一份來自浙江的中秋禮俗，請查收

● 顧希佳

中秋時節(jié)高懸的平湖西瓜燈。Pinghu County in Huzhou in northern Zhejiang celebrates the Moon Festival with elaborately carved watermelon lanterns.

月亮的圓缺是沒有什么人文內(nèi)涵的。不過中秋一旦成為節(jié)日，也就被附上種種人間情懷，滋生出許多悲歡離合和喜怒哀樂。古往今來，許多與中秋相關(guān)的神話傳說不脛而走，廣為傳播，成為節(jié)日的重要組成部分。

中秋之夜，總是一年中月亮最為圓潤、飽滿、明亮的那一夜，非常特別，早就被我們的祖先當(dāng)作一個特殊的日子。

不過，古往今來，人們話說中秋明月，并非在討論天體，實際上訴說的卻總是人間情懷。

古人眼里的中秋

《周禮》說：“中秋，夜迎寒?！薄抖Y記》說：“郊之祭……祭日于壇，祭月于坎，以別幽明，以制上下；祭日于東，祭月于西，以別處內(nèi)，以端其位?！边@是說當(dāng)年周天子中秋夜祭月，是在迎寒，在西門外一個凹下去的“坎”里舉行祭禮，象征月亮是陰的，與太陽有別。

到了東漢趙曄《吳越春秋》這本書里的記載，又不同了，說是在東郊祭東皇公，在西郊祭西王母。不是直接祭祀日月，而將其人格比，用東皇公代表太陽，西王母代表月亮。從自然崇拜進化到自然神人格化，這樣的演變東西方大致是相仿的。后來，明世宗在北京修建夕月壇，清代還在那兒祭月，如今則成了月壇公園，這段掌故知道的人就更多了。不過，以上說的都是帝王的祭月。那么古代的普通百姓祭不祭月呢？記載就很少了。

唐代以后，文人吟詠中秋的詩文就多起來了。蘇東坡《水調(diào)歌頭》：“人有悲歡離合，月有陰晴圓缺，此事古難全。但愿人長久，千里共嬋娟?！边@是人們至今依舊在吟詠的佳句。這樣一種情懷對后世產(chǎn)生了很大影響，以至于不少人干脆把中秋節(jié)叫做團圓節(jié)。

中秋佳節(jié)，大家在杭州西湖邊賞月。People hang out on the West Lake in Hangzhou enjoying the full moon on the evening of the Moon Festival.

還有一個有關(guān)唐明皇游月宮的傳說也極具感染力，許多古籍都有記載。說是唐明皇在宮中“玩月”，還不盡興，索性讓法師把他帶到月宮中好好游玩一番。據(jù)說著名的古曲《霓裳羽衣曲》就是這位風(fēng)流天子從月宮里帶回來的呢。這個民間傳說表明，唐代盛行中秋玩月，這是祭月賞月的進一步發(fā)展。

宋代，有關(guān)中秋節(jié)民俗的記載甚多，記汴梁（今開封）的有《東京夢華錄》，記臨安（今杭州）的有《夢粱錄》，文字記述得頗為詳盡。大致是說當(dāng)時的百姓人家在中秋夜要安排家宴，猶如年夜飯那樣。吃完飯，一是賞月，二是逛街。

而在另一本記南宋杭城風(fēng)俗的《武林舊事》中則提到，中秋夜在錢塘江上“放一點紅羊皮小水燈數(shù)十萬盞，浮滿水面，燦如繁星”，這是怎樣一種畫面，可以想見。《夢粱錄》和《武林舊事》都提到了“月餅”。而在明代田汝成的《西湖游覽志余》中則記載當(dāng)時杭州人中秋節(jié)要相互贈送月餅，除了賞月之外，還有游西湖盛事：“蘇堤之上，聯(lián)袂踏歌，無異白日。”

到了清代，民間中秋祭月的風(fēng)氣開始彌漫。北方盛行“月光低”和“兔兒節(jié)”。而在杭州，則有“中秋斗香”，這在清范祖述的《杭俗遺風(fēng)》中記敘頗詳。書中說，斗香在琵琶街店鋪有售，形似燈景，紗絹裱糊，有月宮和各式燈景。人家買去，往往在天井里塔臺祭月時用。大戶還會請藝人來家演唱助興，愈發(fā)熱鬧。

口耳相傳的神話

月亮的圓缺是沒有什么人文內(nèi)涵的。不過中秋一旦成為節(jié)日，也就被附上種種人間情懷，滋生出許多悲歡離合和喜怒哀樂。古往今來，許多與中秋相關(guān)的神話傳說不脛而走，廣為傳播，終于成為節(jié)日的重要組成部分。

