![]() Thinking of his wife day and night, Hou Yi then had an incense table arranged in the back garden that Chang'er loved. But as he ran, the moon retreated as he withdrew, the moon came back. He tried his best to chase after the moon. When Hou Yi returned home at dark and learned from the maidservants what had happened, he was overcome with grief. Hou Yi looked up into the night sky and called out the name of his beloved wife when, to his surprise, he found that the moon was especially clear and bight and on it there was a swaying shadow that was exactly like his wife. As soon as she swallowed the elixir her body floated off the ground, dashed out of the window and flew towards heaven. She turned round to open her treasure box, took the elixir and swallowed it. Aware that she was unable to defeat Peng Meng, Chang'er made a prompt decision at that critical moment. One day when Hou Yi led his disciples to go hunting, Peng Meng, sword in hand, rushed into the inner chamber and forced Chang'er to hand over the elixir. Chang'er hid the parcel in a treasure box at her dressing table when, but was unexpectedly seen by Peng Meng. So he gave the elixir to Chang'er for safe-keeping. Hou Yi, however, hated to part with his wife. Empress Wangmu presented to him a parcel of elixir, by taking which, it was said, one would ascend immediately to heaven and become a celestial being. ![]() Hou Yi had a beautiful wife named Chang'er. For this reason, he was respected and loved by the people. He also ordered the last sun to rise and set according to time. A hero named Hou Yi ascended to the top of the Kunlun Mountain, drew his extraordinary bow and shot down the nine superfluous suns one after another. In China, Singapore and Taiwan and all parts of the world where the Chinese celebrate this festival, parents will light colourful paper lanterns in the shape of animals such for children to carry them on the end of a stick after dinner and walk around the courtyard.Īccording to, folklore about the origin of the festival go like this: In remote antiquity, there were ten suns rising in the sky, which scorched all crops and drove people into dire poverty. ![]() Eating moon cakes with their pastry skin filled with sweet lotus paste and a round salted duck’s egg yolk, which resemble the moon is a must during this time. Families often cut the mooncake into wedges, and share its rich sweet flavour as they admire the moon and drink tea. A major part of the festivities centre on admiration of the moon, which at this time of year is usually round and yellow, like a giant egg yolk. The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival, takes place on the eve of the first full moon during the 8th month on the lunar calendar. J walked around the courtyard carrying his lanterns several rounds with the other children and towards the end, alone for 2 rounds. After dinner, we lighted the lanterns and walked around the courtyard, as we did when we were children on top of a hill. It brought back many fond memories of my childhood carrying those lanterns, and I am very glad to introduce it to J. In Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, it’s sometimes referred to as the Lantern Festival, (not to be confused with a similar celebration during the Chinese New Year), but whatever name it goes by, the centuries-old festival remains a beloved annual ritual celebrating an abundance of food and family.This year, we celebrated the Chinese Mid-Autumn with J for the first time. The festival dates back to the Tang dynasty in 618 A.D., and as with many celebrations in China there are ancient legends closely associated with it. ![]() It is also a romantic night for lovers, who sit holding hands on hilltops, riverbanks and park benches, captivated by the brightest moon of the year! During the Mid-Autumn Festival, children are delighted to stay up past midnight, parading multi-colored lanterns into the wee hours as families take to the streets to moon-gaze. Chinese people believe that on that day, the moon is the roundest and brightest signaling a time of completeness and abundance. The Harvest Moon or Mid-Autumn Festival ( Zhong Qiu Jie) is a day of family reunions much like a Western Thanksgiving. This year, the Mid-Autumn festival falls on Monday, September 12, 2011. The date in the Western calendar changes annually. In China and throughout many Asian countries people celebrate the Harvest Moon on the 15th day of the eighth month of their lunar calendar. ![]()
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