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Customs of Mid-Autumn Festival |
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Written by Administrator
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For thousands of years, the Chinese people have related the vicissitudes of life -- joy and sorrow, parting and reunion -- to changes of the moon as it waxes and wanes. Because the full moon is round and symbolizes reunion, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the festival of reunion. All family members try to get together on this special day. Those who can not return home gaze at the bright moonlight and long for their loved ones.
Today, festivities of the Mid-Autumn Festival are more varied. After a family reunion dinner, many people like to go out to attend special performances in parks or on public squares. Night falls, and the land is bathed in silver moonlight. Families set up tables in their courtyards or sit together on their balconies, chatting and eating moon cakes and fruit. Together, they enjoy the enchanting spell of night.
In Guangzhou in South China, a huge lantern show is an irresistible attraction for local citizens: thousands of differently shaped lanterns are lit, forming a fantastic contrast with the bright moonlight. In East China's Zhejiang Province, watching the flood tide of the Qiantang River during the Mid-Autumn Festival is not only a must for local people, but also an attraction for those from other parts of the country; the ebb and flow of tides coincide with the waxing and waning of the moon as it exerts a strong gravitational pull. In mid-autumn, the sun, earth and moon send out strong gravitational forces upon the seas. The mouth of the Qiantang River is shaped like a bugle. So the flood tide which forms at the narrow mouth is particularly impressive. Spectators crowd on the river bank, watching the roaring waves. At its peak, the tide rises as high as three and a half meters.
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