漢代，《淮南子》提到了“嫦娥奔月”的神話。唐代，段成式《酉陽雜俎》又記錄了“吳剛伐桂”。有關(guān)月亮的神話傳說既有古籍記載，又有民間的口耳相傳，至今盛傳不衰。毛澤東詩詞《蝶戀花》巧妙地運用了這些掌故所產(chǎn)生的傳播效應(yīng)，也是常常被人們津津樂道的。神話傳說作為一種非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)，有著不可替代的珍貴價值，這是討論中秋節(jié)時不得不提到的。

唐代，除了前面提到的“唐明皇游月宮”，還有“八月十五天門開”的傳說，則與杭州有關(guān)。明代田汝成《西湖游覽志余》有過這方面的記載。說是在某個八月十五夜晚，天門打開，從月宮里撒落下桂花的種子，就落在靈隱寺殿堂左右。有人撿了一些，把它們種在附近，果然成了桂花樹。后人把那個亭子改名為“月桂亭”。有人甚至附會說，杭州為何會有如此之多的桂花樹，也與此有關(guān)。

杭州天竺的“三生石”十分有名，有關(guān)它的傳說故事，唐代袁郊的《甘澤謠》、明代田汝成的《西湖游覽志》等不少古籍都有不同的記載。說那時候有一對好朋友，相約死后轉(zhuǎn)世為人，十三年后的中秋夜要在杭州天竺寺相見。十三年后，他們都信守諾言，準(zhǔn)時赴約，于是留下千古佳話。

轉(zhuǎn)世之說，我們暫且不作討論。不過，朋發(fā)之間信守諾言的美德，則是永遠(yuǎn)值得珍惜的。尤其是在今天的社會里重提這個掌故，自有其沉甸甸的分量。正是憑借著這一則則傳說故事，才終于釀成中秋節(jié)如此濃郁的人間情懷。

妙趣橫生的習(xí)俗

燈會迎中秋。A grand lantern show is a must for the Moon Festival in many regions across China.

杭州天竺“三生石”背后有個感人的中秋傳說。This rock near a Buddhist temple in Hangzhou signifies a moving legend of friendship that lasts several lives. The Moon Festival is part of the legend. The Chinese words on the rock read Rock of Three Lives.

中秋的節(jié)日行事，通常稱之為民俗活動。前文提到的祭月和賞月，可以說是歷史上的兩大主題。不過在具體的行為方式上，十里不同風(fēng)，百里不同俗，往往又會呈現(xiàn)出不同的民族情愫和地方色彩，而令人目不暇接。

走月亮，又稱踹月、游月、玩月，往往是婦女們的節(jié)目。有的地方要在中秋夜游寶塔，當(dāng)?shù)氐拿窀枥镞€傳遞出“求子”的愿望。

樹中秋，是廣州特色，家家戶戶在中秋夜豎起竹竿，高掛一串串燈籠，以賀中秋。有的地方在此夜放孔明燈，煞是精彩。

舞火龍，又稱舞草龍、舞香龍，是在草龍上插滿了香，夜晚燃香，在曠野飛舞，那是十分震撼人心的。浙江開化的香火草龍，已被入選國家級非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)名錄。筆者曾在現(xiàn)場感受過這種極其震撼人心的歡樂，至今難忘。舞龍比較多見的是布龍和板龍，其實草龍的歷史恐怕更為古老。

壯族有“罵中秋”，土族要“打月亮”，侗族又有“偷月亮菜”，我們無法一一細(xì)說。就說我們浙江紹興的中秋節(jié)吧。

當(dāng)年紹興人中秋夜祭月，供品中往往會放一只老南瓜，很是別致。老人回憶說，紹興人以前還有“摸秋”風(fēng)俗，人們在中秋夜去地里偷摘一只南瓜，拿來塞到新嫁娘的被窩里。老人說，這是生男孩的吉兆。

在美麗的杭州西湖，歷來有不少賞月勝景，一直讓人流連忘返、津津樂道。諸如平湖秋月、三潭印月、月巖、三生石、滿隴桂雨，也都各有千秋。

總之，“月到中秋分外明”，有關(guān)中秋的風(fēng)俗習(xí)慣一路走來，不斷嬗變，令人念念不忘。相信這樣一個古老的傳統(tǒng)還會年復(fù)一年地沿襲傳承下去。

（本文圖片提供：CFP）

Lunar Sentiments

By Gu Xijia

The Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋in Chinese pronounced as Zhong Qiu) is a time for family reunion and for the blessings of life. That is why many people preferably call it the “Reunion Festival”. The festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. It is believed that the moon that night is the fullest and brightest of the year, hence the tradition's another name, the Moon Festival. To the Chinese people, its importance is second only to the Spring Festival. With the moon playing a critical part in the celebration, the tradition is much more about human sentiments than pondering over a celestial issue.

