This celebration, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is a time to honor history, heritage, and the harvest. Often considered to be the Asian version of Thanksgiving, this occasion brings together families, friends, and good food.
Origins of the Moon Festival
Moon Festival celebrations have taken place throughout Asia for more than 1,000 years. Though China’s festival seems to be the most well-known globally, other festivals take place in Hong Kong, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore, as well as in areas in the United States with a significant Asian population. For the Chinese, it is one of the two most important holidays of the year, Chinese New Year being the other.
Despite its prevalence in Eastern Asia, or perhaps because of its prevalence, the story behind the Moon Festival’s origin is muddled. In fact, a number of varying folk tales are used to explain the festival’s beginning. However, although there are a multitude of stories, most have some common elements, including an archer named Hou Yi, a young woman named Chang-O (also known as Chang-E), a rabbit, and an elixir meant to provide ever-lasting life.
One story, recorded by the historian Thomas W. Chinn, details the events leading up to the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, at which time Hou Yi makes his annual pilgrimage to the moon and unites with his wife, Chang-O. It is because of this union that the moon is full on that night. This story brings together the sun and moon which, in Chinese philosophy, represent the male (yang) and female (yin) qualities. In Chinn’s version, Chang-O is portrayed as a rather gentle creature that sealed her fate by consuming her husband’s immortality-inducing pill. In other versions of the story, though, she is portrayed as greedy and manipulative.
Connection to Femininity
The stories of Chang-O are often recounted during the festival as a reminder of the celebration’s connection to femininity. In Chinese culture, the qualities of femininity, as embodied by Chang-O, are closely tied to the moon; so closely tied, in fact, that it was quite common for women to be the principle participants in celebrations and to make the offerings on the altars constructed for the occasion.
This association between the moon and femininity is not solely a Chinese conception, however. In many cultures, the moon is linked to the bounty of the harvest, an occurrence which is often entwined with concepts of fertility and femininity. As a celebration of the harvest, this festival centers on gratitude and is often compared to the Western holiday of Thanksgiving.
Moon Cakes
Because sharing in food is one of the most important elements of this festival, the traditional "moon cake" is a ubiquitous component of the festival. For more information regarding moon cakes, including links to recipes, please see “The Moon Festival and Its Moon Cakes: Traditional Fare of the Asian Mid-Autumn Festival.”
Celebrating the Occasion
Because the festival aligns with the Chinese calendar, it falls on a slightly different day each year in the Gregorian system. However, it generally falls in September or early October. In 2008, it will be celebrated on September 14. Future celebrations will take place on October 3, 2009 and September 22, 2010.
Kristin Krogh - As a native of Southern California, Kristin has spent the majority of her life basking in seventy degree weather. When wanderlust finally ...
Join the Conversation