1. Holiday Notice!!!
We will have holidays from Sept.29 to Oct.3 for celebrating our Chinese traditional Mid-autumn Festival and National Days. During this period, any urgency, pls leave us message or email to us. We will get back to you after that.
2. About Mid-autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in China. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the 15th day of the 8th month is the exact middle of autumn, hence it is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is an evening celebration when families gather together to light lanterns, eat moon cakes and appreciate the round moon.
1) Special Food
People in different parts of China have different ways to celebrate the festival. But one traditional custom is definitely shared by all the Chinese -- eating moon cakes.
Moon cakes are round pastries shaped like the moon, about an inch in height. Inside, they are filled with lotus seeds, red bean paste, orange peel, melon seeds, ham, dried flower petals, and salted duck's egg yolk. The surface of the food is patterned with clouds, the moon, and the rabbit.
It symbolizes the reunions of families and couples. The exchanging of gifts during the mid autumn festival is a hospitable custom and lovers also give moon cakes as presents to show their passion.
2) Legend
In Chinese fairy tales, the fairy Chang'er, a wood cutter named Wu Gang and a jade rabbit which is Chang'er's pet, all lived on the moon.
There are many beautiful legends about the moon in China. The most popular one tells how a goddess named Chang'er ascended to the moon.
A long, long time ago, a terrible drought plagued the earth. 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.
One day, a charming young woman Chang'er made her way home from a stream, holding a bamboo container. A young man came toward her, asking for a drink. When she saw the red bow and white arrows hanging round his belt, Chang'er realized that he was their savior, Hou Yi. Inviting him to drink, Chang'er 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.
A mortal's life is limited, of course. So in order to enjoy his happy life with Chang'er forever, Hou Yi decided to look for an elixir of life. He went to the Kunlun Mountains where the Western Queen Mother lived.
Out of respect for the good deeds he had done, the Western Queen Mother rewarded Hou Yi with the elixir, a fine powder made from kernels of fruit that grew on the tree of eternity. At the same time, she told him that if he and his wife shared the elixir, they would both enjoy eternal life; but if only one of them took it, that one would ascend to Heaven and become immortal.
Hou Yi returned home and told his wife all that had happened and they decided to drink the elixir together on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month when the moon was full and bright.
A wicked and merciless man named Feng Meng overheard their plan. He wished Hou Yi an early death so that he could drink the elixir himself and become immortal. His opportunity finally arrived. One day, when the full moon is rising, Hou Yi was on his way home from hunting. Feng Meng killed him. The murderer then ran to Hou Yi's home and
forced Chang'er to give him the elixir. Without hesitating, Chang'er picked up the elixir and drank it all.
Overcome with grief, Chang'er rushed to her dead husband's side, weeping bitterly. Soon the elixir began to have its effect and Chang'er felt herself being lifted towards heaven.
Chang'er decided to live on the moon because it was the nearest to the earth. There she lived a simple and contented life. Even though she was in heaven, her heart remained in the world of mortals. Never did she forget the deep love she had for Hou Yi and the love she felt for the people who had shared their sadness and happiness.
It is said that Chang'er transformed herself into brilliant moonlight and descended to earth to offer good fortune. Thus, couples swear their mutual love under the full moon while separated lovers pray for reunion under the full moon.