Hey there, collegiettes! Some of you may know that this past Sunday, September 30th, was Mid-Autumn Festival, a very important holiday in many parts of Asia. All over China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan, families gathered to celebrate the holiday by drinking green tea and eating mooncakes, a special dessert in the shape of a lotus flower, made to honor the moon goddess, Chang’e.
According to the ancient Chinese legend, there were once ten suns in the sky. The heat from the many suns caused the crops to wither and the people to starve. At the emperor’s request, an archer named Hou Yi shot down nine of the suns, leaving only one, allowing the land to become fertile once more. As a reward for saving the people of China, the Goddess of Heaven presented Hou Yi with a pill that would cause him to become an immortal god. But Hou Yi loved his wife, Chang’e, and did not want to be separated from her, so he gave the pill to Chang’e for safekeeping and they agreed to never use it. However, rumors traveled quickly and a robber found out that Chang’e and Hou Yi had a magical pill of immortality. When Hou Yi was out hunting, the robber snuck into the house and Chang’e swallowed the pill herself to protect it. She was immediately whisked away to the heavens. Chang’e’s love for her husband drew her to the moon, the closest heavenly body to the earth. When Hou Yi returned home to find signs of a struggle and his wife missing, he cried to the sky, and saw her face in the moon. Realizing what had happened, Hou Yi vowed to set up an alter to his wife once a year at Mid-Autumn and burn mooncakes, her favorite food, as an offering.
Today, Mid-Autumn is a time for families across Asia to gather and think about loved ones that are far away and to spend time with family members that are close. Traditionally, mooncakes and tea are shared and it is a time for family to spend outside, admiring the beauty of the moon. However, in some parts of Asia, Mid-Autumn is celebrated in other ways. In Hong Kong, there is the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, which lasts three days. In Vietnam, families celebrate with a huge barbeque, and in the Philippines, they play a mooncake dice game. Other festivities include match-making ceremonies, the release of thousands of floating lanterns, and plays.
Some of the Chinese students here at Tulane chose to spend Mid-Autumn with us, since they could not be with their families, and treated us to delicious mooncakes and the legend of Chang’e. So if you ever find yourself in China around the time of Mid-Autumn festival, you should definitely check it out. After all, who doesn’t love cake and a party?
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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Tulane chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.