Related News
Celebrations draw on cultural traditions
By Zhai Lu and Zhang Qian |
September 27, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA has a large population, vast territory and diverse customs. So it comes as no surprise that celebrations marking the Mid-Autumn Festival vary from place to place.
For example, the women of Pucheng County in Fujian Province believe walking across a local bridge on the day of the festival brings longer life.
The people of Jianning County in Fujian hang lanterns in the Moon Palace to pray for a son, and when the people in the city of Longyan in the province share mooncakes, elderly family members eat cakes of up to seven centimeters in diameter, cut from the center of a whole mooncake.
The practice originates from the legend that mooncakes were used as a secret hiding place for messages.
People in the Chaozhou-Shantou region of Guangdong Province, especially women and children, observe the autumn event by worshiping the full moon on that day.
There's a proverb that goes: "Men should not worship the moon, while women should not pray to the Kitchen God." When the moon rises, the women set "tables for sacrifice" on balconies or in courtyards.
They light candles and cover the table with various desserts, which serve as sacrificial offerings. The local people also eat taro, which are edible tubers, during the festival.
It is the harvest season for taro in August, and the farmers honor their ancestors with the fruits of their labor. However, as is so often the case, there is a popular legend attached to the tradition
Mongolian nobles overthrew the Southern Song Dynasty and took over the reign of China in 1279. The conquerors treated Han people brutally.
Chaozhou official Ma Fa mobilized men to resist the invaders, yet he failed to save his hometown, which fell victim to a massacre. Taro, "yu tou" in Chinese, sounds similar to "hutou," which referred to Mongolian invaders' heads. Eating taro, therefore, became a custom meant to remind local people of their history.
From Taihe County in Jiangxi Province comes the tradition of burning towers on the night of the festival. That custom is still prevalent in some areas of rural China.
The towers are commonly between 1 meter and 3 meters high. Local people lay the foundations with bricks and tiles, leaving a hollow center in the column.
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, they fire up wood, bamboo or rice husks that have been stuffed into the hollow.
They also sprinkle pine resin on the heap to make the fire blaze stronger and light up the sky.
It is said the tradition of the burning tower originated in the history of the Han struggles against the Yuan government, where fire was a symbol of revolt.
The area south of the Yangtze River is rich in its own festival customs. Apart from mooncakes, salt-preserved ducks, a well-known dish in Nanjing, is stewed and considered a culinary musthave by local people.
The dish is commonly known as osmanthus duck, since it is seasoned with blossoms from the osmanthus tree.
The blossoms are often preserved in syrup, creating a perfect ingredient for desserts such as glutinous rice dumplings.
Taro, too, is very tasty when dipped in the syrup. Nanjing people consider family get-togethers held during the Mid-Autumn Festival as "reunion celebrations."
For example, the women of Pucheng County in Fujian Province believe walking across a local bridge on the day of the festival brings longer life.
The people of Jianning County in Fujian hang lanterns in the Moon Palace to pray for a son, and when the people in the city of Longyan in the province share mooncakes, elderly family members eat cakes of up to seven centimeters in diameter, cut from the center of a whole mooncake.
The practice originates from the legend that mooncakes were used as a secret hiding place for messages.
People in the Chaozhou-Shantou region of Guangdong Province, especially women and children, observe the autumn event by worshiping the full moon on that day.
There's a proverb that goes: "Men should not worship the moon, while women should not pray to the Kitchen God." When the moon rises, the women set "tables for sacrifice" on balconies or in courtyards.
They light candles and cover the table with various desserts, which serve as sacrificial offerings. The local people also eat taro, which are edible tubers, during the festival.
It is the harvest season for taro in August, and the farmers honor their ancestors with the fruits of their labor. However, as is so often the case, there is a popular legend attached to the tradition
Mongolian nobles overthrew the Southern Song Dynasty and took over the reign of China in 1279. The conquerors treated Han people brutally.
Chaozhou official Ma Fa mobilized men to resist the invaders, yet he failed to save his hometown, which fell victim to a massacre. Taro, "yu tou" in Chinese, sounds similar to "hutou," which referred to Mongolian invaders' heads. Eating taro, therefore, became a custom meant to remind local people of their history.
From Taihe County in Jiangxi Province comes the tradition of burning towers on the night of the festival. That custom is still prevalent in some areas of rural China.
The towers are commonly between 1 meter and 3 meters high. Local people lay the foundations with bricks and tiles, leaving a hollow center in the column.
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, they fire up wood, bamboo or rice husks that have been stuffed into the hollow.
They also sprinkle pine resin on the heap to make the fire blaze stronger and light up the sky.
It is said the tradition of the burning tower originated in the history of the Han struggles against the Yuan government, where fire was a symbol of revolt.
The area south of the Yangtze River is rich in its own festival customs. Apart from mooncakes, salt-preserved ducks, a well-known dish in Nanjing, is stewed and considered a culinary musthave by local people.
The dish is commonly known as osmanthus duck, since it is seasoned with blossoms from the osmanthus tree.
The blossoms are often preserved in syrup, creating a perfect ingredient for desserts such as glutinous rice dumplings.
Taro, too, is very tasty when dipped in the syrup. Nanjing people consider family get-togethers held during the Mid-Autumn Festival as "reunion celebrations."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
