Mid-autumn festival customs of all ethnic groups

August 13 to 15 is the Mid-Autumn Festival, commonly known as August Festival. The market is booming, and mud rabbit stalls are everywhere. At the full moon in May, a moonlight horse is set in the courtyard, which provides fruits, moon cakes, edamame branches, cockscomb flowers, radishes, lotus roots, watermelons and other products. Men don't worship unless the moon offers it. As the saying goes, "Men don't Yue Bai, women don't sacrifice stoves". At the end of each month, families will sit together in groups of three and five to drink and enjoy the moon. This is the so-called "Reunion Festival". Also, the moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival are divided into blocks according to the number of people, which are called "reunion cakes".

In old Beijing, the Mid-Autumn Festival takes three days off. From 13 to 15, students will not attend classes either. The so-called "mud rabbit stall" is selling male prostitutes. In the first ten years, rabbits were sold in the Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing. It is rare now. It seems that I have only seen it at the Spring Festival temple fair. The Mid-Autumn Festival is dedicated to rabbits on this moon. Rabbits are made of mud. Rabbits wear armor on their heads, put flags on their backs, paint their faces with gold mud, sit or stand, carry or ride animals, and have two big ears, which is also funny and harmonious. There is a song as proof, "Don't mention old debts and worry about deleting them, forget time and be idle." "All of a sudden, I was surprised that the festive season is coming, and the streets are full of rabbit mountains. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is a statue of grandpa rabbit at home, which is really atmospheric.

It coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is particularly rich. In "Collecting Wind", there are "Mid-Autumn Festival, there are fruit stalls everywhere in the market, such as Yali (original flavor), Shaguo, Pak Lei, Shuili, Apple, Begonia, Prunus humilis, fresh dates, grapes, late peaches, and edamame with branches, fruit lotus root and watermelon". In the past, the fruit market was in the east of Qianmen, and the lights were as bright as day on August 13 and April 2. Some shouted, "What day is it today? Forget it, don't buy the fragrant fruit of my Shaguo apple, hey! Now, these autumn fruits can be bought in the street. And in contrast, this year's fruits are plentiful and cheap, which is the most beautiful moment for monkeys to become people. The fly in the ointment is that radish is a bit expensive, the same price as apple. It is inevitable that some old people will denounce this unreasonable price. It is also worth mentioning that edamame was not common in the past Mid-Autumn Festival. This year, in front of the moon cake stall in Beitaizhuang grocery store, there was a big pot of boiled edamame, and it was indeed edamame with branches.

Traditionally, gifts were given near Mid-Autumn Festival in the past. "Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone gives gifts to each other ..., rewards slaves with money, and stores post them, so every festival". In the past two years, Beijing seems to have set off a big Mid-Autumn Festival gift-giving wind. Get two cars before the festival, full of moon cakes and fruits, and deliver them to your door. Of course, home and residents here refer to business customers. Giving gifts is naturally to contact feelings and settle business. I thought when I did it two years ago, and now I really worship male prostitutes there. I'm afraid this trend will be even stronger this year.

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Nowadays, we pay attention to Cantonese moon cakes. In the past, "Mid-Autumn moon cakes were first made in Kyoto, and there was a shortage of food at first." The moon cake is more than a foot long, and it is painted in the shape of a toad and a rabbit in the moon palace. Some people eat it after the sacrifice, while others eat it until New Year's Eve. This is the so-called reunion cake. "It will definitely not be Cantonese moon cakes that can last for half a year. Mooncakes come from folk sacrifices. Similarly, if traced back to the source, 70% to 80% of the snacks that Beijingers often eat come from folk sacrifices or religious offerings. From the production process, frying, candied fruit and baking are the best anti-corrosion measures. Even jiaozi is food after the Spring Festival.

