中秋节吃月饼习俗的起源考

On the Origin of Folk Customs of Mid-Autumn Festival and Moon Cakes

中秋节吃月饼习俗的起源是一个事关中国传统文化传承的问题。厘清这一问题应围绕我国悠久的饼食历史和饼食文化,以及富有传统的祭月、拜月和赏月习俗进行探讨和考证。现存文献史料表明:中秋节吃月饼这一文化传统是由两种文化习俗交汇而成,其一是始于先秦、至晚唐渐趋兴盛的祭月、玩月和赏月习俗;其二是融入了饼食文化习俗。“饼”是中国历史上的一种家常面食,在古代是面食的统称,及至南宋出现“月饼”这一称谓,但最初并非中秋节俗食物,是否寓意团圆也无从考证。直至明代始有明确记载月饼寓意团圆之义的文献,在明代文人笔下有:“八月十五谓之中秋,民间以月饼相遗,取团圆之意”。至此,中秋节吃月饼的习俗才有了完整的文化意义。所以,中秋节吃月饼的习俗是一个在中华民族漫长的历史发展中形成的被赋予了一定意义的文化现象,它起源于中国传统文化的演变过程之中。关于中秋节吃月饼习俗起源于“八月十五杀鞑子”与新罗“八月十五之节”的说法,现有文献均不能支撑。

To explore the origin of the convention of eating moon cakes during Mid-Autumn Festival is essential to a profound understanding of the inheritance and development of Chinese culture.The exploration should be done in light of China's long history and culture of cakeeating,as well as the customs of sacrifice and worship to and appreciation of the moon.The existing historical documents shows that it is two intermingled customs that constitute the convention:one is the above-mentioned customs of sacrifice and worship to and appreciation of the moon since Pre-Qin to the Tang Dynasty,and the other is the cultural custom of cakeeating.Cakes(bing),a general term for pasta in ancient China,refer to a kind of pasta common in Chinese families,while moon cakes(yue-bing),a term used since the Southern Song Dynasty,were not a customary food for Mid-Autumn Festival then,and whether they imply"family reunion"remains unsubstantiated.The earliest textual document we found in which moon cakes imply"family reunion"appeared in the Ming Dynasty,recording:"the 15th day of the eighth lunar month is named the Mid-Autumn Festival,and the folk use moon cakes as gifts symbolizing'family reunion'for each other."Up to the Ming Dynasty,a complete cultural significance is attributed to the convention.This paper concludes that the convention of eating moon cakes during Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the evolution of Chinese traditional culture,and it is a cultural phenomenon that came into being throughout the long history of China and was ascribed to a specific meaning.And the existing literature about the origin of the convention provides support for neither of the two related legends:"killing Tartars on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month",and"the festival on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month"in Silla.