The custom could be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC) and was more often practiced by the royal class on the Autumnal Equinox. According to The Book of Rites, the mid-autumn“l(fā)unar rituals” of the royal house were meant for “heralding in the coldness” and were held in a dented place to suggest the opposite of the solar power. Mid-autumn celebration by commoners was scarcely mentioned in history books or literary works written before the Tang period (618-907).

The cultural and human connotations of the tradition of celebrating the “Moon Day” of the year spawned many literary masterpieces during the Tang times. Because the festival is a day meant for families to be together, those who are unable to get home to join the celebration miss their family more than usual on this day. Such nostalgia is best romanticized in a poem by Su Shi (1037-1101), one of the greatest essayists and poets in the history of China. The last part of the Ci-poem reads as follows:

玉兔、月餅，中秋的必備元素。The white rabbit, from China's most famous legend about the moon, and moon cakes are key ingredients of the Moon Festival celebrations in China.

浙江義烏，外國友人和當(dāng)?shù)鼐用褚黄瘘c香球過中秋。With local people, some international friends celebrate the Moon Festival in Yiwu in central Zhejiang. In their hands are balls inserted with a lot of joss sticks, which are about to be lit.

Men have sorrow and joy, they part or meet again;

The moon may be bright or dim, she may wax or wane.

There has been nothing perfect since the olden days.

So let us wish that man will live long as he can;

Though miles apart, we at least can share the beauty the moon displays.

An intriguing tale of imagination related to the moon festivity is about Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang (618-907). Not having had enough of the Mid-autumn revelry in the palace, he asked a Buddhist wizard to take him to the Moon for more fun. The emperor came back with a beautiful piece of court dance music he titled asNi Shang Yu Yi Qu. Whether the emperor did land on the moon or not is unknown, but the folklore clearly indicates how the moon tradition prevailed in emperor's time.

Various customs related to the “Moon Festival” were well documented by men of letters in the Song (960-1279) period of China.Dong Jing Meng Hua LuandMeng Liang Lureported in vivid details how the tradition was practiced with religious piety by people living in present day Kaifeng and Hangzhou, which respectively served as the capital of the Northern Song and that of the Southern Song. The routines included a mid-autumn banquet that rivaled the feast for the New Year's Eve, admiring the full moon and taking a stroll with family members.

The sweet romanticism of the Southern Song people was depicted inWulin Reminiscences(“Wulin Jiushi”) as “Qiantang River glistening with hundreds of thousands of sheepskin lanterns released into the water like stars in the sky”. BothMeng Liang LuandWulin Reminiscencesmentioned “moon cake” (yuebing). The tradition of exchangingyuebingand admiring the scenery of the West Lake on the “Moon Day” was vividly portrayed by Tian Rucheng, a government official and Hangzhou native, in hisTour on the West Lake.

A folktale recorded by Tian Rucheng in his book indicates that the “Gate of Heaven” opens on the Mid-autumn Day. As the folktale has it, the “gate of heaven” opens, and osmanthus seeds from the Moon Palace cascade on the ground around the Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou. That folktale can be considered an effort to explain why the osmanthus trees are so abundant around the Buddhist sanctuary and across Hangzhou.

The festivity blossomed into various other activities that all became popular among commoners. In the capital city of the Southern Song, which is present-day Hangzhou, lighting incense sticks and hosting an entertainment party with hired theatrical performers held at home also became part of the festivity the more privileged people enjoyed.

In the traditional Chinese culture, a full moon symbolizes togetherness and fullness of life, spawning many tales and legends related to the “moon day”. All these tales and legends have become an integral part of the unique, enduring Chinese Mid-autumn culture that still inspires the festival calendar of people today.

The most well-known variation of Chinese people's “moon complex” is the Chang'e Flying to the Moon. Chang'e is the Chinese Goddess of the Moon, and is a common thread running through the mid-autumn theme of the Chinese mythology and literature. A vivid illustration in contemporary times is a poem by Chairman Mao Zedong (1893-1976).

Mid-autumn festivities vary in different regions and among different minority groups in China. Some of its modern variations include releasing Kongming lanterns into the sky in Guangdong in southern China, and using a pumpkin to pray for fertility in Shaoxing in Zhejiang. In Hangzhou, the moon is an important part of the West Lake landscapes, with the names of some top sightseeing attractions romanticized by the Chinese character “月” (meaning“moon”) such as Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake and Three Pools Mirroring the Moon.