The History Of Moon Cake Festival
The origin of Zhong Qiu Festival {Hok Kian: Tiong Ciu}, is because it is celebrated in the middle of autumn, during which the farmers have just had relieved and relaxed mood/feeling, to celebrate abundant harvest produces.
Celebration of Tiong Ciu has been started at the 2nd year of Qin Shi Huang Emperor era [Qin Dynasty = 221 – 206 SM], Imlek calendar of the 15th day of 8th month. On the said day, Qin Shi Huang Emperor gathered together with villages’ inhabitants in Wu Kao Shan. In the evening, all people were enjoying the beauty of moon vista in the bright sky very joyfully, while singing and drinking arrack.
During Tang Dynasty era [618 - 907 AD], Tiong Ciu Festival was determined as a night of full moon. At that time, there was a poem read: “1 year there are 12 times of full moon, but the most spherical and beautiful to see, namely a full moon at Tiong Ciu Festival”.
During Song Dynasty era [960 - 1279 AD], the celebration of Moon Cake Festival started well-known in the circle of the general public. Every Imlek Calendar year on the 15th day of 8th month, all people were enjoying the beauty view of full moon while eating cakes.
People in ancient time divided Zhong Qiu Festival into 3 parts:
- Chinese New Year on the 14th day of 8th month: called 迎月會 (Ying Yue Hui), a party for welcoming the coming of a full moon.
- Chinese New year on the 15th day of 8th month: called 賞月會 (Shang Yue Hui), a party to enjoy the vista of a full moon.
- Chinese New Year on the 16th of 8th month: called 追月會 (Zui Yue Hui), a party to pursue a full moon.
But during Yuan Dynasty era (1271-1368 AD), Zhong Qiu Festival had just had the meaning of Love to the State. There was a book entitled 浪跡叢談 (Lang Ji Cong Tan), recorded an event as follows: at the end of Yuan Dynasty era, the was an old man from Song Dynasty, several days prior to Zhong Qiu Festival, disseminated rumors everywhere: Eat a moon cake at Zhong Qiu Festival, thereby you can escape from contagious epidemic!
Therefore, the people who bought and ate moon cake are in very great numbers. Then, the people who were loyal to the Song Country were determined to topple Yuan Dynasty (Mongolian) and restore the power of Song Dynasty. Afterward they made very large number of moon cakes, in which inside the said cakes were inserted piece of paper says: Kill Mongolian in the night of Chine New Year (Imlek) !
Four (4) months later, Yuan Dynasty was successfully toppled by Zhu Yuan Zhang, who subsequently ascended the throne to become an Emperor and had the title Ming Tai Zhu. Then Ming Tai Zhu made moon cake as Celebration to Establish the State [Ming Dynasty = 1368 – 1644 AD], and stipulated Zhong Qiu Festival as a Festival to restore the State Power.
In the middle of autumn constituted a season to gather again with the family, also called a Perfect Round Moon (Yue Yuan), the family gets together (Ren Yuan).
Moon Cake Festival, unpredictably, has so many stories. Ancient people saw a bright moon in the sky, spherical and yellow, felt very beautiful, then made as the cakes to be eaten, unpredictably cause many interesting stories.
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