The Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋節 is held on the 15th day of the eighth month
in the Chinese calendar, which is usually around late September or early
October in the Gregorian calendar.
It is a date that parallels the
autumnal equinox of the solar calendar, when the moon is supposedly at
its fullest and roundest. The traditional food of this festival is the moon cake, of which there are many different varieties.
The Moon Festival, we have discovered, is also a time for romance.
Romanics feel that lovers should spend time together at this
festival. They could spend a romantic night together tasting the
delicious moon cake with some wine while watching the full moon.
Will and Guy suggest that even if a couple can't be together, they
can still enjoy the night by watching the moon at the same time so it
seems that they are together at that hour.
Ancient Stories
The period of the Moon Festival is an excuse, if needed, to retell
legendary stories.
For example we have researches the legend which tells us that *Chang
Er flew to the moon, where she has lived ever since. Look closely and
you may see her dancing on the moon during the Moon Festival.
*The time of this story is around 2170 B.C. The earth once had ten
suns circling over it, each took its turn to illuminate to the earth.
One day all ten suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their
heat. The earth was saved by a strong and tyrannical archer Hou Yi. He
succeeded in shooting down nine of the suns.
One day, Hou Yi stole the elixir of life from a goddess. However his
beautiful wife Chang Er drank the elixir of life in order to save the
people from her husband's tyrannical rule. After drinking it, she found
herself floating and flew to the moon. Hou Yi loved his divinely
beautiful wife so much, he didn't shoot down the moon. For a
fuller version please look further on this page.
Family Time
The Moon Festival is also an occasion for family reunions. When the
full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon
cakes, and sing moon poems. The Chinese people love and enjoy the Moon
Festival, we have learned.
During the Yuan dynasty [AD.1280-1368] China was ruled by the
Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty
(A.D.960-1280) were unhappy at submitting to foreign rule, and set how
to coordinate the rebellion without it being discovered. The leaders of
the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered
the making of special cakes. Backed into each moon cake was a message
with the outline of the attack.
On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked
and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the
Ming dynasty [A.D. 1368-1644].
Nowadays moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend.
Moon cakes are typically round, symbolizing the full round moon of
the mid-autumn festival. The round moon cakes, measuring about three
inches in diameter and one and a half inches in thickness are made with
melon seeds, lotus seeds, almonds, minced meats, bean paste, orange
peels and lard. A golden yolk from a salted duck egg was placed at the
centre of each cake, and the golden brown crust was decorated with
symbols of the festival. A tasty morsel say Will and Guy.
There are many beautiful legends about the moon in China. The most
popular one tells how a goddess named Chang'e ascended to the moon.
A long, long time ago, a terrible drought plagued the earth. Ten suns
burned fiercely in the sky like smouldering volcanoes. The trees and
grass were scorched. The land was cracked and parched, and rivers ran
dry. Many people died of hunger and thirst.
The King of Heaven sent Hou Yi down to the earth to help. When Hou Yi
arrived, he took out his red bow and white arrows and shot down nine
suns one after another. The weather immediately turned cooler. Heavy
rains filled the rivers with fresh water and the grass and trees turned
green. Life had been restored and humanity was saved.
One day, a charming young woman, Chang'e makes her way home from a
stream, holding a bamboo container, A young man comes forward, asking
for a drink. When she sees the red bow and white arrows hanging from his
belt, Chang'e realises that he is their saviour, Hou Yi. Inviting him to
drink, Chang'e plucks a beautiful flower and gives it to him as a token
of respect. Hou Yi, in turn, selects a beautiful silver fox fur as his
gift for her. This meeting kindles the spark of their love. And soon
after that, they get married.
A mortal's life is limited, of course. So in order to enjoy his happy
life with Chang'e forever, Hou Yi decides to look for an elixir of life.
He goes to the Kunlun Mountains where the Western Queen Mother lives.
Out of respect for the good deeds the has done, the Western Queen
Mother rewards Hou Yi with elixir, a fine powder made from kernels of
fruit which grows on the tree of eternity. At the same time, she tells
him. 'If you and your wife share the elixir, you will both enjoy eternal
life. But if only one of you takes it, that one will ascend to Heaven
and become immortal.'
Hou Yi returns home and tells his wife all that has happened and they
decide to drink the elixir together on the 15th day of the eighth lunar
month when the moon is full and bright.
A wicked and merciless man named Feng Meng secretly hears about their
plan. He wishes Hou Yi an early death so that he can drink the elixir
himself and become immortal. His opportunity finally arrives. One day,
when the full moon is rising, Hou Yi is on his way home from hunting,
Feng Meng kills him. The murderer then runs to Hou Yi's home and forces
Chang'e to give him the elixir: without hesitating, Chang'e picks up the
elixir and drinks it all.
Overcome with grief, Chang'e rushes to her dead husband's side,
weeping bitterly. Soon the elixir begins to have its effect and Chang'e
feels herself being lifted towards Heaven.
Chang'e decides to live on the moon because it is nearest to the
earth. There she lives a simple and contented life. Even though she is
in Heaven, her heart remains in the world of mortals. Never does she
forget the deep love she has for Hou Yi and the love she feels for the
people who have shared their sadness and happiness.
In Addition To The Chinese Moon Festival in Autumn, There is
Also The New Year Lantern Festival.
The Lantern
Festival in China is very old; legend has it that there are many wonderful
stories about how the Lantern Festival first began. One story is
that in ancient times, people would go in search of spirits with burning
sticks. They thought the spirits could be seen during a full moon.
Another is about a lonely young girl, in Han times, who tricked an
emperor into having a wonderful festival just so she could visit her
family. The emperor apparently had such an excellent time, he
decided to make this festival an annual event.
According to one legend, from ancient times, a celestial swan came
into the mortal world where it was shot down by a hunter. The Jade
Emperor, the highest god in Heaven, vowed to avenge the swan. He started
making plans to send a troop of celestial soldiers and generals to Earth
on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, with orders to incinerate
all humans and animals.
However, the other celestial beings
disagreed with this course of action, and risked their lives to warn the
people of Earth. As a result, before and after the fifteenth day of the
first month, every family hung red lanterns outside their doors and set
off firecrackers and fireworks, giving the impression that their homes
were already burning. By successfully tricking the Jade Emperor in this
way, humanity was saved from extermination.
By T'ang times, many families simply set aside one evening, during
the first full moon after the new year, to honour the moon. They would
sit outside, and gaze up, in awe and delight.
Footnote Please write to Will and Guy if you have any
pictures of the
Chinese Moon Festival - Zhongqiujie.
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