The Significance and Time of the Mid - Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival or simply Moon Festival, is a harvest festival celebrated by Chinese people on the 15th day of August on the lunar calendar when the moon is the fullest and roundest. It is a time of family reunion and typically members of the family will gather together and appreciate the bright moon while sharing mooncakes of various flavors. In Chinese holidays, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the most important next to the Spring Festival.
The Legend behind the Mid - Autumn Festival
There is a romantic but sad story about Hou Yi and Chang’e, which is regarded as the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Once upon a time, there were ten suns in the sky in the meantime; the Emperor of Heaven summoned Hou Yi to shoot down nine of the suns and leave only one. Hou Yi managed to do that and was to be rewarded with the elixir of immortality. Hou Yi met Chang’e, fell in love with and finally married her. Hou Yi wanted to be together with Chang’e forever, so he asked the Western Queen Mother for the elixir of life sufficient for two people. The Western Queen Mother agreed. Hou Yi and Chang’e planned to drink it together on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month when the moon was round and bright. But a wicked man named Feng Meng overheard them and wanted the elixir for himself. On the 15th day, before Hou Yi returned home from hunting, Feng Meng went to Hou Yi’s home and forced Chang’e to give him the elixir. Knowing that she could not stop Feng Meng, Chang’e drank the elixir all by herself. When Hou Yi came back, he found his wife had been lifted to Heaven.
The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival expresses people’s primitive understanding of the relationship between the Earth and the Moon, and the Moon, which only appears during the night, has become a symbol of yearning for families or lovers in the far- away place.
The Mooncake Tradition of the Mid - Autumn Festival
Making and sharing mooncakes is one of the hallmark traditions of this festival. In Chinese culture, a round shape symbolizes completeness and togetherness. Thus, the sharing of round mooncakes among family members signifies the completeness and unity of families.The mooncake is not merely a food. It’s a profound cultural tradition deep in Chinese people’s hearts and minds. At the Mid-Autumn Festival people eat mooncakes together with family, or present mooncakes to relatives or friends, to express love and best wishes.
Mooncakes typically measure around 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) across and up to 5 cm (2 inches) deep. Most mooncakes have a pastry skin enveloping a sweet, dense filling.
