Just this past Thursday, the Mid-Autumn Festival occurred. In one of the festive videos I watched, people were doing a survey asking for the origin of this festival. I realised that almost all of the people from the survey didn’t know/misunderstood the origin of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. Therefore, today, I’m gonna share with you some brief facts about the festival.
History & Origin The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival celebrated by many different East and Southeast Asian people. Its history dates back to approximately 3,000 years ago, when China's emperors worshipped the moon for bountiful harvests. The festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese Lunisolar Calendar with a full moon at night. On this day, the Chinese believe that the moon is at its brightest and fullest size, coinciding with harvest time in the middle of Autumn. An important part of the festival celebration is moon worship. The ancient Chinese believed in rejuvenation being associated with the moon and water, and connected this concept to the menstruation of women, calling it "monthly water". In China, the Mid-Autumn festival symbolizes the family reunion and on this day, all families will appreciate the moon in the evening, because it is the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest. There is a beautiful myth about the Mid-Autumn festival, that is Chang'e flying to the moon.
In the ancient past, there was a hero named Hou Yi was excellent at archery. His wife was Chang'e. One year, the ten suns rose in the sky together, causing great disaster to the people. Yi shot down nine of the suns and left only one to provide light. An immortal admired Yi and sent him the elixir of immortality. Yi did not want to leave Chang'e and be immortal without her, so he let Chang'e keep the elixir. However, Peng Meng, one of his apprentices, knew this secret. So, on the fifteenth of August in the Chinese lunisolar calendar, when Yi went hunting, Peng Meng broke into Yi's house and forced Chang'e to give the elixir to him. Chang'e refused to do so. Instead, she swallowed it and flew into the sky. Since she loved her husband and hoped to live nearby, she chose the moon for her residence. When Yi came back and learned what had happened, he felt so sad that he displayed the fruits and cakes Chang'e liked in the yard and gave sacrifices to his wife. People soon learned about these activities, and since they also were sympathetic to Chang'e they participated in these sacrifices with Yi.
Celebrations
On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, people from the south east parts of China celebrates this day by eating mooncakes(2)and going out with lanterns(1), admiring the full moon. There are different kinds of lanterns, the original ones made with paper and fire, and the newer versions of plastic and printed with different patterns and fictional characters. Kids also asks and answers different puzzles and competes with who can get the most answers right. For decorations, a lot of mid autumn parties put puzzles on top of some lanterns put on the ceiling and create fun games.
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That’s it for the introduction of the Chinese Mid- Autumn Festival. For more information on this festival, check out this website https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival#Origins_and_development. Origin Credits to the writer. Anyways, until the next post, bye friends!