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Introduction:
The Mid-Autumn Festival has always been one of the important traditional festivals in mainland China.
People admire the moon, eat mooncakes, and travel thousands of miles to reunite with their families.
However, this year's Mid-Autumn Festival seems to be somewhat special.
From time to time, you can hear the old saying chanted by the old man: "Before the autumnal equinox, new graves are built everywhere."
So what exactly does this phrase mean?
Before the autumnal equinox: a special Mid-Autumn Festival
August 15 Mid-Autumn Festival, I believe that this day even children know that after all, you can eat delicious mooncakes on this day.
But at the same time, the Mid-Autumn Festival has another name, Yuexi.
Adjacent to it is the autumnal equinox, a key season in the twenty-four solar terms that marks the equal length of day and night, and also marks the beginning of autumn.
This year, the timing of the Mid-Autumn Festival (moon eve) and the autumn equinox is somewhat special.
Usually, the Mid-Autumn Festival must be after the autumnal equinox, after all, the autumn equinox means that autumn has arrived, and the Mid-Autumn Festival naturally passes in the middle of autumn.
But this year's Mid-Autumn Festival is a bit abnormal, on September 10 in the new calendar, and the autumnal equinox is actually on September 23 in the new calendar. It just corresponds to the first half of the old saying: "Before the autumnal equinox"
On the mainland, there is also a saying: "If the autumnal equinox is not divided, people will eat black in the coming year." ”
This means that before the autumnal equinox, the climate has begun to cool and autumn has arrived.
However, the temperature will drop again during the autumn equinox, and I am afraid that I will be hungry in the coming year.
New graves everywhere: an interpretation of an old proverb
In ancient times, people's lifestyles were closely related to agriculture.
They grow grain and vegetables, and rely on the change of seasons to decide when to plant, harvest and store agricultural products, which is why the twenty-four solar terms appeared.
The ancients studied for countless years and found that only according to the time of day could there be enough food to feed people and avoid famine.
However, God's face is changing, and all kinds of extreme weather can have a serious impact on people's livelihoods.
When there is a situation that contradicts the experience handed down from ancient times, people's lives are threatened.
At that time, most families had no extra food to store, and the family was so large that there were often six or seven mouths to eat.
Once grain production is reduced, people will have to tighten their belts to live.
Coupled with the ancient taxation and grain collection, it is likely that people will starve or even starve to death, which is one of the reasons for the so-called "new graves everywhere".
In addition, in ancient feudal society, the right of kings was divine.
Unusual weather phenomena are naturally considered warnings or punishments from the gods.
For example, emperors would often pay attention to meteorological changes, and if there were abnormal weather phenomena, such as the alternation of cold and warm or seasonal disturbances, it would be regarded as a bad omen.
Therefore, in order to calm the heavenly anger, some criminals will be "sacrificed to the heavens" in order to ask for heaven's forgiveness, which also explains why there is a saying of "asking for beheading after the autumn".
Where tradition meets modernity: the cultural evolution of the Mid-Autumn Festival
Of course, the current Mid-Autumn Festival naturally does not have this saying of "new graves everywhere", and "before the autumnal equinox" is only a normal phenomenon.
With the development of society, the way the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated is gradually combined with modern elements.
For example, people can now interact with distant loved ones through video calls and share the joy of the holidays even if they can't go home to be reunited.
In addition, the commercialization of the Mid-Autumn Festival has become more prominent, and a variety of innovative flavors of mooncakes, gifts and holiday decorations have emerged in the market, adding a bit of luster to the celebration of the festival.
At the same time, the Mid-Autumn Festival is not only the inheritance of traditional culture, but also the stage for cultural innovation.
In many cities, cultural events such as dragon and lion dances, lantern exhibitions and opera performances are held to enrich the entertainment options during the festival.
In addition, some young people will share moments of the Mid-Autumn Festival through social media, pushing the festival to the wider international stage.
With the international spread of Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival has gradually become a global festival.
In some countries, especially in Asia, people have also begun to celebrate this festival, eating mooncakes, watching the moon, and holding family gatherings, which has greatly enhanced cultural understanding and national friendship between different countries.
Epilogue:
At the intersection of tradition and modernity, the Mid-Autumn Festival still shines with its unique light.
Whether it is a traditional celebration method or a modern innovative element, the Mid-Autumn Festival is constantly interpreting the beautiful meaning of "reunion".
Just like that bright moonlight travels through thousands of years, passing on ancient stories to the present day.
At the same time, the Mid-Autumn Festival also carries family reunion, cultural inheritance and the pursuit of a happy life, allowing us to feel the perfect integration of tradition and modernity in the long river of time, inheritance and innovation in this special festival.
No matter how time changes, the moonlight will always shine on this land, and the beauty of the Mid-Autumn Festival will remain eternal.
May we cherish the present on every Mid-Autumn Festival night, feel the warmth of reunion, and at the same time remember the wisdom of the ancients, and use moonlight as the thread to connect people from ancient times to the present, and jointly inherit this precious cultural heritage.