James (TIME) Album: September 2018

The Mid-autumn Festival (Zhong Qiu Jie in Mandarin), also known as the Mooncake Festival, falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. It is called the Mid-autumn Festival because the 15th day is the midpoint in a month, and the eighth lunar month is in the middle of autumn. In Asia country like Malaysia and Singapore, as early as a month before the festival, mooncakes and lanterns are offered for sale. These days, however, it appears more common to give mooncakes as gifts than to eat them during the Mid-autumn Festival. The custom of offering sacrifices to the moon is replaced by celebrating the festival with families and friends.

Significance
The full moon is considered a symbol of reunion. Hence the Mid-autumn Festival is also known as the “Reunion Festival”. The shape of mooncakes, the traditional food of the festival, is round like the full moon, signifying reunion. The moon is at its brightest on this date, thus the Mid-autumn Festival is associated with the moon and “moon appreciation” (shangyue) parties. The festival also coincides with the end of the autumn harvest, marking the end of theHungry Ghost Festival of the seventh lunar month. Traditionally, the day of the festival is auspicious for weddings, particularly because the moon goddess is believed to extend conjugal bliss to couples.

History
The festival started off more than 2,000 years ago as a post-autumn harvest celebration, which was devoted to thanking the gods. Most scholars believed that the Mid-autumn Festival first appeared during the Song dynasty, derived from the tradition of worshipping the moon. Legends associated with the full moon became attached to this festival. It was during the reign of Emperor Tai (Northern Song dynasty) that the 15th day of the eighth month was designated as mid-autumn’s day.

Origin stories
Among the Chinese people, the most popular of all the tales connected with the Mid-autumn Festival is that of Chang-E, also known as the Moon Lady, and her husband Hou Yi. This myth is said to have originated from storytellers in the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE), or even as far back as the time of Emperor Yao (2346 BCE). Another popular story about the Mid-autumn Festival is the moon rabbit.

Hou Yi and Chang-E
Hou Yi – an archer and a member of the Imperial Guard – saves the earth from scorching when he shoots down nine of the 10 suns circling the planet. As a reward, he is chosen by the people to be their king. In his possession is the elixir of life, but Hou Yi becomes so tyrannical that his wife, Chang-E, steals the elixir and drinks it. Chang-E then finds herself ascending to the moon and becomes the Moon Goddess. Hou Yi, on the other hand, is given a cake by the Queen Mother of the Western Paradise (Xi Wang Mu). Upon eating the cake, he is able to withstand heat and is sent to the sun. With a special talisman he is able to visit Chang-E on the 15th of every month, during the full moon. In another version of the tale, Hou Yi places the elixir in Chang-E’s care. His disciple, Feng Meng, forces Chang-E to give it to him. To prevent it, Chang-E swallows the elixir and Hou Yi is separated from her forever.

Rabbit on the moon
Buddha disguises himself as a hungry old man and approaches three animals – a fox, a monkey and a rabbit – for help. The fox catches a fish for him, the monkey brings some fruits, but the rabbit offers its own body as meat by throwing itself into the fire. In gratitude, Buddha resurrects the rabbit and sends it to the moon to be venerated.

Overthrow of the Mongols
Mooncakes played a major role in the liberation of Yuan China (1206–1341 CE) from the Mongols in the 14th century. Despite a prohibition against large gatherings, rebel leader Zhu Yuan Zhang was able to instigate a rebellion by placing secret messages in mooncakes. The rebellion took place during the Mid-autumn Festival, and thereafter the celebration of the festival and the eating of mooncakes took on a different meaning.

Celebrations
The Mid-autumn Festival is held in conjunction with the worship of the God of Heaven. On this night, many houses are illuminated with lanterns, and feasts and dance parties are held on a grand scale. The month of the festival is a popular time for family gatherings with traditional activities like “moon viewing” (shangyue)and lantern-carrying.

Offerings of mooncake and pomelo are made to the moon. Thirteen types of offerings to the moon, signifying the number of months in a full lunar year, are prepared by the female members of the family. Each offering has its own significance. Cosmetics may also be placed on the altar in the belief that it would beautify the user. During the festival, people also admire the osmanthus flowers, which are regarded as a symbol of purity and innocence. Osmanthus flowers usually bloom during the festival period.