The festival is honoured on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese Han calendar and Vietnamese calendar (within 15 days of the autumnal equinox), on the night of the full moon (get all that?). Ever since then, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the traditions of offering worship to the moon and the Goddess have continued. So he took action by moving a table laden with food and offerings directly under the moon in the hope that it would somehow entice his beloved back to earth. Here, she was destined to spend eternity in her new role as the Moon Goddess.
What Pang Meng didn’t bargain for was running into Chang’e, who thwarted the plot by drinking the elixir herself! As a result, Chang’e not only became immortal, but the potion caused her to fly higher and higher until she reached the moon. Enter a dastardly student, Pang Meng, who tried to steal the elixir for himself. Instead of downing the elixir and sealing his immortal fate, Hou Li chose to hide it. However, the archer didn’t want the gift, as he loved his wife more than the prospect of eternal life without her (aww!). … but wait! The moon goddess in full flight. Hurrah! As a reward for his heroism, The Queen Mother of the West presented him with a bottle of magic elixir, a potion that would guarantee his immortality. He used his bow and arrows to shoot down nine of the suns, saving the human race. So, a young archer, Hou Yi, came to the rescue. Long ago, the sky was filled with 10 suns, which burnt and devoured the greenery on Earth and caused people to perish. The most popular tale is of Hou Yi and his wife Chang’e. Marking the end of the Autumn harvest, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a time to show gratitude to godly entities. But how about the story behind Mid-Autumn Festival? Read on to find out about this colourful cultural experience… All you need to know about the Mid-Autumn Festival So what’s the Mid-Autumn Festival all about? So many beautiful lanterns! Image: Choo Yut Shing via Flickr Sure, we’re fairly clued up on all things Chinese New Year, dazzling Deepavali, and the big Hari Raya Aidilfitri festivities. In case you haven’t noticed all the beautiful lanterns and the abundance of mooncakes around town, it’s Mid-Autumn Festival time in Singapore (FYI – this year it lands on Saturday 10th September)! There are so many perks to living in a multicultural city – we love celebrating all the cultural events that make the local calendar so lively. Time to light the lanterns and feast on mooncakes – Mid-Autumn Festival is here! Learn more about this traditional festival that's all about family, togetherness and dazzling displays of light.
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