in the moon to a "Rabbit Lord" with a certain secular character during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This is one of the vivid examples of the popularization and entertainment trend of Mid-Autumn Festival customs.

There are more and more ways to celebrate the festival

Inherited to this day, various customs together constitute the rich connotation of the Mid-Autumn Festival's thousands of years of evolution. Reunion and longing are integrated into one, and the time spent with family members during the festive season is also a warm memory in the hearts of many people.

Data map: Minyue Water Town in Fuzhou, Fujian holds a fireworks show to welcome the Mid-Autumn Festival. (Drone photo) Photo by China News Service reporter Wang Dongming

Nowadays, with the changes of the times and the improvement of living standards, material and cultural life are becoming more and more abundant. Traveling, watching movies, shopping, watching Mid-Autumn Festival parties... the ways for people to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival have become more and more abundant.

"Our family now celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival. The main thing is to get together as a family to have a reunion dinner and moon cakes, and then the family will watch the Mid-Autumn Festival Party, which is very lively." A young person born in 1995 told reporters.

Zheng Yan has also paid attention to this point very early. “Contemporary young people will hand out electronic mooncakes, post photos of the moon, and watch the Mid-Autumn Festival during the Mid-Autumn Festival. This new way of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival can be regarded as an adaptive innovation of traditional festival culture in the digital age.”

Therefore, electronic mooncakes and online blessings are an extension of the traditional "gift giving" and "remote affection" in cyberspace; posting photos of the moon and watching the Mid-Autumn Festival party are digital manifestations of traditional "moon appreciation" and "party" behaviors.

She believes that these new ways of celebrating the festival actually still revolve around the core of "the moon is round and the people are round". Using the power of technology to make "we are together in this world" more concrete and tangible, the core of reunion of the Mid-Autumn Festival can be continued and spread in the Internet era.

In Zheng Yan's view, the new festival format has enriched the connotation of the festival. As long as the most precious emotions such as "reunion" and "missing" are still there, the spiritual core of the Mid-Autumn Festival will continue to be passed down. (over)