In fact, not only eating, but also the popularization of Yan Shun Thought and the birth of art (cautious people will use some concepts of art here) can not be separated from folk sacrifices. I still remember when I was at school, I was very interested in this problem. Looking through some archaeological materials in Henan and Shandong, what still stimulates my thoughts is a Yu Fu unearthed in Rizhao, Shandong. Of course, Yu Fu is really invisible, but this photo alone is amazing enough. The axe is thin enough to transmit light, but it is difficult to describe it simply with the word "lifelike". What can its existence mean in the stone axe era?

Yu Fu is not so much an axe as a language, which describes the dialogue between a hard kitchen knife and heaven. Or call it an elf. This is an elf who abandons the spirit of utilitarian choice. So let nature take its course, and art appears like this. What's more, talents completely fall off and become people.

Mid-Autumn Festival is really good. Fortunately, it reminds me of these questions that I haven't thought about for a long time. Of course, festivals are people's spiritual festivals, and it is not surprising to occasionally notice the difference between moon cakes and pancakes at this time. You see, people are like this. I cook by myself, and I don't take it as a fill. Steamed buns have never changed for hundreds of years, but with a little spiritual pursuit, they can be refurbished.

It seems that cakes, works of art and many other things are really like this.

The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in China and the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival. August 15th is in the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival. The ancient calendar in China called August in the middle of autumn "Mid-Autumn Festival", so the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called "Mid-Autumn Festival".

On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, the moonlight is bright. The ancients regarded the full moon as a symbol of reunion, so August 15 was also called "Reunion Festival". Throughout the ages, people often describe "joys and sorrows" as "the moon is full and the moon is absent", and the wanderers living in other places rely on the moon to express their deep affection. Li Bai, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote poems such as "Looking up, it's moonlight, then leaning back, suddenly thinking about hometown", "Knowing that the dew is frost tonight, the moonlight at home is bright!" Du Fu's "Spring Breeze is Green in Jiang Nanan" and Wang Anshi's "When Will the Moon Shine on Me" in the Song Dynasty are all timeless masterpieces.

Mid-Autumn Festival is an ancient festival, and it is an important custom to offer sacrifices and enjoy the moon. Ancient emperors had a social system of offering sacrifices to the moon in spring, and folks also had the custom of offering sacrifices to the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Later, it was more important to enjoy the moon than to sacrifice it, and serious sacrifice turned into light entertainment. The custom of enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival prevailed in the Tang Dynasty, and many poets wrote poems about the moon in their masterpieces. In the Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Yue Bai's court and folk activities to enjoy the moon were even larger. So far, there are many historical sites in China, such as Yue Bai Altar, Moon Pavilion and Moon Tower.

The "Moon Altar" in Beijing was built during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, and was used for royal sacrifice to the moon. Whenever the moon rises in the Mid-Autumn Festival, a box is set up in the open air, and fruits such as moon cakes, pomegranates and dates are placed on the console table. After Yue Bai, the family sat around the dining table, chatting while eating and enjoying the moon together. Now, the activities of offering sacrifices to the moon in Yue Bai have been replaced by large-scale and colorful activities of enjoying the moon by the masses.

Although the start date of the custom of offering sacrifices to the moon can't be determined, according to the existing written materials, the Seven Fates of Meicheng in Han Dynasty said, "I will look forward to going to Qujiang in Guangling with the princes in August", which may be the origin of observing the custom of Qiantang chamber after the Mid-Autumn Festival today. Around the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Mid-Autumn Festival began to enjoy the moon, but it did not become a habit. In the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Ouyang Zhan said in "Preface to Chang 'an Moon Poetry": "August is in autumn, the season begins in Meng, and the fifteenth day is in the night and the middle of the month. The avenue of the season is cold and hot, and the number of months is round. " It was not until the Song Dynasty that it was officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival: "Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, shops sold new wine, and your family decorated pavilions, while people competed for restaurants to play with the moon, singing thousands of miles away, and moon cakes were listed as the best holiday supplies." Su Dongpo has a beautiful saying that "a small cake is like chewing the moon, with crisp and filling". Mid-Autumn Festival activities in the Southern Song Dynasty are even more colorful: people give each other moon cakes as a sign of reunion. It's night, people enjoy the moon, or go to the lake and the seaside and swim along it. Above Su Causeway, it is no different from stepping on songs together during the day. And cast 10,000 "Little Red" (small sheepskin lamps) on the river, which are as bright as stars and very impressive. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the custom of "appreciating the moon" has become more popular. Many places have also formed special customs such as burning incense, walking on the moon, putting sky lanterns, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting tower lanterns, dancing fire dragons and dragging stones. Today, folk customs such as watching the moon, eating moon cakes, having a reunion dinner, dancing dragons and lighting tower lanterns are still popular.

