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Controversy over origin of China’s Mid-Autumn Festival

China designated the Mid-Autumn Festival as a legal holiday in 2008. China’s abrupt decision to designate the Mid-Autumn Festival as a holiday arose from a series of disputes over its origin.

It was Xiong Fei who first sparked the controversy. In 1996, Xiong Fei said, “The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from Silla,” citing the August 15 holiday of Chishan Fahuayuan recorded in “The Record of Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law” written by Ennin. Chishan Fahuayuan is the temple built by Jang Bogo in the Shidao area of Rongcheng in China’s Shandong Province. In 2000, however, Yang Lin denied the Silla origin theory, saying, “Such powerful states as Tang had no reason to accept the holiday of Silla, a small state.” The controversy became heated in 2003 when Liu Dezeng came forward to support the Silla origin theory, saying, “Tang’s ‘mid-autumn’ has no characteristic as a holiday.” The controversy lasted until 2008; Lashing out at the views of Xiong Fei and Liu Dezeng and stating that Korea’s Danojeol was selected for UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Hwang Tao said that China could not win if Korea applied again, and claimed that “there should be protective and prosperous policies from the perspective of national culture safety.” The Chinese government went on to designate the Mid-Autumn Festival as a legal holiday in 2008.

Record on August 15 holiday of Chishan Fahuayuan

The dispute mentioned above was ignited by the August 15 holiday contained in the “Record of Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law” authored by Japanese monk Ennin. The content related to the August 15 holiday is as follows.

Foods such as bakdon and byeongsik are arranged on the altar in Chishan Fahuayuan on the August 15 holiday. Other countries do not celebrate the holiday, and it is unique to Silla. According to the old monks, “Silla fought Balhae formerly and designated the holiday after winning on that day. People had a good time on the day while playing music and dancing, and the holiday has been inherited for a long time without interruption.” A great many kinds of foods were prepared and people had a party, singing, dancing, and playing wind and string instruments; the party only came to an end after three days. People designated the day as a holiday, longing for their homeland in Chishan Fahuayuan. Balhae was invaded by Silla, and only 1,000 people fled to the north; they founded the country as they had before. That is the country now called Balhae.

寺家設餺飩餅食等 作八月十五日之節. 斯節諸國未有 唯新羅國獨有此節. 老僧等語云 新羅國昔與渤海相戰之時 以是日得勝矣 仍作節. 樂而喜儛 永代相續不息. 設百種飮食 歌儛管絃以晝續夜 三箇日便休. 今此山院追慕郷國 今日作節. 其渤海爲新羅罸 纔有一千人向北逃去 向後却來 置辦依舊爲為國. 今喚渤海國之者是也.

Regarding Silla’s Chuseok festival

1) Chuseok is unique to Silla

Ennin said, “Other countries do not celebrate the August 15 holiday, and it is unique to Silla.” He travelled all over China for 9 years (838-847), but said he did not see the Mid-Autumn Festival. He concluded that Chuseok was a holiday unique to Korea, saying his homeland of Japan did not celebrate it either.

2) Bakdon is the origin of songpyeon

They ate bakdon on holidays in Fahuayuan. Bak (餺) refers to flour skin spread thinly, and don (飩) is a sort of food with fillings in a thin wrapping. Thus, bakdon refers to a dish with fillings in a thin wrapping. In China back then, there was wonton (餛飩), which is similar to bakdon. The picture below shows wonton as appearing similar to songpyeon. Bakdon may be the origin of songpyeon.

Wonton, food similar to bakdon

3) Is Chuseok the day that Goguryeo was defeated?

Ennin said, quoting old monks in Fahuayuan, “Silla’s August 15 festival was intended to celebrate the victory over Balhae.” Because Balhae inherited Goguryeo, Ennin miswrote Goguryeo as Balhae. But the day that Silla defeated Goguryeo was September 21, 668, not August 15. It appears that the nature of a day of victory was added to the already existing Chuseok festival after defeating Goguryeo.

4) Chuseok: the largest traditional festival

A variety of events took place on August 15. Silla’s royal family held Omyoje to perform rites for ancestors. The royal palace threw a party, and officers participated in an archery contest and were rewarded horses and clothing. Women put their hair up in a knot and decorated themselves with colorful strings and beads. There were songs and dances and a variety of plays as well. People enjoyed Chuseok and sang “Hoesogok”. In Fahuayuan, a great many kinds of foods were prepared and people had a party, singing, dancing, and playing wind and string instruments; the party only came to an end after three days.

Given that Omyoje was held and there were various events in the royal palace, Chuseok was sure to be the state holiday celebrated in the Silla period. It was also the national festival during which people who decorated themselves could enjoy performances day and night for three days. One can see how performances in Silla were performed by looking at clay dolls.

Dancing clay dolls (left)    Clay dolls singing to the tune of lute playing (right)

Is Silla really the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Image of ancestral rites during China’s Mid-Autumn Festival (left)    Mooncakes eaten in the Mid-Autumn Festival (right)

In Korea, the abundance of Chuseok is expressed as so: “No more no less, may it be like Chuseok.” Chuseok in the Silla period already had the present form. People then performed ancestral rites, put on new Chuseok clothes, and ate bakdon similar to songpyeon.

So, is Chuseok the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival? We cannot say decisively at present. The reasons are as follows.

First, Chuseok and the Mid-Autumn Festival differ in content. In the Mid-Autumn Festival, women perform ancestral rites and eat mooncakes, hanging a picture showing rabbits milling rice when the moon rises. Moreover, the Mid-Autumn Festival in China is not as celebratory as Chuseok in Korea. Second, the Mid-Autumn Festival was designated as a national holiday in 1203 when China proclaimed “Qingyuan tiaofa shilei”. Ennin recorded the August 15 holiday in 839, which shows a gap of 364 years with the Mid-Autumn Festival. There should be research into the changes over the course of 364 years to clarify whether Chuseok is the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival. However, it is an already established fact that Chuseok began earliest in Korea in East Asia and was their most celebratory holiday.