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Mid-autumn festive

Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2004 9:51 am
by Sunny
Mid-autumn festive is a traditional festive of China. At that evening, every family will have a rich dinner, specially must have YueBing.
At the beginning of dinner, we will worship the glebe, thank it for giving us so much rich dinner, and we also will worship the moon, hope the lady on the moon will reunite with her husband. Then we have the dinner, anyway the start what we have eat, the last dish must is the YueBing that made by mother, like the meat pie, we are all like it, but this dish we do not eat at that time, till the dinner is finish, and fruit such as Chinese date, apple, pear, chestnut, grape, etc. are all on the table, then we could start to eat that “meat pie”. The taste of it is really delicious!
After the dinner, the family always have a cup of tea and enjoy the moon, talk about anything that we want, till midnight, it is really very gentle and fragrant time.

Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2004 10:26 am
by Dixie
Interesting, Sunny.

I'd like to know about that lady-in-the-moon story though. Can you tell us? What happened, who that lady is, where his husband is...

Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 6:17 am
by Sunny
Dixie wrote:Interesting, Sunny.

I'd like to know about that lady-in-the-moon story though. Can you tell us? What happened, who that lady is, where his husband is...
Hi, Dixie, I am glad to tell the story.
The Lady-in-the-moon is named ChangEr, HouYi is her husband, they lived very happy.
Someday, there wre nine suns in the sky, so plant could not grow, animal were all at their last gasp, people could not survival. HouYi was versed in archery, so he made the eight of the suns down from the sky, anything were all ok. The king of the deity gave him a piece of pill for thankful. The pill could make him to be a deity.But HouYi wanted to share the pill with his wife ChangEr, he or wife could not be deity, but they could alive as long as the sun and moon. So he took the pill home, he was so tired that he could not speak one word and fell asleep. His wife found the pill and thought, his husband must eat the pill and died, so she eat that pill. At that time, she felt herself was so light and flying, till she reached the moon...
That is the total story I know, Dixie, I hope you could understand it. :D :D :D

Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 9:37 am
by _Arale_
In my country we have a similar festival that is for children . I like this short holiday so much when I was a child .Even now though I don't get a gift as I did but I still feel happy when the autumn festival is comming ! I could turn back my childhood in my mind . :wink:

_Arale_

Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 10:21 am
by Guest
Arale wrote: Even now though I don't get a gift as I did but I still feel happy when the autumn festival is comming !
_Arale_
You got presents on mid-autumn festival?

Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 10:27 am
by Tonyoung
Excerpted from Chinavoc
-------------------------------
There are many beautiful legends about the moon in China. the most popular one tells how a goddess named Chang'e ascended to the moon.

A long, long time ago, a terrible drought plagued the earth. Ten suns burned fiercely in the sky like smoldering volcanoes. The trees and grass were scorched. The land was cracked and parched, and rivers ran dry. Many people died of hunger and thirst.

The King of Heaven sent Hou Yi down to the earth to help. When Hou Yi arrived, he took out his red bow and white arrows and shot down nine suns one after another. The weather immediately turned cooler. Heavy rains filled the rivers with fresh water and the grass and trees turned green. Life had been restored and humanity was saved.

One day, a charming young woman, Chang'e makes her way home from a stream, holding a bamboo contaiver, A young man comes forward, asking for a drink. When she sees the red bow and white arrows hanging from his belt, Chang'e tealizes that he is their savior, Hou Yi. Inviting him to drink, Chang'e plucks a beautiful flower and gives it to him as a token of respect. Hou Yi, in turn, selects a beautiful silver fox fur as his gift for her. This meeting kindles the spark of their love. And soon after that, they get married.

A mortal's life is limited, of course. So in order to enjoy his happy life with Chang'e forever, Hou Yi decides to look for an elixir of life.He goes to the Kunlun Mountains where the Western Queen Mother lives.

Out of respect for the good deeds the has done, the Western Queen Mother rewards Hou Yi with elixir, a fine powder made from kerndls of fruit which grows on the tree of eternity. At the same time, she tells him:If you and your wife share the elixir, you will both enjoy eternal life. But if only one of you takes it,that one will ascend to Heaven and become immortal.

