August Moon Festival

[NZBC]

Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Festival takes place on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Chinese people believe that on that day, the moon is the biggest, roundest and brightest. And the term round implies family reunion in Chinese. So the Moon Festival is a festival for members of a family to get together wherever it is possible. Sons and daughters will bring their family members back to their parents' house, typically having dinner together, for a reunion.

What to do?
Before the moon festival, we have to give gifts to our relatives. Oh yes, you are required to give gifts to your relatives in most of the major Chinese festivals, like Chinese New Year, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, You have to give at least one box of moon cakes to your relatives (per family). If you have lots of brothers, sisters, uncles, in-laws and relatives, it will add up a lot. Also, the more egg yolk the more presentable as a gift and the more expensive it is. Besides mooncake, you can/should even give other food items like Chinese preserved meat sausages and season fruit like star fruit. Pocket money for the senior relatives to buy something they like if they are very close to you.

If you have children, you have to buy them paper moon lanterns. (see lanterns )

On the 14 of lunar August, one day before the moon festival evening, we call this evening the "Moon Welcoming". The moon has almost reached it's roundest and fullest shape. You may start to walk about on the streets with your lantern.

On the 15 of lunar August, the moon festival, the moon is in the best shape this night. Families will get together to have dinner for a reunion. Problem arise if you are married. Which parents should the couple have dinner with on this night? Maybe it depends whether the husband or wife is more subservient or easy-going. <GRIN> Or one can simply have dinner with one parents-in-law on the Saturday before the festival and Sunday for another parents-in-law and not to see them on the festival day. In this case, no one will be upset.

ok.. after we have sorted out the gifts and dinner arrangement, we can enjoy the festival at last. You can either stay at home sitting by the balcony or you can go on to the streets with your lanterns. It's also an excuse for children to play with candles. "Wax-boiling" in an empty moon-cake tin is one favourite activity though it leaves a big mess on the street and the beach! :-(

On the 16 of lunar August, the day after moon festival, people still go on the street or beaches to admire the moon. We called it "Moon chasing".

[NZBC]

The Legend of the Moon Festival

by Thomas W. Chinn, Historian


Originally named the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Moon Festival is one of the most important holidays celebrated by Chinese communities around the world.

Traditionally, it is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month in observance of the bountiful Autumn harvest. Although old rituals are no longer followed, families continue to gather for a day to relax and eat moon cakes. Upon this occasion, the legend of the Moon Goddess, CHANG-O, is often told to children.
Once upon a time there was a famous archer, Hou Yi, who with his arrows was able to slay mankind¡¯s worst enemies, ferocious beasts that inhabited the earth. Yi was married to Chang-O, a beautiful but inquisitive woman who had been an attendant of the queen mother of the west before her marriage. Now at this time, there were 10 suns that took turns circling the earth-one every 10 days. One day, all 10 of the orbs circled, together, causing the earth¡¯s surface to burn and threatening mankind. The wise emperor of China summoned Yi and commanded him to kill but one of the suns. This Yi proceeded to do. Upon the completion of his task, Yi was rewarded with a pill, the elixir of life, and advised: "make no haste to swallow this pill, but first prepare yourself with prayer and fasting for a year." Being a wise man, Yi took the pill home and hid it under a rafter while he began healing his spirit, In the midst of this, Yi was summoned again by the emperor.

While her husband was gone, Chang-O noticed a beam of white light beckoning from the rafter. She followed it and a fragrant perfume, discovered the pill and swallowed it. Immediately, Chang-O found she could fly. Just at that moment her husband returned home, realize what had happened and began to reprimand his wife. Chang-O flew out the window into the sky. Yi sped after her, bow in hand, and the pursuit continued halfway across the heavens. Finally, Yi had to return to the earth because of the force of the wind.

His wife reached the moon and there, breathless, she coughed and part of the pill fell from her mouth. Now, the hare was already on the moon and Chang-O commanded the animal to take pestle and mortar and pound another pill so that she return to earth and her husband. The hare is still pounding.

As for Yi, he built himself a palace in the sun as Yang (the sun and the male principle), Chang-O as Yin (the moon and the female principle).

Once a year, on the 15th day of the full moon, Yi visits his wife. That is why the moon is full and beautiful on that night.