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When Hou Yi’s apprentice tried to steal the potion for himself, Hou Yi’s wife Chang’e drank it in an attempt to save it. For his heroism he was granted a potion, giving him immortality. The story goes that an archer named Hou Yi shot down 9 of the 10 suns in order to save all the crops. There is a delightful myth about the Mid-Autumn Festival. On this day, it is believed that the moon is at its fullest and it happens at harvest time in the middle of Autumn. This typically occurs in mid-September to early October of the Gregorian or solar calendar.
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Midautumn festival story full#
When do we celebrate mid-Autumn festival?Īccording to history, the Mid-Autumn Festival is held on a full moon on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese or lunar calendar. The festival has carried on since this time as a way of gathering families and friends together to show appreciation, give thanks and admire the moon when it is at its fullest, perhaps similar to the Thanksgiving traditions in North America where families and communities gather to celebrate the harvesting season. The ancient Chinese believed that the moon and water were associated with rejuvenation. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the mid autumn festival had become one of the main folk festivals in China.Īn important part of the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration throughout history has been moon worship. One story explains that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang started to hold formal celebrations in his palace after having explored the Moon-Palace. However, the celebration as a festival only started to gain popularity during the early Tang dynasty (618–907 CE). The Chinese have celebrated the harvest during the autumn full moon since the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BCE).
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Harvest time was a time to celebrate the bounties of the crops and to bring people together. Why do we celebrate mid-Autumn festival?Ĭhina’s emperors worshipped the moon for bountiful harvests with a history dating back 3,000 years. Read on to learn more.Įnjoy sharing the wonderful Mid-Autumn holiday with your family on 10 September 2022.
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Next to history, knowing where you can buy the best mooncakes, ideas on where to celebrate and a simple how-to guide to make your own lantern at home are not to be missed. Reading Time: 5 minutes The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Lantern Festival or Moon festival, is Jūng-chāu Jit (中秋節) in Cantonese and Zhōngqiū Jié (中秋节) in Mandarin. With the festival just around the corner, start your celebrations early by learning some interesting history about this momentous celebration.
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