Hou Yi returns home and tells his wife all that has happened and they decide to drink the elixir together on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month when the moon is full and bright.

A wicked and merciless man named Feng Meng secretly hears about their plan.He wishes Hou Yi an early death so that he can drink the elixir himeslf and become immortal.His opportunity finally arrives. One day,when the full moon is rising, Hou Yi is on his way home from hunting. Feng Meng kills him. The murderer then runs to Hou Yi's home and forces Chang'e to give him the elixir, Without hesitating, Chang'e picks up the elixir and drinks it all.

Overcome with grief, Chang'e rushes to her dead husband's sied, weeping bitterly.Soon the elixir begins to have its effect and Chang'e feels herself being lifted towards Heaven.

Chang'e decides to live on the moon because it is nearest to the earth. There she lives a simple and contented life. Even though she is in Heaven, her heart remains in the world of mortals. Never does she forget the deep love she has for Hou Yi and the love she feels for the people who have shared their sadness and happiness.

Another legend explained the role of the Old Man on the Moon, the Divine Match-maker. The Chinese believed that marriages were made in Heaven but prepared on the moon. The Old Man on the Moon tied the feet of young men and women with red cords for marriage. Thus a maiden made offerings and prayed to him during the Mid-Autumn Festival, hoping that some day she would ride in the red bridal sedan chair.

Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 10:30 am
by Guest
In mid-autumn festival, parents buy/make lanterns for their children. Lanterns are made of art papers or some special kind of paper materials for lanterns. Inside lanterns, we use candles to light them. Lanterns can be made into different shapes, sizes, and forms. They're usually really pretty.
Also, people eat mooncakes in mid-autumn festival. Mooncakes are usually served with hot tea.

Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 10:34 am
by Guest
Tonyoung,
Really nice story. It's exactly like what I've read about it; however, did you forget about the rabbit? She brought it with her to the moon, right? I've read it somewhere about it.
Thanks for the match-maker's story. It's new to me.

Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 10:47 am
by _Arale_
yes guess , I got presents in autumn festival .It is a small one such as a cake , a nice lantern with candle inside it .
Yeah many legands about a nice fairy in the moon and her rabits .

_Arale_

Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 11:11 am
by Dixie
Nice story, Sunny and Tony. I always liked mythology and legends. Do you know any more?

Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 4:36 am
by Sunny
Anonymous wrote:In mid-autumn festival, parents buy/make lanterns for their children. Lanterns are made of art papers or some special kind of paper materials for lanterns. Inside lanterns, we use candles to light them. Lanterns can be made into different shapes, sizes, and forms. They're usually really pretty.
Also, people eat mooncakes in mid-autumn festival. Mooncakes are usually served with hot tea.
Hi, we will play the lanterns, but not at Mid-autumn festive but at the mid of the first month of the lunar year. :wink:

Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 5:46 am
by Guest
Image
Lanterns

Image
Lanterns, mooncakes, and Lady-of-the-moon :lol:

Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 7:55 am
by Sunny
Hi, honey, maybe your hometown play the lantern. :lol: our country is so big that I could not understand the custom of each province :lol: :lol:

Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 8:35 am
by Guest
Those pictures were taken from a hong kong website.

Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 8:49 am
by Sunny
really, I will ask my colleague from HongKong, will know if they play the lanterns at Mid-autumn festive. :lol:

and will tell you the result at next Mon. :lol:

Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 10:00 am
by Guest
Have you watched TVB series "old time buddies"? In that movie, they were holding lanterns and eating mooncakes to celebrate mid-autumn festival. By the way, that movie was fun. I loved it. I love Louis Ng.

Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 10:06 am
by Guest
Ooooppsss, his name is Francis Ng Chan Yu, not Louis Ng. Sorry.
I like Gallen Lo, Maggie Cheung Hor Yee, and Jessicca Hester Hsuen also. They're so funny in that movie. Love them all. 8)

Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 12:22 pm
by _Arale_
Thank you guess ! It is a wonderful gift ! :wink:

_Arale_

Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 5:55 am
by Sunny
It sounds true, in fact I like to play lantern, especially we have to go home to sleep. :)