reciting poems, appreciating the moon, celebrating family reunion, why did ancient scholars prefer the moon?
2024-09-18
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from ancient times to the present, people have always placed deep emotions on festivals and used colorful festival customs to commemorate the arrival of every special day. over the past thousand years, those wonderful folk customs have become exclusive memories flowing in the blood of the chinese people. however, some of them are gradually fading away in modern society...
"let's not talk about the waxing and waning of the moon, just enjoy the good times on earth." why did ancient scholars prefer the moon during the mid-autumn festival, reunion, and recitation? why did mooncakes spread all over the country? how can we find those folk customs that are gradually disappearing today? the paper invites fang yun, a doctor of folklore, to talk about the chinese aesthetics behind traditional folk festivals.
mid-autumn festival and moon worship
@小刺犀志刚: why do we admire the moon on every 15th day of the lunar year? not only on the mid-autumn festival, but also on the lantern festival, etc. it seems that we particularly worship the moon, and scholars also love the moon?
fang yun:in the spiritual world of ancient chinese people in agricultural civilization, the sun and the moon have a supreme status. sun and moon worship is the main content of primitive religion and an important part of the ancient chinese people's thoughts and ideas.
in the book of changes, there is a saying that "among all the hanging objects, the greatest are the sun and the moon". this kind of moon worship gradually formed festivals in the course of history, and it was particularly prominent on the night of the full moon. all festivals related to the full moon have related rituals and activities such as worshiping the moon and offering sacrifices to the moon.
in traditional chinese culture and literary imagery, the moon also has many meanings, including reunion, longing, cherishing time, gratitude to the world and life, etc. the myths and legends about the moon are well-known to everyone, and poems chanting the moon have been passed down through the ages and are deposited in the life and cultural genes of the chinese people.
@magicwaltz: why is eating mooncakes during the mid-autumn festival a popular custom, but qingtuan seems to be eaten only in the jiangnan area?
fang yun:qingtuan is indeed a spring delicacy in the south of the yangtze river. it has a long history of consumption and production. its main raw materials are mugwort and glutinous rice. the south of the yangtze river is a rice-growing center. at the same time, mugwort in the south can be eaten and used as medicine, which is different from mugwort in the north. in addition, the ingredients for dyeing green qingming cakes are different in the north and south of china. therefore, qingtuan has become a typical local festival food in the south of the yangtze river.
it is said that mooncakes originated in the tang dynasty and were originally called "hu bing". as the mid-autumn festival was established in the song dynasty, mooncakes became more diverse in variety and their raw materials were no longer restricted by region. as the capital of the song dynasty migrated from north to south, many festival customs and food customs also blended with each other, so mooncakes have become a cultural symbol of the mid-autumn festival!
the disappearance and reconstruction of folklore
@皮星日月地吃哈米瓜: is it possible for all our traditional festivals to be listed as world heritage? can the application make many people pay attention to or rediscover folk customs?
fang yun:whether or not the application is successful, traditional festivals are precious heritage of our nation. however, if the application is successful, it may receive more support and attention. the restoration and construction of a traditional festival is the joint efforts of the whole society. the government, schools, campuses, and individuals all have the responsibility and right to pass on our traditional festival cultural heritage. some festivals and customs may change with the context of the times. sometimes the disappearance or change of old traditions may lead to the formation and prevalence of new festivals and customs. the conventions of festivals are also constantly evolving.
@tf91805437: what is the fundamental reason for the disappearance of these folk customs?
fang yun:the folk customs we are talking about, also known as folk culture, refer to the relatively stable cultural matters that are gradually formed and passed down from generation to generation by a nation or a social group in the long-term production practice and social life. they can be simply summarized as popular customs and practices among the people.
throughout the development and changes of history, folk culture has always been fluid and developing. it will mutate at every stage of society and survive and develop in the mutation. so when some folk customs no longer adapt to the social context at that time, they will be rewritten into content and forms that are more suitable for the current context, and new content will continue to be created. we should see that the emergence of new folk customs is a continuation of its historical foundation, and it will continue to develop. it is also in the formation and development of folk culture that the spiritual tradition and humanistic character of our chinese nation have been created.
@小石石石: are there any folk activities that were popular in ancient times but are no longer popular now?
fang yun:many traditional festivals have gradually declined with the development of the times and the change of social context. some traditional festivals have even disappeared, but many traditional customs are being reconstructed. this is a welcome change brought about by the revival of traditional culture in recent years. for example, the ancient shangsi festival, flower festival, cold food festival, zhonghe festival, etc., some have been merged into other festivals, some core rituals have been retained, and some local folk tourism has been rebuilt, creating certain cultural and economic values!
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