The Three Major Chinese Holidays - Mid-Autumn Festival
Monday, October 12, 2009
“When the moon is full, mankind is one” -- In China, the full moon has always been a representation of the gatherings of friends and family. The Mid-Autumn Festival is on August 15th in the lunar calendar. It’s a full-moon day, also called the Moon Festival. There are several legends about the Mid-Autumn Festival, but there are three roles that are the most familiar. The first one is Chang-O. Chang-O stole and swallowed the pill of immortality from Queen Mother of the West, who was an ancient Chinese goddess whose origin can be traced back to oracle bone inscriptions from the 15th century B.C.E. that record sacrifices to a "western mother." The pill was Chang-O’s husband Houyi, who was a mythological Chinese archer and leader of Dongyi. Chang-O swallowed the pill because she wanted to stop Houyi from becoming a tyrant and controlling the world forever. After she swallowed the pill of immortality, she flew to the moon and become a goddess. Since then, everyone has prayed to her for peace and health during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Although the moon was a lonely place without her husband, she did have some company: a jade rabbit, who manufactured elixirs. A woodcutter named Wu Kang is also on the moon and he tries to cut down the Cassia tree. If he can cut down the tree he can become a god, but as soon as he cuts into the tree it heals itself every time. Traditionally families will come together to have moon appreciation parties and eat moon cakes under the beautiful full moon. In the past 20 years barbecues have become the most popular activity for us to celebrate the Moon Festival. After delicious barbecues we have moon cakes and pomeloes for dessert. Sometimes we put pomelo rinds on one's head, which is quite funny. We end in a prayer for a wonderful and peaceful year as we sit in the cool night air.
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