Mid-Autumn Festival, the Most Romantic Holiday of The Middle Kingdom

However, Chang'e had an attachment to her husband, so she came down to the moon, which is the closest to earth. She lived in a barren moon palace, with only a laurel tree and a jade rabbit for company.

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By Li Mei, Emiko Kingswell

September 7, 2024
4:51 pm
Los Angeles, CA

“Raising my head to look at the bright moon, lowering my head to think of my hometown.”

Li Bai

The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second largest traditional festival, after the Lunar New Year. It is one of the most humane and poetic traditional Chinese festivals, and has been celebrated for over 3,000 years, long before the Chinese Communist Party took control the Mainland China. Origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival According to historical records, the word “Mid-Autumn Festival” first appeared in the Confucian classic Zhou Li, and was an ancient custom in China. During the Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046 BC – 256 BC) emperors had the custom of making a sacrifice to the sun at spring equinox, to the earth at summer solstice, to the moon at autumn equinox and to the sky at winter solstice. It wasn’t until the early Tang Dynasty (618 – 907) that

Origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival

According to historical records, the word “Mid-Autumn Festival” first appeared in the Confucian classic Zhou Li, and was an ancient custom in China. During the Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046 BC – 256 BC) emperors had the custom of making a sacrifice to the sun at spring equinox, to the earth at summer solstice, to the moon at autumn equinox and to the sky at winter solstice. It wasn’t until the early Tang Dynasty (618 – 907) that the Mid-Autumn Festival became a regular custom. Records from the time show that the celebration was on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. However, its popularity increased in the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279), making it one of the major festivals in Ancient China.

The fifteenth day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar lies in the second month of autumn, known as “mid-autumn”. Hence the names, “Mid-Autumn Festival” or “August Festival”. The full moon tends to be exceptionally bright, large and round at that time of year; the ancients considered it a symbol of reunion, thus bringing about another name, “Reunion Festival” in the Ming Dynasty.

“August 15 is called Mid-Autumn Festival, when folk send moon cakes to each other, symbolizing reunion,” says the West Lake Tourism Chronical. “At the August 15 moon festival, the cake must be round… petals carved like a lotus flower… women return to the home and to the husband; it’s the reunion festival,” says the Imperial Capital Scenic Spectacle.

The festival’s customs and activities probably began in the Wei and Jin dynasties, but perhaps not practiced widely. Around the Tang Dynasty, Mid-Autumn moon appreciation became popular, and many literati and writers wrote poems about the moon. There was the poet Li Bai, who wrote, “Raising my head to look at the bright moon, lowering my head to think of my hometown.” The poet Du Fu wrote, “The dew is white from tonight, the moon is bright in my hometown.” The Song Dynasty poet Wang Anshi wrote, “The spring breeze is greening again on the banks of the south of the river, and when will the bright moon shine on me again? When will the bright moon shine on my return?” When enjoying the moon in mid-autumn, the moon is full in the sky; when thinking of one’s hometown, it is bittersweet. People have sung such poems for thousands of years.

There are also some interesting couplets for enjoying the Mid-Autumn moon, such as:

The moon is full in the sky,

The moon is half-full on earth,

And the moon is full at the half of the moon;

The end of the year is at the end of this night,

The beginning of the year is at the end of tomorrow,

And the end of the year is at the beginning of the year.

The Song Dynasty’s Mid-Autumn Folklore Festival, centered on moon viewing, officially designated activities for the Mid-Autumn Festival. During the Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, moon appreciation and celebration spread on a larger scale between the court and folk of China. On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, people would amuse themselves with riddles, compose poems, and gather with friends and family—a reunion accompanied by clear, bright moonlight and blessed by moon cakes. There were also activities involving dancing dragons and laying pagodas.

