How did the Mid-Autumn Festival come about? There are so many theories about the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

How did the Mid-Autumn Festival come about? When is the Mid-Autumn Festival? What are the legends and stories about the Mid-Autumn Festival? Next, let’s learn some basic information about the Mid-Autumn Festival.

How did the Mid-Autumn Festival come about?

Sacrificial Activities

The first theory is that the Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the sacrificial activities of ancient emperors. The Book of Rites records: "The emperor worships the sun in the morning in spring and the moon in the evening in autumn. He worships the sun in the morning and the moon in the evening." It describes the ritual system of ancient Chinese emperors to worship the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. In the Zhou Dynasty, emperors would offer sacrifices to the moon on the Autumnal Equinox. But as time went on, the day for offering sacrifices to the moon was moved from the Autumnal Equinox to the full moon day closest to the Autumnal Equinox - Mid-Autumn Festival. This is the original origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Agricultural production

The second theory is that the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is related to agricultural production. Because autumn is the harvest season, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is the middle month of autumn, and the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar happens to be the time when the rice is ripe. In order to celebrate the harvest and express their joy, farmers worship the land god on this day and use the "Mid-Autumn Festival" as a worship festival.

Legends and Stories about the Mid-Autumn Festival

Legend 1: Chang'e Flying to the Moon

In ancient times, there were ten suns in the sky at the same time. A hero named Houyi drew his magic bow, shot down nine of them in one breath, and ordered the last sun to rise and set on schedule to benefit the people. Soon, Houyi married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang'e. People envy this loving couple with good looks.

One day, Houyi asked the Queen Mother for a packet of elixir of immortality. It is said that after taking this medicine, one can immediately ascend to heaven and become an immortal. Houyi gave the elixir of immortality to Chang'e for safekeeping, but Peng Meng found out about it. One day, Houyi went out, and Peng Meng took this opportunity to force Chang'e to hand over the elixir of immortality. Chang'e had no choice but to swallow the medicine. She immediately floated out of the door and flew to the Moon Palace. When Houyi found out, he was in great pain and had to offer sacrifice to his wife in the Moon Palace on the night of the full moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival. When the people found out, they also prayed for Chang'e's safety together on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival.