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Festivals hark to colorful past traditions
By Yao Yuan and Zhang Qian |
September 27, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE Chinese lunar calendar is filled with traditional festivals marking everything from ancestor worship to honoring the full moon. Though the festivals have often evolved over the centuries, they are still revered occasions steeped in cultural heritage.
Hanshi is held one or two days before Qingming, when only cold food is served. Qingming occurs around on the 21st day of the second lunar month, and is a day to visit the graves of ancestors and honor the memory of the dead.
Shangsi, which falls on the third day of the third lunar month, is a festival to ward off misfortune, and Qixi, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, is known as "Chinese Valentine's Day."
The Mid-Autumn Festival is joined in the autumn by the Double Ninth Festival, which falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month and is a festival marked by climbing hills.
Initially, the Mid-Autumn Festival had nothing to do with celebrating the full moon. It began as a sort of simple worship ceremony. Then, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), moon worship spread from the royal palace to the population at large. It became popularized as a time to celebrate moonlight, the harvest, cooler days and get-togethers.
Folk activities soon coalesced around the event, and the autumn celebration took root across the nation, often with different customs marking different regions.
Nowadays, some of the cultural charm of the past has faded, and many people, especially in cities, have come to regard the Mid-Autumn Festival mostly as a time to take time off work, eat and socialize.
Still, there are many people dedicated to the heritage of the past. Many public places hold "authentic" festivals the way their ancestors did, hoping to preserve the culture of days gone by.
Among those activities, moon worship is perhaps the most fascinating to observe. In the evening, a lawn in a garden is chosen to hold the moon-worshiping ceremony. The setting is meant to harmonize man and nature.
Participants in the ceremony usually sit in a circle, sharing mooncakes, taro, osmanthus-flavored wine and dinner. This is called "fenzuo."
The Chinese people worship heaven and ancestors, so they do the "fenzuo" once after worshiping. "Fenzuo" means "sharing sacrifice." Because mooncakes and taro are considered to be endowed with Luna's favor, people who share the food also share the lunar blessing.
Another supplication activity, known as "Mid-Autumn Hanging," is also part of traditional ceremonies.
Local people hang lanterns from bamboo branches, with a paper streamers and wishes tied under the lanterns. When the lanterns are lighted, they represent stars shining in the sky. People also cruise the streets carrying lanterns attached to bamboo poles.
Hanshi is held one or two days before Qingming, when only cold food is served. Qingming occurs around on the 21st day of the second lunar month, and is a day to visit the graves of ancestors and honor the memory of the dead.
Shangsi, which falls on the third day of the third lunar month, is a festival to ward off misfortune, and Qixi, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, is known as "Chinese Valentine's Day."
The Mid-Autumn Festival is joined in the autumn by the Double Ninth Festival, which falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month and is a festival marked by climbing hills.
Initially, the Mid-Autumn Festival had nothing to do with celebrating the full moon. It began as a sort of simple worship ceremony. Then, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), moon worship spread from the royal palace to the population at large. It became popularized as a time to celebrate moonlight, the harvest, cooler days and get-togethers.
Folk activities soon coalesced around the event, and the autumn celebration took root across the nation, often with different customs marking different regions.
Nowadays, some of the cultural charm of the past has faded, and many people, especially in cities, have come to regard the Mid-Autumn Festival mostly as a time to take time off work, eat and socialize.
Still, there are many people dedicated to the heritage of the past. Many public places hold "authentic" festivals the way their ancestors did, hoping to preserve the culture of days gone by.
Among those activities, moon worship is perhaps the most fascinating to observe. In the evening, a lawn in a garden is chosen to hold the moon-worshiping ceremony. The setting is meant to harmonize man and nature.
Participants in the ceremony usually sit in a circle, sharing mooncakes, taro, osmanthus-flavored wine and dinner. This is called "fenzuo."
The Chinese people worship heaven and ancestors, so they do the "fenzuo" once after worshiping. "Fenzuo" means "sharing sacrifice." Because mooncakes and taro are considered to be endowed with Luna's favor, people who share the food also share the lunar blessing.
Another supplication activity, known as "Mid-Autumn Hanging," is also part of traditional ceremonies.
Local people hang lanterns from bamboo branches, with a paper streamers and wishes tied under the lanterns. When the lanterns are lighted, they represent stars shining in the sky. People also cruise the streets carrying lanterns attached to bamboo poles.
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