Mid-autumn Festival

• The time of this festival

The festival is celebrated at the 15th day of the eighth lunar month in China. On this day, the moon is extremely bright and perfectly round. The festival represents the unity and leisure of the people, as well as the harvest of the nature.

• The legend of this festival

There are many legends about this festival. The most popular one among the Chinese people is ‘Hou Yi Shooting the Suns’.

 

The story goes that during the time of Yao (about 2,000 B.C.), there lived a talented archer named Houyi. One day ten suns appear in the sky at the same time. Their scorching heat withered the crops on the earth and made people unbearable. Ordered by Emperor Yao, Houyi shot nine of them out of the sky leaving only one. As a prize for this extraordinary feat, he was given a pill of immortality from the goddess. The pill, however, was stolen by his wife named Chang E. She ate it and flew off to the moon where she lived in solitude, only accompanied by a Jade Rabbit.

• Worshipping the Moon

The custom of worshipping the Moon can be traced back as far as Xia and Shang Dynasties (2000 B.C. – 1066 B.C). Today, Chinese people send their relatives and friends moon cakes as festival gift to extend their best wishes of union when the day is drawing near.

 

They are supposed to enjoy themselves under the silver moonlight outside eating the moon cakes and appreciating the full bright moon in the evening of the festival. If one of the family members is far away on duty and fail to come home at the festival, he or she will convey the homesickness and missing through the moon. Therefore, the moon has become a medium of communication and spiritual sustenance.

• The cultural meaning of this festival

To Chinese people today, it is not the romantic stories but the tradition of having family reunion on the festival that has a special appeal, because, as it might be difficult for the Westerners to understand.

 

In the view of Chinese people, the family is very important. Therefore, the Mid-autumn Festival will continue to hold a prominent place in China’s traditional festivals. Besides, the festival is also known as a festival of harvest since various kinds of fruits and grains become mature at this time.