Mid-autumn Festival Customs In China

By Susan Ye

2014-09-05 00:00:00

There is a custom of having the groom by throwing handkerchief on Mid-autumn Festival in some regions in Shandong. This night, it will put a arena in the middle of square with the shape of moon palace and the decoration of jade rabbit and cassia tree. Some unmarried women will dress up as Chang’e. After the party, girls will throw their handkerchief with different colors out of the arena. If the boy receives the handkerchief and also like this Chang’e, he could give her a ring in return. Then the two person could make friends with each other. A marriage will come out if they are fond of each other.

There is a custom of burning incense in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. There is yarn thin silk around incense with the picture of moon palace. There is also some incense made from pastille with paper K'uei Hsing and colorful flan on it. Shanghai people prefer dinner with osmanthus-scented honey wine.

The custom are various on Mid-autumn Festival by the Changjiang River. Besides moon cakes, Nanjing people also like Salted Duck, the famous dinner in Jinling. Salted Duck is popular in the season when the fragrance of the laurel blossoms fills the air. It is fat but not greasy and delicious. Sweet taro is a must after drinking wine which is mixed with delicious laurel liquid.

In Xixiang town in Shanxi province, men tend to rafting and climbing, and women arrange dinner. No matter the economic condition of the family, people need to eat watermelon. Some trumpeters blow door by door begging for money.

In Taiwan, there is a custom that unmarried women steal vegetables for getting a man at the night on Mid-autumn Festival.Ornaments and beautiful woman in the moonlight, newcomb, toward the other people pick green Chinese onion and vegetable, harvesting to then indicated that she can meet mr.right. So Taiwan has the proverb of "steal the onion, marry a good husband, steal the food, marry a good admitted".

Besides eating moon cakes on Mid-Autumn festival, Sichuan people also kill ducks, eat hemp bread, honey, etc. In some places, some orange lamp is hanged on the door to show celebration. There are children with incense in the grapefruit, dancing down the street, which is called "dance meteors scent ball".

The moon worship is also popular among minority this month. The dai nationality in yunnan in the Mid-Autumn festival night, is popular with "worship the moon" custom. Whenever the Mid-Autumn festival this day, the young man take early in the morning light powder shotgun uphill finches, pheasants, hunting holiday game. Girl, and daughter-in-law are busy with catching fish in the pond. Until the moon rises from a over the mountains, it starts a roasted,and family begins to "worship the moon".