"Under the crescent moonlight, the dandelions are wandering, shining like fireworks..." On the Mid-Autumn Festival night on the 10th, Taiwanese singer Wang Xinling sang "Moonlight" for fans in a live broadcast on Weibo.
Taiwanese artists Liu Genghong, Wang Yaoqing and Ouyang Nana spent the Mid-Autumn Festival with audience and friends through the CCTV Mid-Autumn Festival Gala.
The Mid-Autumn Festival uses the full moon to signify the reunion of people.
Taiwanese young people who work and go to school in Beijing cannot be reunited with their families due to the epidemic, but they use Taiwan's special Mid-Autumn Festival custom - barbecue to ease their homesickness.
So fragrant! Who is grilling?
Fang Chengxuan, a girl from Hsinchu, Taiwan, just moved to a new home on September 1. This is the first Mid-Autumn Festival she and her boyfriend spent in the new home.
Pork neck, beef slices, chicken wings, prawns... A wealth of ingredients were put on the table, and the two of them made a delicious barbecue.
On September 10, Tai Qing Fang Chengxuan and her boyfriend celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival at their new home in Beijing.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
"I used to move a lot in Beijing, but this time I stabilized, I arranged the room carefully, and I felt like home." Fang Chengxuan hoped that the epidemic would pass soon, and brought his mother and sister to Beijing to see her new home, "Eating Hakka together" Mooncake'".
On the Mid-Autumn Festival night, Lin Jiaxuan, a Taiwanese student studying at Minzu University of China, celebrated the festival with a barbecue with friends from Taiwan compatriots who were also in Beijing.
She spent the Mid-Autumn Festival with her friends for two consecutive years. Although she was a little homesick, she did not feel lonely.
In previous years, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lin Jiaxuan would eat Madou Wendan (a well-known grapefruit variety in Taiwan) with her family while admiring the moon.
"I recently had a video chat with them," she said, missing the taste of her hometown Madou Wendan very much. "This is a sense of ritual that belongs to the Mid-Autumn Festival."
On September 10, Taiwanese student Lin Jiaxuan had a barbecue with friends to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
Self-disciplined Taiwanese cosmetic doctor Yan Shijun will also perform "body management" during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
He is very fond of fitness, and he can’t relax even during the holidays. He personally cooked the healthy meal of “Beautiful Flowers and Full Moon” – round omelettes decorated with low-GI (glycemic index) fruits, which is also a Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere.
On the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 10, Taiwanese cosmetic doctor Yan Shijun made a healthy meal "Beautiful Flowers and Full Moon".
Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
In the evening, Yan Shijun went out to admire the moon, and looked at the moon with his parents in Taiwan, which means "the bright moon is born on the sea, and the world is at the same time".
He also sent Taiwanese mooncakes to his close mainland friends, "not too sweet, but relatively healthy", hoping to share the taste of his hometown with his friends.
On September 10, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Taiwanese cosmetic doctor Yan Shijun admires the moon outdoors in Beijing.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
How much do you know about the Mid-Autumn barbecue customs
Since ancient times, the Mid-Autumn Festival has folk customs such as viewing the moon, eating moon cakes, appreciating osmanthus, drinking osmanthus wine, etc. Besides, where does the custom of Mid-Autumn BBQ in Taiwan come from?
Taiwan folklore expert Wen Zonghan wrote an article that the birth of folklore has its subtle social accumulation process, which is a natural behavior.
In the 1960s, Taiwan's society underwent a major social transformation—the lifestyle of the industrial and commercial society changed, and the demand for holiday life was soaring, and activities such as tourism, camping, and picnics using holidays rose.
Since then, business and social interactions have become more frequent, and the popularity of barbecue entertainment has led to the construction of barbecue areas in many public entertainment venues.
Xie Zongrong, a Taiwanese folklorist, introduced that in the 1960s, Wanjiaxiang Soy Sauce launched a TV commercial of "One Roasted Meat Wanjiaxiang", and a few years later, Jinlan Soy Sauce launched Jinlan barbecue sauce intensively.
Therefore, since the 1980s and 1990s, Taiwanese people have regarded barbecue as one of the most important Mid-Autumn festival activities.
Screenshot of a TV commercial for Kim Ran BBQ sauce in the 1980s.
Image source: Taiwan United News Network
After years of development, Mid-Autumn BBQ has become a custom in Taiwan.
In 2000, various counties and cities in Taiwan began to hold large-scale barbecue activities outdoors on the Mid-Autumn Festival night.
According to a survey, up to 80% of the people on the island have the habit of barbecue during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Xie Zongrong said that the scene of family reunion and barbecue together quite fits the meaning of "Mid-Autumn Festival reunion", which is one of the reasons why barbecue has become a Mid-Autumn Festival custom in Taiwan.
Most of the people's Mid-Autumn barbecue is "baked at night" in their own downstairs or in the community atrium. From preparing ingredients, lighting a fire to barbecue, it is a good way to promote parent-child emotional communication.
The Mid-Autumn Festival activities on the island are also exciting
Although Taipei City and New Taipei City banned barbecues in Riverside Park during the Mid-Autumn Festival due to epidemic prevention requirements, the public attaches great importance to this "reunion festival".
A Taipei non-governmental organization held a barbecue event at Daye Takashimaya Plaza, attracting many citizens to participate.
On September 10, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Taiwanese citizens of Taipei had a barbecue at Daye Takashimaya Plaza.
Image source: Taiwan United News Network
The first fireworks show at Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf in New Taipei City was held at 8 pm on the 9th, lighting up the Mid-Autumn Festival fireworks. A total of 2,800 fireworks were released, of which 1,500 were high-altitude fireworks. show.
According to reports, there are also three fireworks shows that will be held on the evenings of September 11, 18 and 25 respectively.
On September 9, Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf in New Taipei City welcomed the Mid-Autumn Festival with a firework show.
Image source: Taiwan United News Network
According to legend, the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month is also the birthday of Yue Lao.
Unmarried people from Taoyuan City, Chiayi County, Taichung City and many other counties and cities went to the temple to worship the old man, "recruiting peach blossoms" and seeking marriage.
On September 10, in the Fengtian Palace in Xingang, Chiayi County, unmarried men and women worshipped the old man.
Image source: Taiwan United News Network
Commercialization has also changed the way Taiwanese people celebrate their festivals.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, many e-commerce companies on the island launched the "9.9 Shopping Festival" to take advantage of the festival to carry out promotional activities.
In addition to the well-known "Double 11" and "Double 12", the "9.9 Shopping Festival" also ranks among the top 3 shopping festivals with the highest participation among Taiwanese consumers.
But no matter how the customs change, the concept of "festive reunion" in Chinese culture embodied by the Mid-Autumn Festival will not change.
"The tide of the Spring River is even with the sea level, and the bright moon at sea is tidal." The Mid-Autumn Moon in 2022 has risen. I wish compatriots on both sides of the Strait a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
Author: Yue Qing