http://www.ntdtv.com/xtr/gb/2011/09/12/a577689.html
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| Happy Mid-Autumn (Mooncake) Festival! 中秋节快乐！ |
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| Happy Mid-Autumn (Mooncake) Festival! 中秋节快乐！ |
【新唐人2011年9月12日讯】中秋节，为每年农历的八月十五。按照中国的农历，八月为秋季的第二个月，因此民间称为中秋。又称秋夕、八月节、八月半、月夕、月节，又因为这一天月亮满圆，象征团圆，又称为团圆节。民间中秋节有吃月饼、赏月、赏桂花、猜灯谜等多种习俗。中秋节起源于中国，是东亚民间的一个传统节日。中秋节不单单是华人的节庆，受中华文化的影响，中秋节也是日本、越南、朝鲜半岛等地的传统节日。
关于〝中秋节来历〞
每年农历八月十五日，是一年秋季的中期，所以被称为中秋。在中国的农历里，一年分为四季，每季又分为孟、仲、季三个部分，因而中秋也称仲秋。八月十五的月亮比其他几个月的满月更圆，更明亮，所以又叫做〝月夕〞，〝八月节〞。此夜，人们仰望天空如玉如盘的朗朗明月，自然会期盼家人团聚。远在他乡的游子，也藉此寄托自己对故乡和亲人的思念之情。所以，中秋又称〝团圆节〞。
中国人民在古代就有〝秋暮夕月〞的习俗。夕月，即祭拜月神。到了周代，每逢中秋夜都要举行迎寒和祭月。设大香案，摆上月饼、西瓜、苹果、红枣、李子、葡萄等祭品，其中月饼和西瓜是绝对不能少的。西瓜还要切成莲花状。在月下，将月亮神像放在月亮的那个方向，红烛高燃，全家人依次拜祭月亮，然后由当家主妇切开团圆月饼。切的人预先算好全家共有多少人，在家的，在外地的，都要算在一起，不能切多也不能切少，大小要一样。
相传古代齐国丑女无盐，幼年时曾虔诚拜月，长大后，以超群品德入宫，但未被宠幸。某年八月十五赏月，天子在月光下见到她，觉得她美丽出众，后立她为皇后，中秋拜月由此而来。月中嫦娥，以美貌著称，故少女拜月，愿〝貌似嫦娥，面如皓月〞。
在唐代，中秋赏月、玩月颇为盛行。在北宋京师。八月十五夜，满城人家，不论贫富老小，都要穿上成人的衣服，焚香拜月说出心愿，祈求月亮神的保佑。南宋，民间以月饼相赠，取团圆之义。有些地方还有舞草龙，砌宝塔等活动。明清以来，中秋节的风俗更加盛行；许多地方形成了烧斗香、树中秋、点塔灯、放天灯、走月亮、舞火龙等特殊风俗。
今天，月下游玩的习俗，已远没有旧时盛行。但设宴赏月仍很盛行，人们把酒问月，庆贺美好的生活，或祝远方的亲人健康快乐，和家人〝千里共婵娟〞。
中秋节的习俗很多，形式也各不相同，但都寄托着人们对生活无限的热爱和对美好生活的向往。
中秋节习俗
中秋祭月，在中国是一种十分古老的习俗。据史书记载，早在周朝，古代帝王就有春分祭日、夏至祭地、秋分祭月、冬至祭天的习俗。其祭祀的场所称为日坛、地坛、月坛、天坛。分设在东南西北四个方向。北京的月坛就是明清皇帝祭月的地方。《礼记》载：〝天子春朝日，秋夕月。朝日之朝，夕月之夕。〞这里的夕月之夕，指的正是夜晚祭祀月亮。这种风俗不仅为宫廷及上层贵族所奉行，随着社会的发展，也逐渐影响到民间。
文人赏月
赏月的风俗来源于祭月，严肃的祭祀变成了轻松的欢娱。民间中秋赏月活动约始魏晋时期，但未成习。到了唐代，中秋赏月、玩月颇为盛行，许多诗人的名篇中都有咏月的诗句。待到宋时，形成了以赏月活动为中心的中秋民俗节日，正式定为中秋节。与唐人不同，宋人赏月更多的是感物伤怀，常以阴晴圆缺，喻人情事态，即使中秋之夜，明月的清光也掩饰不住宋人的伤感。但对宋人来说，中秋还有另外一种形态，即中秋是世俗欢愉的节日：〝中秋节前，诸店皆卖新酒，贵家结饰台榭，民家争占酒楼玩月，笙歌远闻千里，嬉戏连坐至晓〞（《东京梦华录》）。宋代的中秋夜是不眠之夜，夜市通宵营业，玩月游人，达旦不绝。
民间拜月
明清之后，因时代的关系，社会生活中的现实功利因素突出，岁时节日中世俗的情趣俞益浓厚，以〝赏月〞为中心的抒情性与神话性的文人传统减弱，功利性的祭拜、祈求与世俗的情感、愿望构成普通民众中秋节俗的主要形态。因此，〝民间拜月〞成为人们渴望团聚、康乐和幸福；以月寄情。
