Flying to the Moon
Photo by Sung Chih-hsiung
The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival is just similar Christmas and
Thanksgiving in the West. It is known
as one of the most important traditional events for the
Chinese since centuries ago. The Mid-Autumn
Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. This year the festival
will take place on September 30th.
There are numerous stories about this festival and how it
first started. The most famous one is that legend of Chang’e flying to the
moon. Chang’e was a beautiful girl who wanted to stay a beautiful and young woman
forever as life allowed. Therefore, she stole the elixir from god, hoping it
was as magical as the rumors said. When god found out that she took the elixir due to
her selfishness, he banished her onto the moon as a punishment, to stay
forever.
Mooncakes
The Mid-Autumn Festival is also
the time for family reunions. As the moon turns to its fullest side in the eighth lunar month, families gather
together to have a big meal and share their stories.
Sometimes, we invite our friends to have a barbecue party. In China, the Mid-Autumn Festival is an
official holiday. I may not know the real purpose of celebrating the festival,
but I think it’s a day for me to stay with my family and friends.
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