The Moon Festival
The Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival, takes
place on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month -- normally late September. It
celebrates the biggest and brightest full moon of the year -- the harvest moon.
In northern China, crops are harvested early, since snow often falls by October.
The Moon Festival brings many traditions about the moon and roundness. Families
get together for large reunions -- representing roundness and completeness.
People have outdoor picnics and feasts where they admire the moon, light candles
and display lanterns. Round foods are also a favorite on this night --
especially mooncakes and fruit like grapes, Asian pears, oranges and pomello.
People praise the moon through poems and song, and children are told to look
for the face of Chang-O -- the lovely goddess who lives in the moon.
Chang-O, The Moon Goddess
People say there was once a strong and cruel archer named Ho Yi
who shot down nine suns in the heavens. One day, Hou Yi stole
a magic "long-life-never-die" potion from a goddess. However his
beautiful wife named Chang-O drank the potion in order to save
people from her husband's terrible rule. After drinking the potion, she floated
up to the moon. Although Hou Yi was cruel, he still loved his beautiful wife so
much that he didn't shoot down the moon.
Lanterns
On Mid-Autumn eve, it is a tradition for children to parade through parks and
gardens with beautifully colored lanterns. Long ago, lanterns were made of paper
or silk glued to thin bamboo frames, and were lit with a single candle. They
came in the shapes of goldfish, rabbits, butterflies, fruit and animals of the
Chinese zodiac. Today, you can buy plastic, battery-operated lanterns in just
about any shape or design, including Ultraman, Superman and Disney characters.
Some even play electronic music.
Mooncakes
The mid-Autumn festival would not be
complete without tasting moon cakes. Thousands of these cakes are sent as gifts
to family and friends. Traditional mooncakes were round, baked pastries, about 3
inches across, filled with lotus seed paste and a salted egg yolk (representing
the moon). Today, modern chefs have created many different types of fillings
like winter melon paste, red bean paste, mung bean paste, mixed nuts, dried
fruits, sesame, walnut, ham and other delicious ingredients -- both sweet and
salty. The cakes normally cost between US$2.50 and $6.00 each. Most Asian
markets or bakeries carry them during Mid Autumn Festival.
Moon Poetry
The moon is considered an object of great beauty and value. Many girls are named
after the moon, as well as many beautiful scenic spots. Poets have been writing
Mid-Autumn praises to the moon for centuries. A few favorites are listed below: