Hey guys welcome to Five Thousand Years
It's almost the Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival
It's one of the biggest holidays in China and the surrounding countries
But do you know why people celebrate this day? And where did it get its name from?
In today’s video, let’s dig deep into the history and origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival
The origin of this holiday goes back to the Zhou Dynasty, some 3,000 years ago
The rulers of the Zhou Dynasty called themselves Tianzi instead of emperor. Tianzi means Son of Heaven
They believed the Heavens bestowed the mandate on whomever was most fit to rule
Therefore every Tianzi dared not to behave without virtue
And during special days of the year or whenever anything bad happened
they would try to find fault within themselves and worship the Heavens for an answer
The Book of Rites recorded that Tianzi would worship the Sun on the March equinox, and worship the Moon on the September equinox
The annual grand worshipping ceremonies made an impact among commoners. People also started worshipping the moon on or around this day
Eventually people shifted the date from the September equinox to the 15th day of the 8th month on the Chinese lunar calendar
Since the lunar calendar is based upon the moon’s phases, the 15th day of the month will always be a full moon
By the early Tang dynasty, it had developed into an official holiday. The celebration grew bigger and bigger with each dynasty
And now it’s one of the most celebrated holidays across Asian countries
Chinese people call this holiday Zhong Qiu Jie which translates to Mid-Autumn Festival
Ancient Chinese people considered the 7th, 8th, and 9th months on the lunar calendar to be the Autumn Season
The 15th day of the 8th month is right in the middle of the season and that’s why it’s called Mid-Autumn Festival
The Moon Festival is just a nickname since this holiday is deeply related to the Moon
You might have heard of the story of Chang’e who flew to the Moon palace after drinking a magical elixir and became the goddess of the Moon
But today we are going to talk about another famous story that was recorded in multiple ancient texts from the Tang Dynasty
It’s about Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and his magical experience on the moon
It was said on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival during his early reign, Emperor Xuanzong was invited to visit the Moon by his Daoist friend
The Daoist used his supernormal ability and built a large silver bridge that went directly to the moon
The two of them walked a long way and reached the moon palace
The Emperor saw hundreds of divine deities dancing in the palace
The accompanying music was out of this world, literally, and the dance was elegant beyond description
The Emperor asked what song is this. The answer was Ni Chang Yu Yi Qu, which translates to “Garments of Rainbows and Feathers”
After the Emperor came back from the Moon, he recalled what he heard from memory and recomposed the song and named it with the same title
Many poets praised how heavenly the melody was. Unfortunately it was lost later
However if you like the background music you are hearing now, it’s actually called “A Reverie in the Moon Palace” based on this story from the Tang Dynasty
Check out my talented friend Tony Chen’s channel for more beautiful music
Last but not least, let’s talk about what ancient people did during this holiday
The most important activity was of course worshipping the moon
Chinese people also loved admiring the moon. There were so many poems written about the moon
The most famous one is 《靜夜思》Quiet Night Thought, written by Li Bai
Recite with me if you learned it in Chinese school
Moonlight before my bed, Perhaps frost on the ground. Lift my head and see the moon, Lower my head and I miss my home
Just like the poem implies, this holiday is also about reunion
If the wife went back to her parents for a visit, she would return home to her husband on this day
Mooncakes were sometimes called reunion cake. The whole family would share it together
Other than mooncakes, people would also give each other watermelons and other fruits as gifts
Eating crabs was also popular because they would get meatier and sweeter during Autumn
Additionally the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar is called the month of osmanthus
So people would admire osmanthus flowers and make osmanthus wine
The most exciting activity was tide watching and still is today
The Qiantang River is known for the world’s largest tidal bore
And the best time to view it is between the 15th and 18th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar
So it has become a tradition to watch tidal bores on the Mid-Autumn Festival
I hope you learned something useful in today’s video
What's your favorite tradition of the Mid-Autumn Festival? Let me know in the comments below
I’ll be making more videos about Chinese holidays, Chinese culture, as well as ancient beauty and fashion, so don’t forget to subscribe if you want to learn more
Thank you for watching. I’ll see you next time!