● Beijing

Traditional moon cakes in old Beijing include natural red invitation, natural white invitation and moon cakes with stuffing. Syrup moon cake refers to a method of making moon cake skin. It is said that the popular point of "extracting syrup" is to boil the syrup out and add a certain proportion of big oil to the skin to make it crisp. Muslims change big oil into butter when they buy it. This kind of moon cake is characterized by crispy skin and fragrant stuffing, which "old Beijing" likes to eat during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

In terms of dishes, crabs are delicious in August and autumn, and Mid-Autumn Festival is the time to taste crabs, especially in Beijing.

● Fujian

Fujian people have the custom of eating ducks in the Mid-Autumn Festival, so it is the fattest season for ducks. Fujian people cook betel nut taro with ducks, which is rich in Fujian, and it is called betel nut taro roast duck. It tastes very good.

● Shandong

Jimo and other places eat a kind of holiday food called "Wheat Arrow" on Mid-Autumn Festival.

● Shanxi

Lu 'an people will entertain their son-in-law in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Datong county moon cakes, called reunion cakes, are two or three feet big and have the custom of vigil on Mid-Autumn Night.

● Shaanxi

On the Mid-Autumn Festival night in Xixiang County, men go boating and climb cliffs, and women also arrange banquets. People, rich or poor, must eat watermelons, which must be cut into lotus shapes.

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● Shanghai

Shanghainese Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet with Sweet-scented osmanthus honey wine.

● Jiangsu

Nanjing people love to eat moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival, so they must eat osmanthus duck, a famous Jinling dish. "Sweet-scented osmanthus duck" should be listed in Gui Xiang. It is fat but not greasy and delicious. After drinking, you must eat a small piece of sugar taro and pour cinnamon pulp on it. Beauty speaks for itself. Gui Jiang, named after Qu Yuan's Songs of the South? Think less about life ","aid the north to collect, drink cinnamon pulp ". Cinnamon pulp is a kind of sweet-scented osmanthus, which is picked around the Mid-Autumn Festival and pickled with sugar and sour plum. Jiangnan women are handy, turning the chanting in poetry into delicacies on the table. People in Nanjing enjoy the moon with their families, which is called "celebrating reunion", the group sitting and drinking is called "full moon", and the market trip is called "walking on the moon".

● Zhejiang

Stewed bass with water shield in Hangzhou became a dish at Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet, not only because the water shield was delicious at this time, but also because of the historical fact that Hans Zhang abandoned his official position and returned to his hometown in Jin Dynasty with the help of homesickness. This story has not only become a beautiful talk for generations, but also made water shield a symbol of homesickness.

Water shield is a family banquet for Mid-Autumn Festival, and it is also a seasonal soup in August. Water shield, also known as horseshoe and watercress, is an aquatic perennial leafy herb. The roots, stems and leaves of water shield are not only green and delicious, but also nutritious. Water shield can be picked in spring and autumn, but it is best to pick more water shield in autumn.

● Sichuan

Besides eating moon cakes, Sichuanese also kill ducks, eat sesame cakes, honey cakes and so on in the Mid-Autumn Festival.

