All About the August Moon Festival

CEBU, Philippines - Most of the countries in Asia are agricultural countries. The lives of the people are closely linked to nature. For agricultural people, Mid-Autumn is a special time of thanksgiving, rejoicing, and sharing. There are many terms for the festival. It is also called "August Moon" or "Moon Cake" festival.

This day was also considered a Harvest Festival since fruits, vegetables and grains were harvested by this time, and food was abundant. With debts settled prior to the festival, it was a time for relaxation and celebration. Food offerings were placed on an altar set up in the courtyard.

The festival is celebrated on the 15th (the full moon) of the eight month of the year, August in the Chinese (lunar calendar), is usually September in our Gregorian calendar. Therefore, the term "August Moon Festival" can be a bit confusing to those who are not familiar with the lunar calendar. The August Moon Festival for 2011 falls on September 12. For 2012, it will be on September 30; for 2013 on September 19; for 2014, it will be on September 8 and for 2015 on September 27.

In non-Christian countries, the festival is closely identified with the moon, which some people worship as a divinity. Traditionally, 13 moon cakes were piled in a pyramid to symbolize the 13 moons of a complete year; that is, twelve moons plus one intercalary moon.

The custom of worshiping the moon goes far back to ancient Xia and Shang Dynasties in 2000 B.C. - 1066 B.C.. For thousands of years, the Chinese have connected the fortunes of life to changes in the moon as it waxes and wanes, joy and sorrow, parting and reunion.

Because the full moon is round and symbolizes reunion, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Festival of Reunion.

All family members try to get together on this special day. Those who cannot return home watch the bright moonlight and feel a deep longing for their loved ones.

As time went on, the form of celebration evolved to include sending moon cakes to friends and relatives as an expression of best wishes on family reunion. When night falls, people would look up to the full silver moon, or would go sightseeing near lakes to celebrate the festival.

Since the Ming (1368-1644 A.D.) and Qing Dynasties (1644-1911 A.D.), the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival celebration has become very popular.

Together with the celebration, there appeared some special customs in different parts of the country, such as burning of incense, planting of Mid-Autumn trees, lighting lanterns on towers and the performance of fire dragon dances.

Today, festivities on the Mid-Autumn Festival are more varied. After a family reunion dinner, many people would like to go out to attend special performances in parks or public squares.

There is a strong association of the Mid-Autumn Festival with moon cakes. During the Yuan Dynasty (A.D. 1280-1368), China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung Dynasty (A.D. 960-1280) were unhappy serving under the oppressive foreign rule, and planned a well-coordinated rebellion.

The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Concealed in each moon cake was a message outlining the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully overthrew the foreign government thus, liberating the people from their oppression. Today, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend. Thus, the Moon Cake Festival.

One of the most popular and beautiful legends about the August Moon is of a goddess named Chang'e who 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 grasses were scorched. The land was cracked and parched, and rivers ran dry. Many people died of heat, hunger and thirst.

The King of Heaven sent Hou Yi down to 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 as the grass and trees turned green. Life was restored and humanity was saved.

One day, a charming young woman named Chang'e made her way home from a stream, holding a bamboo container. A young man came forward, asking for a drink. When she saw the red bow and white arrows hanging from his belt,Chang'e realized that he was their savior, Hou Yi. Inviting him to drink,Chang'e plucked a beautiful flower and gave it to him as a token of respect. Hou Yi, in turn, selected a beautiful silver fox fur as his gift for her. This meeting kindled the spark of their love. And soon after that, they got married.

However a mortal's life is limited. So in order to enjoy his happy life with Chang'e forever, Hou Yi decided to look for an elixir of life. He went to the Kunlun Mountains where the Western Queen Mother lived.

Because of the good deeds he had done, the Western Queen Mother rewarded Hou Yi with the elixir, a fine powder made from the substance of a fruit which grew on the eternal tree. At the same time, she told him: "If you and your wife share the potion, you will both enjoy eternal life. But if only one of you takes it, that one will ascend to Heaven and become an immortal."

Hou Yi returned home and told his wife all that had happened. They decided to drink the potion together on the 15th day of the eight lunar month, when the moon was full and bright.

However, a wicked man named Feng Meng heard about their plan. He wished Hou Yi an early death so that he could drink the potion himself and become immortal.

One day, when the full moon was rising, Hou Yi was on his way home from hunting. Feng Meng killed him. The murderer then ran to Hou Yi's home and tried to force Chang'e to give him the potion. Without hesitation, Chang'e picked up the potion and drank it all.

Overcame with grief, Chang'e rushed to her dead husband's side, weeping bitterly. Soon the potion took effect and Chang'e felt herself being lifted towards Heaven.

Chang'e decided to live on the moon because it is nearest 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 Yin, as well as the love she feels for the people who had shared their sadness and happiness.

A popular activity associated with the August Moon Festival is the Game of Dice. This is peculiar to Southern Fujian and parts of Taiwan . The game was invented by pirate-cum-patriot Koxinga to keep his homesick troops occupied.

Every Mid-Autumn Festival, the quiet evening is punctuated by the clinking of dice in large porcelain bowls as families and their workers gather around tables to compete for moon cakes. They take turns tossing 6 mahjong dice into the bowl, taking care that no dice would bounce out (for then they lose a turn). Prizes range from tiny cookies to medium and large moon cakes, with one grand prize - the Zhuangyuan cake (which carries an additional cash reward). Traditionally, the different sizes represent different official positions won in taking the imperial examinations of the previous year. The Grand Prize, called Zhuangyuan, represents # 1 scholar, Duitang is # 2 scholar, Sanhong is # 3 scholar and so on.

A great value of the mid-Autumn Festival that can resonate with our Christian values is the love of parents and friends in the practice of the celebration of reunions. The Fourth of the Ten Commandments enjoins to "Honor your father and your mother..." (Deut. 5: 16). And the Jesus teaches us to "... love your neighbor as yourself..." (Lk :10: 25-28)

Most of all, the practice of food sharing in the Mid-Autumn Festival finds its counterpart in our Christian tradition. First, in the Gospel itself,Jesus often describes the kingdom in terms of a banquet. He fed four to five thousand men by multiplying the two loaves and five fishes. And most importantly, he instituted the Sacrament of His eternal presence in the form of a Eucharistic banquet.

We can see then, that as Christians, we can enjoy a meaningful celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival and make it awaken in us our Christian beliefs. — Sacred Heart Parish, Cebu City (photos from wikipedia.org) (FREEMAN)