What are the origins and customs of Mid-Autumn Festival?

1, origin: Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from the worship of the autumn moon in ancient times. Offering sacrifices to the moon has a long history, and it is a kind of ritual activity of ancient people in some places in ancient China. The autumnal equinox in the twenty-four solar terms is an ancient "Moon Festival". Mid-Autumn Festival is popular in Han Dynasty, which is a period of economic and cultural exchanges and integration between the north and the south of China, and cultural exchanges between different places spread together. The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the documents of the Han Dynasty and was written in Zhou Li of the Han Dynasty (handed down from Zhou Gongdan, actually written between the Han Dynasty). According to legend, in the pre-Qin period, there were activities such as "Welcome to the Cold in Mid-Autumn Night", "Give Good Clothes in Mid-Autumn Festival" and "Autumn Equinox Moon (Yue Bai)". According to records, in the Han Dynasty, there was an activity of respecting the elderly and sending coarse cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival or beginning of autumn. There are also written records about Mid-Autumn Festival in Jin Dynasty, but it is not very common. Mid-Autumn Festival in Jin Dynasty was not very popular in northern China.

2. Custom: The custom of enjoying the moon comes from offering sacrifices to the moon, and serious sacrifices have become relaxed enjoyment. It is said that this night the moon is closest to the earth, and the moon is the largest, roundest and brightest, so there has been a custom of drinking and enjoying the moon since ancient times; The daughter-in-law who goes back to her parents' house will go back and forth to express her happiness and good luck. Written records of folk Mid-Autumn Festival activities appeared in Wei and Jin Dynasties, but they 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. Many poets wrote poems about the moon in their masterpieces. Moon cakes, also known as moon cakes, harvest cakes, palace cakes and reunion cakes. It is an offering to worship the moon god in ancient Mid-Autumn Festival. Moon cakes were originally used to worship the moon god. Later, people gradually regarded Mid-Autumn Festival as a symbol of family reunion. Mooncakes symbolize a happy reunion. People regard them as holiday food, use them to worship the moon and give them to relatives and friends. Today, eating moon cakes has become an essential custom of Mid-Autumn Festival in northern and southern China. On this day, people eat moon cakes to show "reunion".