The Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner, which falls on the 15th day of the 8th month in the lunar calendar when the moon is supposed to be at its fullest and roundest in the year. According to the Gregorian calendar, it falls on Sept.27th this year and the whole nation will enjoy a 2-day holiday lasting from Sept. 26th to Sept. 27th in celebration of the traditional festival in compliance with the Notification issued by the General Office of the State Council.
People in different places hold a variety of activities or events in observance of the festival which encourages family reunions, big feasts as well as enjoyment of the full moon.
As the 2nd most important holiday following the Spring Festival in Xiamen, the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated through the unique Mooncake Gambling throughout the city. Dated back to the Qing Dynasty to help relieve the troops of their homesickness, the Mooncake Gambling has been popular with people from all walks of life in Xiamen, ranging from official departments & companies to distribute welfare to their employees to department stores/shopping malls to contribute to promotions, with culture and recreation combined with each other.
Now let us move on to the rules and titles in relation with the Mooncake Gambling.
Complicated and Universal Rules
The easy Mooncake Gambling only requires a large porcelain bowl and 6 special dice, with pip colors composed of black and red. However, there are some complicated and universal rules that all players should go by. The players who surround a table in a circle should take turns to cast the 6 dice simultaneously into the bowl in clockwise. If any of the dice falls out of the bowl, the player is required to miss a turn. Also, if 6 dice of four-pip are rolled, the light has to be switched off and every player is allowed to seize as many prices as he or she can in the darkness. Generally speaking, the Gambling can last from half an hour to a couple of hours, dependent on when the last prize is awarded to the winner.
Different Ranks of Titles
The Mooncake Gambling has six ranks of titles, named after the winners in ancient imperial examinations, which are Xiucai, Juren, Jinshi, Tanhua, Bangyan, and Zhuangyuan respectively from the lowest level to the highest one. The pips the players get stand for the ranks of awards corresponding to the ranks of titles, which are closely related to the dice combinations (the number of the dice with four-pip in particular), with prizes varying from household appliances to shopping cards as time goes by.
A closer look at the different ranks of titles.
#1 Zhuangyuan, which can be further classified into 7 levels, including(from the highest level to the lowest one):
(1). Zhuangyuan with Golden Flower (4 dice with four-pip and 2 dice with one-pip)
(2). Hongliubo (6 dice with four-pip)
(3.) Yaodianliubo (6 dice with one-pip)
(4). Heiliubo (6 dice with the same pip, except fours)
(5). Wuhong (5 dice with four- pip)
(6). Wuzi (5 dice with the same pip, except fours)
(7). Sihong (4 dice with four- pip)
# 2 Duitang (A straight)
# 3 Sanhong ( 3 dice with four-pip)
# 4 Sijin (4 dice with the same pip, except fours)
# 5 Erju (2 dice with four-pip)
# 6 Yixiu (1 dice with four-pip)
As for Intech, the MoonCake Gambling is supposed to take place by the end of October this year. Please click here to be informed of any latest news.
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