The Mid-Autumn Mooncake

On the Mid-Autumn Festival, people eat mooncakes—also known as hu cake, palace cake, moon dough, harvest cake, reunion cake—to show that they are “reunited”. The moon cake may initially have been a sacrifice to worship the moon god. It gradually became a custom to enjoy the moon and the taste of moon cakes, as a symbol of family reunion. Mooncakes have now become a necessary gift when gathering in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Wu Zimu of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 – 1279) mentioned mooncakes in the Dream Sorghum Records. However, the description of Mid-Autumn Festival, with people enjoying the moon and mooncakes is found more so in the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). “August 15 is called the Mid-Autumn Festival, the folk to the mooncake… to take the reunion,” records the West Lake Excursion Chronicle.

There are even more records of the mooncake in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912) and the production became increasingly refined. The proverb, “The moon is full on the 15th day of the 8th month, and the mooncake is fragrant and sweet during the Mid-Autumn Festival”, reflects the festivities of the time. As well as mooncakes and seasonal fruits, sweet osmanthus cakes, symbolizing “reunion” and richly decorated with patterns of osmanthus trees, rabbits or the moon, became a part of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Family elders cut the cake into portions and gave one to each member of the family. A piece would also be cut for any family members who weren’t present, therefore symbolizing the reunion of the whole family.

Chang’e Runs to the Moon

When it comes to the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is a well-known and beautiful legend that accompanies it, called Chang’e Runs to the Moon.

The ancient text Huainanzi says, “In the time of Yao, ten suns came out together, scorching the crops and killing the grass and trees. While the people had nothing to eat, Yao made Yi shoot the ten suns.” Legend has it that these ten suns were the ten sons of the eastern sky emperor, Di Jun, who lived in Yanggu, overseas in the east. Every day, the sons took turns to go out on duty, but day after day, they grew bored and wanted to play. One day, they thought of a new game–the ten suns would rise together into the sky. The heat scorched the land, seedlings and trees withered, rivers dried, and people became breathless and hungry, and hid in caves. They dared not come out, or they be killed by the scorching suns. Yao was so desperate that he knelt down and prayed to the heavens. So Emperor Jun sent the divine archer Hou Yi down to earth to scare his sons.

Yi received the order and brought his wife Chang’e with him to earth. He saw the scorched earth, with its clouds of dust and people dying everywhere of heat. He held fire and shouted to the suns, “Go back! Stop it! The earth is in great trouble!” However, the playing suns paid no attention to him. Yi had no choice but to draw his bow and shoot nine of the suns, leaving only one in the sky. The weather regained its moderate climate, and the people, grateful to Hou Yi, resumed their peaceful lives.

After shooting the nine suns, Hou Yi and his wife Chang’e were unable to return to the heavens, and had no choice but to live on earth. Yi could not bear to see Chang’e living like a mortal until death. He heard that the Queen Mother of the West had the elixir of immortality, so he went to beg for it. The Queen Mother sympathized with him very much and generously gave him the elixir of immortality. If two people consumed the elixir together, they could live forever, and if one consumed it alone, that person could ascend to heaven, becoming a god. Hou Yi brought the elixir home to Chang’e and asked her to keep it safe, wanting to pick an auspicious day for the two of them to consume it together.

Unexpectedly, Hou Yi’s disciple Feng Meng found out about the elixir. Yi thought Feng Meng an honest man and had taught him archery, but he turned out to be cunning. When Yi was out, Feng Meng forced Chang’e to hand over the elixir of immortality. Chang’e, in a moment of crisis, took out the elixir and consumed it all. Her body immediately began flying towards the sky. However, Chang’e had an attachment to her husband, so she came down to the moon, which is the closest to earth. She lived in a barren moon palace, with only a laurel tree and a jade rabbit for company.

When Hou Yi returned home, the crying maids told him everything. He was overwhelmed with grief and looked up at the night sky, calling Chang’e’s name. He was surprised to find the moon particularly full and bright, with a swaying figure there, resembling Chang’e. Hou Yi ordered his men to set up incense and a lantern as a symbol of Chang’e, and gave, as an offering, her favorite honey and fresh fruits.

People later heard that the kind Chang’e had become an immortal on the moon, and burned incense under moonlight to pray for her, and hope she brings good luck and peace.

Henceforth, the custom of paying homage to the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival spread among the people.