Mid Autumn Festival Story: Popular Autumn Moon Festival Legend
What is Mooncake Festival in China
Mid-Autumn
Festival is a famous Chinese autumn moon festival celebrated on the full moon night of
fall season. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of
the Chinese lunar calendar. The same is also celebrated by different names in
Vietnam, Japan, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Taiwan, and Korea. It is an important
holiday in China after the Chinese New Year that falls in February.
In ancient
days, the emperors in China are believed to worship moon. The worshipping is
also dedicated to fruitful harvests of fall. The full moon night is celebrated
by adorning doors with round shaped beautiful lanterns. Since it is a
traditional festival, people in China mostly celebrate it by visiting friends
and family members. Mooncakes are popular desert made on this day.
Story Behind Mid Autumn Festival
Here we
give you the story behind the celebration of the mid autumn festival in brief. We
are sure you would love to know this interesting legend. Here goes the story of
mooncake festival.
In ancient
China, there was a powerful man Hou Yu who was also a great archer. He loved
his wife Chang'e dearly. Once it happened that ten
suns appeared in the sky which caused a great distress to the people. With his
extraordinary might, Hou Yi destroyed nine suns and spared only one sun to keep
the world bright. Looking at his might and humanity, an immortal deity sent him
an elixir of imoortality. But Hou Yi did not drink it as did not want to leave
his wife Chang'e. But one of his apprentices named
Peng Meng came to know about this secret.
On the
fifteenth day of the eight month of Chinese calendar, Hou Yi was out for hunting.
Taking advantage of his absence, Peng Meng took the elixir and insisted Chang'e to give the heavenly drink to her husband. She instead swallowed it
herself which made her immortal and placed her in heaven.
When Hou Yi
returned from hunting, he learned about this and became sad in bereavement of
his beloved wife. Since their love was too deep and true, the wife stayed close
to earth from where her husband can see her. Hou Yi oferred fruits and cakes in
the yard and watched her beloved wife placed in the heavenly sky. Since then,
people worship moon and offer prayers and other eatables and drinks to moon on
mid autumn festival.
We are sure
you loved the mid autumn festival story and would love to share it with your
loved ones. Keep following our blog to learn all the full moon and new moon
dates of entire year. Also find when is the full moon October 2021.
The Moon Festival is a great time to celebrate family and friends. Enjoy the festivities and make some great memories! Legend of the moon festival about Hou Yi and Chang E is always told to children at this time.
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