Mid-autumn.doc

Mid-Autumn FestivalThe Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in China. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the 15th day of the 8th month is the exact middle of autumn, hence it is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is an evening celebration when families gather together to light lanterns, eat moon cakes and appreciate the round moon.The festival dates back more than 2,000 years. For thousands of years, the Chinese peoplehave related the vicissitudes of life - joy and sorrow, parting and reunion - to changes of the moon as it waxes and wanes. Ancient Chinese chose the morning of the lunar February 15 to worship the sun and the night of the lunar August 15 to worship the full moon. This ancient custom became prevalent in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and extremely popular during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.On the night of the lunar August 15, the moon appears to be at its roundest and brightest. The full moon is a symbol for family reunion, which is why the day is also known as the Festival of Reunion.After a family reunion dinner, many people like to go out to attend special performances in parks or in public squares. Night falls, and the land is bathed in silver moonlight. Families set up tables in their courtyards or sit together on their balconies, chatting and eating moon cakes and fruit. Together, they enjoy the enchanting spell of night. Special FoodPeople in different parts of China have different ways to celebrate the festival. But one traditional custom is definitely shared by all the Chinese - eating moon cakes.Moon cakes are round pastries shaped like the moon, about an inch in height. Inside, they are filled with lotus seeds, red bean paste, orange peel, melon seeds, ham, dried flower petals, and salted ducks egg yolk. The surface of the food is patterned with clouds, the moon, and the rabbit.It symbolizes the reunions of families and couples. The exchanging of gifts during the mid autumn festival is a hospitable custom and lovers also give moon cakes as presents to show their passion.Nowadays, moon cakes with their various flavors and delicate packaging actually have become a kind of artwork. People can also get artistic pleasure while enjoying the food. LegendIn Chinese fairy tales, the fairy Changer, a wood cutter named Wu Gang and a jade rabbit which is Changers pet, all lived on the moon.There are many beautiful legends about the moon in China. The most popular one tells how a goddess named Changer ascended to the moon.A long, long time ago, a terrible drought plagued the earth. Ten suns burned fiercely in the sky like smoldering volcanoes. The trees and grass were scorched. The land was cracked and parched, and rivers dried up. 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 was restored and humanity was saved.One day, a charming young woman Changer made her way home from a stream, holding a bamboo container. A young man came toward her, asking for a drink. When she saw the red bow and white arrows hanging round his belt, Changer realized that he was their savior, Hou Yi. Inviting him to drink, Changer plucked a beautiful flower and gave it to him as a token of respect. Hou Yi, in turn, selected a beautiful silver fox fur as his gift for her. This meeting kindled the spark of their love. And soon after that, they got married.A mortals life is limited, of course. So in order to enjoy his happy life with Changer forever, Hou Yi decided to look for an elixir of life. He went to the Kunlun Mountains where the Western Queen Mother lived.Out of respect for the good deeds he had done, the Western Queen Mother rewarded Hou Yi with the elixir, a fine powder made from kernels of fruit that grew on the tree of eternity. At the same time, she told him that if he and his wife shared the elixir, they would both enjoy eternal life; but if only one of them took it, that one would ascend to Heaven and become immortal.Hou Yi returned home and told his wife all that had happened and they decided to drink the elixir together on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month when the moon was full and bright.A wicked and merciless man named Feng Meng overheard their plan. He wished Hou Yi an early death so that he could drink the elixir himself and become immortal. His opportunity finally arrived. One day, when the full moon is rising, Hou Yi was on his way home from hunting. Feng Meng killed him. The murderer then ran to Hou Yis home andforced Changer to give him the elixir. Without hesitating, Changer picked up the elixir and drank it all.Overcome with grief, Changer rushed to her dead husbands side, weeping bitterly. Soon the elixir began to have its effect and Changer felt herself being lifted towards heaven.Changer decided to live on the moon because it was the nearest to the earth. There she lived a simple and contented life. Even though she was in heaven, her heart remained in the world of mortals. Never did she forget the deep love she had for Hou Yi and the love she felt for the people who had shared their sadness and happiness.It is said that Changer transformed herself into brilliant moonlight and descended to earth to offer good fortune. Thus, couples swear their mutual love under the full moon while separated lovers pray for reunion under the full moon.Another legend explained the role of the Old Man on the Moon, the Divine Match-maker. The Chinese believed that marriages were made in Heaven but prepared on the moon. The Old Man on the Moon tied the feet of young men and women with red cords for marriages. Thus a maiden made offerings and prayed to him during the Mid-Autumn Festival, hoping that some day she would ride in the red bridal sedan chair. Story of the Moo