The Moon Festival

Last week was witness to one of the biggest festivals celebrated in China: the Moon Festival. Also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, this holiday is most easily compared to the American Thanksgiving. An evening of reunion, celebration, and of course good food, this festival is incredible. I have some background knowledge of Chinese language and culture (just two years), so this kind of stuff tends to be super cool for me. My wall is home to many post-it notes with Chinese characters and pinyin on them—just a little fascinated.

What is the Moon Festival about anyway? As with many other traditions in East Asian culture, there is a legend. A long time ago, there was a hero named Hou Yi. When ten suns rose into the sky, he shot nine of them down with his bow and arrow. Having saved the people from a terrible fate, Hou Yi was given an elixir to grant him eternal life. Not wanting to live forever without his wife, Chang’e, Hou Yi gave Chang’e the elixir to keep. While out hunting, a thief breaks into Hou Yi’s home, attempting to pry away the elixir. Chang’e refuses to hand it over, and drinks it. She then flew off, making the Moon her home, so she could watch over her husband. People offered up sacrifices, thanking Chang’e for her bravery.

This festival also occurs around the time of the harvest. When there is a good harvest, people gather, make food, and celebrate. This, mixed with the legend of Chang’e, provides a sort of framework to modern-day ways of celebrating this holiday. First, the moon. This festival is called the Moon Festival because it takes place on the eighth moon of the lunar calendar. The full moon is often tied to rejuvenation, as Chang'e is a goddess of immortality. All over Chinese culture, the moon holds quite a high importance. The sacrifices offered up to Chang’e in the legend were fruits and cake. This brings me to the Moon Cake, a traditional food eaten on this festival. 

Might I add that red bean filling is my favorite?

Last weekend, I attended a biweekly summer event called Waterfire, native event in Rhode Island. The river going through the city of Providence is filled with floating fire pits: fire out of its natural environment. The whole event brings together people from all over the world, and of course featured a Chinese group. There were dragon dances performed, and lions dancing in the streets (they were awesome, by the way. A couple of my friends performed). With the fire in the river, the waning full moon in the dark sky, and dumpling in hand, there was certainly an air of romanticism in the air.