月光马儿
明清时期月神形象发生了重要变化，由早期纯道教色彩的以嫦娥为主的月宫图景演变为佛道交融的月光菩萨与捣葯玉兔并在的世俗形象。这个时期，人们供奉绘有月光菩萨的月光纸，也叫〝月光马儿〞。富察敦崇的《燕京岁时记》（一九○六年）。记载：〝月光马者，以纸为之，上绘太阴星君，如菩萨像，下绘月宫及捣葯之兔。人立而执杵，藻彩精致，金碧辉煌，市肆间多卖之者。长者七、八尺，短者二、三尺，顶有二旗，作红绿，笆或黄色，向月而供之。焚香行礼，祭毕与千张、元宝等一并焚之。〞
兔爷儿
兔儿爷的起源约在明末。明人纪坤（约一六三六年前后在世）的《花王阁剩稿》：〝京中秋节多以泥抟兔形，衣冠踞坐如人状，儿女祀而拜之。〞到了清代，兔儿爷的功能已由祭月转变为儿童的中秋节玩具。制作也日趋精致，有扮成武将头戴盔甲、身披戢袍的、也有背插纸旗或纸伞、或坐或立的。坐则有麒麟虎豹等等。也有扮成兔首人身之商贩、或是剃头师父、或是缝鞋、卖馄饨、茶汤的，不一而足。
〝每届中秋，市人之巧者，用黄土抟成蟾兔之像以出售，谓之兔儿爷。〞旧时北京东四牌楼一带，常有兔儿爷摊子，专售中秋祭月用的兔儿爷。此外，南纸店，香烛也有出售的。这兔儿爷，经过民间艺人的大胆创造，已经人格化了。它是兔首人身，手持玉杵。后来有人仿照戏曲人物，把兔儿爷雕造成金盔金甲的武士，有的骑着狮、象等猛兽，有的骑着孔雀，仙鹤等飞禽。特别是兔儿爷骑虎，虽属怪事，但却是民间艺人的大胆创造。还有一种肘关节和下颔能活动的兔儿爷，俗称〝叭哒嘴〞，更讨人喜欢。它虽为拜月的供品，但实在是孩子们的绝妙玩具。
玩花灯
中秋节，有许多的游戏活动，首先是玩花灯。中秋是中国三大灯节之一，过节要玩灯。当然，中秋没有像元宵节那样的大型灯会，玩灯主要只是在家庭、儿童之间进行的。
早在南宋《武林旧事》中，记载中秋夜节俗，就有‘将〝一点红〞灯放入江中漂流玩耍的活动。中秋玩花灯，多集中在南方。如前述的佛山秋色会上，就有各种各式的彩灯：芝麻灯、蛋壳灯、刨花灯、稻草灯、鱼鳞灯、谷壳灯、瓜籽灯及鸟兽花树灯等，令人赞叹。
另外南方还广泛流传着烧瓦子灯(或称烧花塔、烧瓦塔、烧番塔)的游戏，在江西、广东、广西等地都有流传。如《中华全国风俗志》卷五记：江西〝中秋夜，一般孩子于野外拾瓦片，堆成一圆塔形，有多孔。黄昏时于明月下置木柴塔中烧之。俟瓦片烧红，再泼以煤油，火上加油，霎时四野火红，照耀如昼。直至夜深，无人观看，始行泼息，是名烧瓦子灯〞。广东潮州的烧瓦塔，也是以砖瓦砌成空心塔，填入树枝烧起火来。同时还燃烟堆，就是将草柴堆成堆，在拜月结束后烧燃。而在广西边疆一带的烧番塔，亦类似这种活动，但民间传说是为了纪念清代抗法名将刘永福将逃入塔中的番鬼(法国侵略者)烧死的英勇战斗，颇有爱国的思想。福建晋江亦有〝烧塔仔〞的活动。
传说这种习俗与反抗元兵的义举有关。元朝确立后，对汉人进行了血腥的统治，于是汉人便进行不屈的反抗，各地相约中秋节起事，在宝塔的顶层点火为号。类似于峰火台点火起事,这种反抗虽被镇压下去，却遗存了烧宝塔这一习俗。这个传说与中秋吃月饼的传说有异曲同工之妙。
Chinese moon festival traditions and poetry
By Zhi Zhen
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china-news/watching-the-mid-autumn-moon-61395.html
The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Sept. 12 this year. It’s the night when the moon is full and near to earth, and shines most brightly. On this major Chinese holiday families and friends gather to enjoy each other’s company, share food, and eat moon cake. The holiday is based on the lunar calendar and has a tradition that goes back many centuries.
