中秋節

1. 中秋節 Mid-Autumn Festival By: Sam

2. Origin of Mid-Autumn Festivallai yuen 來源 During the Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century - 256 BC), the night of the roundest moon of the year was an occasion for the Chinese to hold rituals to greet the cool weather and sacrifice to the Moon Goddess. By the Tang Dynasty ( AD 618 - 907) merry-making had become part of the festival, as had watching the moon rise and enjoying its full, silvery light. During the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), the 15th day of the eighth lunar month was designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival.

3. Story gu shi 故事 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. A long, long time ago, a terrible drought plagued the earth. Ten suns burned fiercely in the sky like blazing volcanoes. The trees and grass were scorched. The land was cracked and parched, and rivers ran dry, and many people died of hunger and thirst. One day, a charming young woman, Chang'e makes her way home from a stream, holding a bamboo container, A young man comes forward, asking for a drink. When she sees the red bow and white arrows hanging from his belt, Chang'e realizes that he is their saviour, 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. 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 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 he has done, the Western Queen Mother rewards Hou Yi with the elixir, a fine powder made from kernels 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 himself 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 side, 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.

4. Lanterns燈籠 The Old Man on the Moon There is a saying in Chinese that marriages are made in heaven and prepared on the moon. The man who does the preparing is the old man of the moon (Yueh Lao Yeh). This old man, it is said, keep as a record book with all the names of newborn babies. He is the one heavenly person who knows everyone's future partners, and nobody can fight the decisions written down in his book. He is one reason why the moon is so important in Chinese mythology and especially at the time of the Moon Festival. Everybody including children, hikes up high mountains or hills or onto open beached to view the moon in the hope that he will grant their wishes.

5. Customs習俗 On Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese people usually send moon cakes as gifts to their friends and relatives and then have a dinner together called 團圓飯 (tuányuánfàn) family reunion dinner. If the weather is nice, families may also sit outside to admire the full moon and chat about 家常(jiācháng) daily life matters.

6. The Origin of Moon Cake Moon cake comes from the Yuan Dynasty. During that time, people would not stand the cruel domination taking place, so many people staged uprisings to fight against the Yuan Dynasty rulers. Zhu Yuan Zhang, the most prominent one, united all the people to start the uprisings. Unfortunately, government soldiers checked correspondences so strictly that it was hard for him to deliver messages to his fellow rebels. Soon the leader had a good idea: to hide messages in a cake to inform his people. Finally the uprising succeeded, and Zhu Yuanzhang designated the "message cake" as the main food in the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. From then on, moon cake has always played an important role in the festival's celebrations.

7. Shuidiaogetou 水调歌头 su shi苏轼mingyueji shi you , bajiuwenqingtian 。 明月几时有，把究问青天。 Bu zhitianshang gong que，jin xi shi he nian。 不知天上宫阙，今昔是何年。 woyuchengfengguiqu，you kongqionglou 我欲乘风归去，又恐琼楼玉 yu，gaochubushenghan。 宇，高处不胜寒。qiwu long qingying，he shi zairenjian 起舞弄清影，何似在人间。 When will the moon be clear and bright? With a cup of wine in my hand, I ask the azure sky I don't know what season it would be In the heavens on this night I'd like to ride the wind to fly home Yet I fear the crystal and jade mansions are Much too high and cold for me Dancing with my moon-lit shadow It does not seem like the human world

8. The moon rounds the red mansion Stoops to silk-pad doors Shines upon the sleepless Bearing no grudge Why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart? People may have sorrow or joy, be near or far apart The moon may be dim or bright, wax or wane This has been going onsince the beginning of time May we all be blessed with longevity Though far apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together. Zhuaizhuge，diqihu，zhao mo mian。 转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠。 buying you hen ，he shi changxiangbie shi yuan。 不应有恨，何时常向别时圆。 ren you beihuanlige， yue you yin qingyuanque， 人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴缺， ci shi gu nanquan。 此事古难全。danyuanrenchangjiu，qianli gong chanjuan。 但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。

9. History Behind the Poem He wrote this poem during the Mid-Autumn Festival, because he missed this brother. The poem was then passed onto later generations and talked about praise and love. This poem is one Su Shi’s popular masterpieces.

10. Bibliography • http://www.chinavoc.com/festivals/Midautumn.htm#cake • http://www.echineselearning.com/newsletter/ • http://www.chinapage.com/Moon/moon-poetry.html • Pictures from http://www.google.ca/imghp