22 As part of the celebrations, many organisations organise community festivities where senior citizens, children and adults alike are invited to partake in delicious mooncakes, go for moonlit walks, and watch traditional Chinese performances. The month of the festival is a popular time for family gatherings with traditional activities such as “moon viewing” ( shangyue) and lantern-carrying. In Chinese tradition and literature, a full moon symbolises completeness and is associated with family reunion. On this night, many houses are illuminated with lanterns, and feasts and dance parties are held on a grand scale. The Mid-autumn Festival is held in conjunction with the worship of the God of Heaven. The rebellion took place during the Mid-autumn Festival, and the celebration of the festival and eating of mooncakes took on a different meaning thereafter. Despite a prohibition against large gatherings, rebel leader Zhu Yuan Zhang was able to instigate a rebellion by placing secret messages in mooncakes. Mooncakes played a major role in the liberation of Yuan China (1206–1341 CE) from the Mongols in the 14th century. In gratitude, Buddha resurrected the rabbit and sent it to the moon to be venerated. The fox caught a fish for him, the monkey brought some fruits, but the rabbit threw itself into the fire, offering itself as meat. In this tale, Buddha disguised himself as a hungry old man and approached three animals – a fox, a monkey and a rabbit – for help. To prevent this, Chang-E swallowed the elixir, and was separated from Hou Yi forever. His disciple, Feng Meng, tried to force Chang-E to give it to him. 18 In another version of the tale, Hou Yi placed the elixir in Chang-E’s care. With a special talisman he was able to visit Chang-E on the 15th of every month, during the full moon. Upon eating the cake, he was able to withstand heat and was sent to the sun. Hou Yi, on the other hand, was given a cake by the Queen Mother of the Western Paradise ( Xi Wang Mu). 17 Chang-E then ascended to the moon and became the Moon Goddess. In his possession was the elixir of life, but Chang-E, his wife, stole the elixir and drank it. As a reward, he was chosen by the people to be their king but he later became tyrannical. Hou Yi – an archer and member of the Imperial Guard 16 – was said to have saved the earth from scorching when he shot down nine of the 10 suns circling the planet. 14 Another popular story about the Mid-autumn Festival is the moon rabbit. 13 This myth is said to have originated from storytellers in the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE), and even as far back as the time of Emperor Yao (2346 BCE). 12Īmong the Chinese, the most popular of all the tales connected with the Mid-autumn Festival is that of Chang-E, also known as the Moon Lady, and her husband Hou Yi. 11 It was during the reign of Emperor Tai (Northern Song dynasty) that the 15th day of the eighth month was designated as mid-autumn’s day. Legends associated with the full moon became attached to this festival. 10 Most scholars believe that the Mid-autumn Festival first appeared during the Song dynasty, derived from the tradition of worshipping the moon. The festival started more than 2,000 years ago as a post-autumn harvest celebration, which was devoted to thanking the gods. The day of the Mid-autumn Festival is traditionally thought to be auspicious for weddings, as the moon goddess is believed to extend conjugal bliss to couples. 8 The festival also coincides with the end of the autumn harvest, marking the end of the Hungry Ghost Festival, which occurs during the seventh lunar month. 7 The Mid-autumn Festival is associated with the moon and “moon appreciation” ( shangyue) parties, particularly because the moon is at its brightest during this time. 6 Shaped round like the full moon, mooncakes signify reunion. The full moon is considered a symbol of reunion, as such the Mid-autumn Festival is also known as the Reunion Festival. 4 Moon-viewing parties is one way to enjoy the occasion, with family and friends sitting in gardens lit by paper lanterns, sipping tea, nibbling on mooncakes, and if so inspired, composing poetry in venerable Tang Dynasty fashion. 3 The custom of offering sacrifices to the moon has been replaced by celebrating the festival with family and friends. 2 These days, however, it has become more common to give mooncakes as gifts than to eat them during the festival. 1 In Singapore, mooncakes and lanterns are offered for sale as early as a month before the festival. It is called the Mid-autumn Festival because the 15th day is the middle of a month, and the eighth lunar month is in the middle of autumn. The Mid-autumn Festival (or Zhong Qiu Jie in Mandarin), also known as the Mooncake Festival, falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month.
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