Mooncake Festival

This past weekend was the mid-autumn festival, which is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calender. This is the festival where families get together to eat mooncakes and the children would light lanterns. There are also many legends about the origins of this festival.

This version one of my favourites:

"There was once a time when there were 10 suns encircling the earth which caused the earth to burn. So the Emperor of the Heavens, asked Houyi, a divine archer, to shoot down the all the suns. He shot down 9 and spared 1 sun to provide light and warmth. Thus saving the earth. The Emperor, was upset that Houyi didn't complete his task and banished him from the heavens to live as a mortal.

On earth, he met and fell in love with Chang Er, a beautiful girl, whom he married. One day, on one of his journeys, he met the Queen Mother of the West and built for her a palace. Touched by his good works, she gave him the Elixir of Immortality. However, Houyi didn't want to live forever if his wife remained as a mortal. So he hid the Elixir in the rafters of his home.

One day, while he was out, his wife Chang Er saw a light beam coming from the rafters and found the Elixir. She drank it and felt her body become as light as air. Just then, Houyi arrived home to see his wife floating up to the moon. He tried to reach her but being mortal, he was unable to.

Touched by the love for his wife, the Emperor of the Heavens allows Houyi to meet his wife once a year, on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. When the moon is full and sometimes you can see Chang Er's shadow on the moon."

I like this version because it's the most romantic one. There is also another story about the origin of the yummy mooncakes. But I will keep that one for the next mooncake festival.