Can literary reviews ｜ Can the square "moon cake" be called moon cakes?

Cover reporter Liu Kexin

Mid -Autumn Festival is here. One or two months in advance, many businesses have begun to warm up, and all kinds of moon cake advertisements are covered with streets and alleys. In the past two years, the mooncakes have not had the new momentum of the taste in the past few years. Instead, they focus on the appearance and joint name. Some "Mid -Autumn Festival Gift Boxes" make good look, but the taste is hard to say, and consumers bluntly say: Buy the beads. Some Mid -Autumn Festival "moon cakes", although the name is moon cakes, but the shape is made into a square, which is confusing: Is the square moon cake still moon cake?

The square "moon cake" sold by a brand

First of all, understand what moon cakes are. The term "moon cake" first appeared in the notes "Dream Liang Lu" written by Wu Zimu in the Song Dynasty. But at that time, it was the same as that of four -color steamed buns, fine stuffing big buns, leaf cakes, hibiscus cakes, chrysanthemum cakes, opening cakes, etc. And in the "Mid -Autumn Festival" custom records, Wu Zimu did not mention "moon cakes". It can be seen that the initial moon cake is not what we know now, representing family reunion and beauty.

Although when the moon cakes are combined with the meaning of Yuanyue and reunion, there are divergent opinions, but the Ming Dynasty's "Emperor Jing Scenery" has written: "August 15th sacrifice the moon, its sacrifice cake will be round." A "Delivery Zhongzhi" records more clearly: "In the August Palace, the palace appreciated the begonia and the jade. Since the first day of the presence, there are moon cakes. For mooncakes and fruits, after the moon burning incense, they drink it, and they will be scattered at night. If there are leftover moon cakes, they will still be collected in the dry and cool place. Also. "At this time, the moon cake has been clarified as a circle, and the use of the moon on August 15th is also connected with the meaning of" reunion ".

Although semi -circular and crescents are the shape of the moon, they have never become the shape of "moon cake". This is because only the circular moon cakes symbolize the beauty of reunion. In the hundreds of years of folk memory, it carries people's beautiful expectations for "flowers in the garden". This is also one of the most important spiritual connotations of the Mid -Autumn Festival.

However, in the propaganda of certain brands, "square moon cakes" have become the focus of its uniqueness. "Have you seen the square moon cakes" and "the first food -shaped moon cake", these topics make people feel helpless and funny. Of course, we have never seen the square moon cakes sold, because the round moon cakes symbolize the reunion! The square "moon cake" can only be regarded as a snack at best, which is very different from the moon cakes in folk customs. The merchants who want to make a square "moon cake" can also understand that others can also do the square "moon cakes", but they are all respecting the traditional culture and folk customs, and they will not cross the connotation and pursue their appearance.

The Mid -Autumn Festival Gift Box of a brand with the "Harry Potter" series

In addition to the use of square "moon cakes" to advertise innovative merchants, many merchants have launched joint Mid -Autumn Festival gift boxes in the Mid -Autumn Festival. Some cooperate with beverages, cooperate with coffee brands, and cooperate with illustrator and movie IP. Among them, the joint name of a brand and "Harry Potter" IP.

When this series of gift boxes were first launched, it was actually praise from the entire network. Because of many "Harry Potter" joint names in recent years, this series of gift boxes are indeed exquisite and careful. Whether it is the shape of the monster book, the wand made into a pen, or the degree of restoration of snacks, it has surprised the "Harry Potter" series enthusiasts.

Werewolf image in Harry Potter series

However, when the brand played the theme of the "Mid -Autumn Festival Gift Box", it seemed that it did not consider whether it was appropriate. In the traditional Chinese culture, the Mid -Autumn Festival on August 15th is a poetic night of the moon, and it is also the time for family members to reunite and trust. However, in the "Harry Potter" series of books, the full moon night is a horrible night of the werewolf transformation and losing rational. It was also on this night that Voldemort's followers returned to him to help him get back to Dongshan, causing the magic world to fall into the dark again. Although this is just a matter of differences in the east -west culture, in the traditional festival, especially the Mid -Autumn Festival festivals with special significance, merchants may think about whether there are more suitable methods to inherit and carry forward traditional culture.

There are tens of millions of celebrations of traditional festivals, the most important of which must be the spirit of culture and the inheritance of the core, rather than the "opportunity" of jointly and money.

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