The Story Behind Mid-Autumn Festival a.k.a Mooncake Festival

As we all know, Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the eight month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Therefore, in the year 2017, Mid-Autumn Festival will be held on October 4, 2017. Many will ask... What is this Mooncake Festival... Why are people celebrating the Mooncake Festival... Is it related to the moon??

Well, in you search through the internet, you could find a few versions of folklore about the origins of this festival... However, I will share the one that is the most widely known folklore about this festival.

According to a Chinese legend, there was a time when 10 suns hung in the sky, baking the earth dry, and depriving the people of water and life. A hero named Hou Yi climbed to the top of Kunlun Mountain and shot down 9 of the 10 suns with his bow and arrows, thus saving the people on Earth.

One day, Hou Yi encountered the Lady Queen Mother and received the elixir of immortality from her. The elixir, when taken, would allow one to become an immortal and live in the heavens. Hou Yi gave the elixir to his wife, Chang’e, for safekeeping.

A neighbor learned of the elixir of immortality and tried to forcefully take it from Chang’e while Hou Yi was away. In a moment of desperation, Chang’e swallowed the potion and immediately became a Goddess and flew into the sky. Because she still cared so much for her husband, she landed on the place closest to Earth, the moon.

When Hou Yi returned and found his wife gone, he was devastated. As he looked up to the sky to call out her name, he saw that the moon that night was especially bright and full and he caught a glimpse of Chang’e.

He immediately brought out Chang’e’s favorite cakes to pray for blessings from Heaven. Since then, it became a tradition for people to worship Heaven and celebrate with moon cakes on that day. Thus, the Moon Festival became well-known among the Chinese.

Therefore, during this night, we will be making offerings (to name a few : mooncakes, devil's nuts (ling kok) and taro) to Chang'e and had a wonderful family reunion at the porch of our house overlooking the moon and you might not know. Maybe you can spot Chang'e at the moon.