Siu discusses how Lanterns were introduced to the celebration as decorations, to strengthen the mood of happiness and to allow that the festivity could be held at night. Initially, the festival was to celebrate harvests, however, in contemporary urban Centers, lanterns are still seen all over the city during the festival. He discusses how the mythological and religious significance of the lanternâs application to the festival has been replaced by strictly commercial and more secular concerns compared to the past. The festival is changing with the changing living standards and environments the Chinese people have been experiencing. The changes in the culture of lantern use have been imposed by factors such as the governmentâs family planning promotion, lack of skill inheritance, and the evolution like the festival as contemporary Chinese culture indicates many Chinese living in cities rather than agricultural societies. Michael aims at trying to explain how an object such as the festivalâs lantern, shaped by a varied, significant, and long history, provides designers with the chance to develop a cultural artifact and a profitable commodity with the capability of bridging the past and the present. He achieves his objective by exploring the origin and evolution of the Mid-Autumn Lantern Day by discussing the activities that surrounded the festival and the significance it plays in theevolution of time. The article relates to the topic by giving a detailed coverage of the Mid-Autumn Festival for China, its history, and the festivalâs importance festival in the past and contemporary China cultures from the individual level, families, to the society level.
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Wei-pang, C. (1944). Games at the Mid-Autumn Festival in Kuangtung. Folklore Studies, 3(1), 1.
In numerous districts of Kuangtung, twilight games feature the Mid-Autumn Festival. These games are rich in mythological and magical meanings besides their festive nature. Everyone in the society, men, women, and children engage in these plays. However, there are several plays for different gender groups. Wei-pang discusses how the games are played giving details about them. Games of women include, âThe Ascent into Heavenâ, âThe Descent into Hell-Lo Ti-yuâ, âThe Bewitchment of the Soulâ, and âThe Bowing Lady-Fu Hsien-Kuâ amongst others. Games for men include; âThe Descent of the Eight Genii- Chiang Pa-hsienâ, The Bewitchment of a Cowâ, and âThe Invitation to the Table-god- Châing Chuo-shenâ. The games for children include; Encircling a Play Boyâ, and âEncircling a Toadâ, and âEncircling a Monkeyâ, and âEncircling the God of Chopsticksâ amongst other plays. Wei-pang further analyzes the games based on their nature resulting to three groups: those involving a personâs soul leaving the body and entering a spiritual world, those involving inviting a spirit to come and possess or more people, and those entailing inviting spirits to take possession of objects. Incantations and chants characterize the plays. As an anthropologist, Chao intended to conduct research and record the games played during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Moreover, he intended to show how those familiar games involved possession and magic. The information in the article is relevant to the topic as it gives a further discussion of the activities that took place during the festival and shows how the festival was deemed an auspicious time for the plays and such activities.
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Siu, K. W. (1999). Lanterns of the Mid-Autumn Festival: A Reflection of Hong Kong Cultural Change.
