Have you ever heard of the Chinese Moon Festival, also known as the Mid Autumn Festival? It was on Monday, September 12th this year. It's a Chinese traditional celebration for the harvest and inspiring the moon. The moon is very full and bright that night. Families gather together for a union dinner and eat lots of appetizers and moon cakes.Accompanying the celebration, there are additional cultural or regional customs, such as children playing with lanterns, burning incense, and eating moon cakes which is the main part.
This festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese Calender, which is in September or early October in the Western Calender.
Do you know why we Chinese celebrate this festival?
There are different versions of how this Moon Festival came up, but mainly its because farmers and agriculture traders wants to celebrate the harvests.
Celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival is associated with the legend of Houyi and Sheung Ngor, the moon lady. This myth has been retold and passed down from generations. But one of the version is Sheung Ngor is an beautiful immortal, and Houyi, her husband is a skillful hunter and archer. But they were forced to live on Earth because Sheung Ngor is banished to live in Heaven.
At that time, there were 10 suns. The weather and temperature was extremely hot, and made difficulties for farmers and agriculture. Emperor Yao, the emperor of Heaven, asked Houyi to shoot down nine suns. After Houyi accomplished his mission Yao gave him, not only Yao is thankful, but citizens were too. Yao promised him for a reward.
Houyi was sent to Heaven to see Emperor Yao. Emperor Yao rewarded Houyi with a pill that granted eternal life. Emperor Yao advised Houyi not to swallow the pill immediately but instead to prepare himself by praying and fasting for a year before taking it.
Houyi took the pill home and hide it somewhere only Sheung Ngor and him knows.
But people in town heard about it, and they greed for the pill of immortality. One day, while Houyi's out and only Sheung Ngor was home, some burglar tries to steal it from Sheung Ngor.
Sheung Ngor swallowed it immediately and arised to the sky.
She then later lived on the moon and people would honor her by eating moon cakes.
One of the original moon cakes is made of lotus seed pastes and in the center is the salty egg yolk, which represents the bright moon.
This traditional celebration is still celebrated today, and will be passed on from generations and generations. If you have a chance, you should try the moon cake!
Thanks for this explanation and description of the event. I noticed the full moon from my patio that night, but didn't realize there were all these parties going on that I was missing.
ReplyDeleteI often think it's a shame we don't pay more direct attention to the moon and sun cycles. Back in the day, of course, those two guys were our only calendars, and EVERYBODY who wanted to know what season it was had to be an "amateur astronomer" to be able to keep track of where the moon and sun were and what their positions meant. At least, so I imagine. I sometimes wish I could look up at the sky and read information from it, but living an entire life under electric lights means I just look up and go, "Duhhh...pretty moon."