Mid-Autumn Festival By Jean Hsiao

Family Reunions The moonlight of Mid-Autumn Festival brings warmth and ease to the hearts of the people of China. It is a time for family reunions.

Moon Appreciation Parties On the night of Moon Festival, families will go together to scenic spots and parks for moon appreciation parties in the cool night air and praying for a safe year.

Chang O Flees to the Moon It’s a legend about the festival. It is said that a long long time ago, there were ten suns in the sky. It was so hot that people had nothing to eat.

Hou Yi was a famous archer. He shot down nine of the suns, so people can live in peace and happiness. However, the ten suns were the Jade Emperor’s sons, so he was very angry. He sent away Hou yi and his wife Chang O.

The Western Goddess learned this and she took pity on Hou Yi. She gave him an elixir( 萬靈丹 ). But Chang O swallowed it greedily by herself. She became lighter and lighter and floated up into the sky.

Chang O was afraid that she would be laughed at, so she hid on the moon and built there a palace, “Cold Palace”, where she lives as the Lady of the Moon. It is believed that she floated to the moon on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. People offer prayer every year to the moon on that day to be in memory of the event.

The Story of Eating Moon cakes Moon cakes symbolize the gathering of friends and family. The story began in the Yuan dynasty.

The Han people got message written in a note in the cakes that they wanted to overthrow( 推翻 ) the Yuan on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. Since that time moon cakes have become a necessary part of the Mid Autumn Festival.

What Other Food Do You Eat? a persimmon a water chestnut a pomelo a pomegranate

What Other Activity Do You Do? B.B.Q? Play with lanterns?