What is The Mid-Autumn Festival? Also known as "Moon Festival" or "Harvest Moon Festival" has been celebrated since the Shang Dynasty (1600 - 1046 BC), but became the festival known today during the early Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD). This year it falls on Monday, September 24th.
The emphasis of the Mid-Autumn festival is on moon worship to go with the earth tides which is often associated with fertility and giving birth.
The ethnic Zhuang People in Guangxi and Yunnan have an ancient fable saying: The sun and moon are a couple and the stars their children and when the moon is pregnant, it becomes round, and then becomes crescent after giving birth to a child.
Another commonly known fable is the story of the archer Hou Yi who were given the elixir of immortality due to the gods being impressed by his archery skills, when one day he shot down 9 of 10 rising suns. At a time of betrayal by his apprentice Peng Meng, Hou Yi's wife Chang'e drank the elixir of immortality and chose to be the closest celestial object "The Moon" to be near Hou Yi. (this fable has an alternate version in "Handbook of Chinese Mythology" where Hou Yi was a tyrrant who wanted to rule without death, his wife Chang'e drank the potion because she did not want the cruel king to live long and hurt more people. On the 15th of August, according to the lunar calendar, people offer cakes and sacrifice to Chang'e).
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Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone!
From everyone at Hui Xin campus
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