Since ancient times, the moon had rich meaning to Chinese people whose calendar, planting season and life were all tied to the moon. The moon also held deeper mysteries in ancient Chinese culture and has been the subject of legends and poetry.
Traditionally, Chinese people would stand on a high hill in the cool, crisp autumn night, or simply open their windows, to watch the bright full moon, marvel at its beauty, and send prayers and wishes to the moon goddess.
The moon was given different names depending on its phase and fullness. It is called silver or jade hook, jade arch or arch moon, or golden wheel, silver plate or jade mirror, as it goes through its phases.
The Legend of Chang Er
Many well-known legends about the moon have been passed down, including the ones about Wu Gang chopping down the Cassia tree and Chang Er being banished to the moon.
Chang Er was the beautiful wife of Hou Yi, an archer at the imperial court. According to the legend, there were ten suns in the sky during prehistoric times, and the heat made life for humans very miserable. Hou Yi, being an accomplished archer, shot down nine of the suns. For this, a goddess rewarded him with a magic immortality potion.
Hou Yi gave the potion to Chang Er for safekeeping, but Chang Er drank the potion, and as punishment the goddess banished Chang Er on the moon. It is said that the moon was enhanced by Chang Er’s beauty, and ever since then, Chinese people have gathered during each autumn moon to admire the moon and eat moon cake in her memory.
History of Moon Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history in China. The term “Zhongqiu,” or Mid-Autumn, first appeared in a book believed to be from the middle of the 2nd century BC called the Rites of Zhou, also known as Zhouli, which, among other things, depicts a ceremony that people held to show veneration for the moon.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-906 AD), the ceremony became more popular, and the Mid-Autumn festival was designated as an official holiday. August 15 in traditional Chinese lunar calendar is documented as the date of the Mid-Autumn festival in the Book of Tang, known as Tang Shu or Taizong Ji.
The Festival became even more widely celebrated after the Song Dynasty, and during the Ming and Qing Dynasties it became one of the major holidays in China, as important as the New Year.
Poetry
Throughout history, many poems and songs about the moon and mid-autumn have been written, simply too numerous to be counted. Some can be found in the book Shi Jing, a collection of Classic Poetry, which first appeared in the middle of the second century BC.
Writing poetry was an art form and also a philosophical and spiritual discipline that was widespread among scholars and officials, even emperors. The clear, bright moon inspired ancient poets as a symbol of purity, nobleness, and broadmindedness. Others also saw it as a heavenly mystery to be contemplated.
“It was not the east that was bright,
it was the light of the moon coming forth,”
is a line from the Shi Jing.
“How wide the world was, how close the trees to heaven.
And how clear in the water the nearness of the moon!”
is a poem by Meng Haoran (689–740 AD).
“The stars lean down from open space,
and the moon comes running up the river,”
is part of a poem by Du Fu (712-770 AD).
“The moon, grown full now over the sea,
setting right the whole of heaven,”
is by Zhang Jiuling, a prime minister in the Tang Dynasty.
The famous Chinese poet Li Bai (701-762 AD), of the Tang Dynasty, wrote a poem titled “Drinking alone with the Moon,” which seems to speak of humanity lost in delusion and loneliness, yet still yearning for a connection with heaven.
“From a pot of wine among the flowers, I drank alone.
There was no one with me--till, raising my cup,
I asked the bright moon,
to bring me my shadow and make us three."