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In western Sichuan, smoked duck is a must for Mid-Autumn Festival, because the raw ducks at that time have grown up and are fat and thin. The master selects the ducklings born in that year, butchers them, removes their feathers, opens their chests, washes them, removes the wing tips and duck feet, marinates them with salt for one night, scalds them with boiling water until their skins are tight, takes them out, puts them in a smoking stove, smokes them with straw until they are brown, takes them out of the oven, marinates them in a pot, and changes the knife into a dish when eating, thus obtaining the smoked duck with golden color, tender meat and strong smoke smell. The preparation of brine is an important link in making smoked duck. Old bittern should be used for bittern, and timely spices, salt and sugar should be added for each bittern. When marinating, the ducks should be fully pressed into the brine with heavy objects, and the marinating time is generally about 20 minutes. If the time is too long, the duck meat will get old, which will affect the quality and taste.

● Guangdong

There are many kinds of Mid-Autumn Festival delicacies in Chaoshan, which are closely related to the cultural connotation, tidal climate and agricultural production. It can be mainly divided into three categories: first, cakes, moon cakes from all over Chaoshan, sweet, salty, meat, assorted and multi-flavored. There are also cakes, soft cakes and cloud cakes, all of which are Mid-Autumn Festival cakes. It is good for hipsters to send relatives. It can be said that it is a custom for hipsters to send moon cakes to relatives. Second, the Mid-Autumn Festival in the intertidal zone, when the sky is crisp and the fruit is ripe, grapefruit, persimmon, carambola, pineapple, pomegranate, olive and banana are another kind of food for Mid-Autumn hipsters. Thirdly, the agricultural taro and pumpkin used by hipsters to make taro paste and melon pulp are also deeply loved by hipsters. Among them, Mid-Autumn Moon Cake is an annual traditional food for hipsters. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is not a Chaoshan person who doesn't taste moon cakes. Although moon cakes can have various shapes and Chaoshan areas have their own characteristics, they all have a common feature, that is, they are required to be round. Taro, Ciba, etc. It is also necessary for hipsters in the Mid-Autumn Festival.

● Guizhou

Guizhou-style moon cakes are different from Cantonese-style moon cakes. They are baked and mixed with 500 grams of flour, suet, syrup and water.

Knead into water-oil skin; Mix 250 grams of flour with lard and knead it into a "dry cake". After the ingredients are mixed separately, the dry pastry is wrapped with oil skin, and the pastry is made into 40 grams of pastry blanks, and then each pastry is pressed into a round cake skin for later use. Bake sesame seeds, melon seeds and walnuts, chop into fine particles, mix, add cooked ham powder, jujube, mashed melon, cooked flour, crystal sugar and salt, and mix well to form stuffing.

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Wrap a proper amount of stuffing in the crust, seal it downwards, press it into a flat circle, put it into an oiled baking pan, put it into an oven at 2 10℃, and bake it at 15~20℃ and 180℃ respectively. Golden color, crisp shell and distinct layers; The stuffing is sweet and salty, sweet and refreshing, and rich in nutrition. The master said that the pastry layer should be thin and even, and a piece of white oil paper should be placed on the baking tray when the moon cake blank is put into the baking tray.

● Taiwan Province Province

Kaohsiung county has a strong atmosphere of raising water ducks. Before and after the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is the most tender time for water ducks. Hakkas in Meinong area often slaughter water ducks and add vegetables during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which has become a major feature of the local Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition to eating moon cakes, the Mid-Autumn Festival in Yilan will also eat a kind of food called "vegetable cakes". Vegetable cakes are made of flour and baked with brown sugar in the middle. In Tainan, the Mid-Autumn Festival has the custom of eating potatoes.

In recent years, the Mid-Autumn Festival in Taiwan Province Province has developed a new activity-barbecue.

In addition, a food company in Taiwan Province Province introduced a new concept of Mid-Autumn Snow Moon Cake according to the different demands of consumption level and the lingering summer heat during the Mid-Autumn Festival. What is snow moon cake? Ice cream moon cakes are ice cream moon cakes, which are cool and smooth in taste. There are three kinds of fillings-champagne sweetheart, Hawaiian party and Viennese coffee. This moon cake is also beautifully packaged in full Japanese style, and the Baolilong packaging box with thermal insulation function ensures that the ice cream will not melt in a certain period of time.