The Mid-Autumn Festival and Traditions | Tea with Erping

Welcome to Tea with Erping. Throughout the waves of history until today, the moon has had a rich meaning for the Chinese. The ancient Chinese even named their calendar the Lunar Calendar. The moon also held deep mysteries in ancient Chinese culture, and throughout dynasties, it has been the subject of legends and poetry. Indeed, the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, one of the most prominent festivals in ancient Chinese civilization. In the past, the Chinese people would watch and celebrate the bright full moon in awe of its luminous beauty while sending their heartfelt wishes to the moon. Rather romantic, wouldn't you agree? Hence, it comes to no surprise that many poets would write down poems while marveling at the moon. Let me read you one of them by the famous poet Su Shi. In fact, the Mid-Autumn Festival is just as important a holiday as the Chinese New Year, with a history dating back 3,000 years. Since the Shang dynasty before 1100 BC, the Chinese have celebrated the harvest during the autumn, in particular, Mid-Autumn. The term Mid-Autumn first appeared in the Rites of Zhou, a written collection of rituals of the Western Zhou dynasty. But the celebration as a festival only started to gain popularity during the early Tang dynasties in the 600s. One legend explains started to hold formal celebrations in his palace after having explored the Moon Palace in his dream. I myself would like to dream of that too. Over 1,000 years ago, in the Northern Song dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival has become a popular folk festival and officially designated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which is September 21st. Throughout ancient Chinese history, there were countless beautiful legends about the Moon. As you might have guessed, the Mid-Autumn Festival originated from Chinese mythology. The story of Chang'e, the Lady of the Moon, is the most popular one. A long, long time ago, in ancient China, a happy young couple lived near the Kunlun Mountains, one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, expanding for more than 3,000 kilometers. The husband was called Hou Yi and his beautiful wife, Chang'e. One day, a Bodhisattva passed by and gave Hou Yi and Chang'e the elixir of immortality as a reward for leading a charitable life. She told them the elixir will give them eternal life. The couple were very happy with the reward and decided to drink the elixir together on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, when the moon was full and bright. As they were rejoicing on that day, nine vultures soared into the sky and transformed into scorching suns. Now there are ten suns burning fiercely in the sky, like smoldering volcanoes. The trees and grass were scorched, the land was cracked, and the rivers ran dry. As a result, many people died of hunger and thirst. Chang'e was terrified and wanted to leave earth with her husband immediately. She drank half of the elixir. As she reached out to hand the remainder of the elixir to Hou Yi, it fell to the ground and spilled. Hou Yi, though deeply grieved, found his resolve rekindled at the sight of people's suffering. He took out his right bow and white arrows and shot down nine suns, one after another. The weather immediately cooled down. Life had been restored and humanity was saved. Soon the elixir began to take effect and Chang'e felt herself being lifted towards heaven. She decided to leave on the moon because it's nearest to earth. Watching as Chang'e flew off to the moon, Hou Yi was heartbroken. He called out her name to the moon as it grew very round and bright. He then set up an altar with incense in the garden. On the altar, he put Chang'e's favorite cakes and fresh fruits. There he held a memorial ceremony for his wife on the moon. The news that Chang'e had turned into an immortal being and was living on the moon spread fast. Many people arranged altars with incense in the moonlight and prayed for Chang'e, now the moon lady, to look after them. The custom of worshipping the moon then spread among the people and was celebrated on the same day each year. Over the course of 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, many emperors diligently worshipped the moon and prayed for bountiful harvests. This is because the time of harvest is in the middle of autumn, so this festival is also seen as a harvest festival. Since antiquity, the mid-autumn festival has always been a time for families gathering and reunion. Families would feast together, expressing their gratitude for the harvest to divine beings, as well as admiring the full moon that is symbolic for a reunion. People celebrate their harvest and reunite with their families during this festival. The festival is associated with the mysterious legend of Lady Chang'e, who was then worshipped as the goddess of the moon. A notable part of celebrating the holiday is people carrying lanterns. Handsome lanterns of all sizes and shapes, with different patterns painted on them, are displayed as a symbolic beacon that lights people's paths to prosperity and good fortune. In fact, there were word puzzles that encouraged people of all ages and class to guess. And often the reward would be very uniquely made lanterns, such as a lamp with different size with a figure such as a horse inside. Once moved, the sides rotate and it seems like the horse inside is alive and moving. How fancy! The word puzzles are rather similar to riddles. Want to try one? It has been around for millions of years, but it's no more than a month old. What's it? The answer is the face of the moon, which disappears before it's a month old and has been around for a long, long time. Now let's move on to know more about the moon cakes. The Mid-Autumn Festival is very popular in East and Southeast Asia, countries such as Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia. This is proven by the amount of delicate moon cake selections being offered by five-star hotels and famous bakeries. You'll be spoiled with choices as chefs and bakers are competing to create the most decadent and luxurious moon cake variations. Moon cakes are one of the most beloved symbols of the Mid-Autumn Festival. They are usually exchanged between families and friends. The round shape of the cakes reflect that of the moon. At the reunion, the sweet taste reminds us of the sweetness of life, when being with family and friends, I suppose. A typical moon cake is round or rectangular, measuring about 4 inches in diameter and 1.5 to 2 inches thick. The most common type, as we see it in the market, is the Cantonese form, which has a brown flaky crust filled with lotus seed paste and a whole salted egg yolk in the center to balance out the sweet filling with a salted taste. When the cake is cut in half to share among family and friends, the golden yolk will remind you of the full moon. Moon cakes are usually baked. Many regional variants have evolved over time, based on the availability of ingredients and regional taste preferences. Other than the most popular type, which is filled with lotus seed paste and salted egg yolk, other popular types also include red bean paste, date paste, different kinds of nuts and seeds, and cured meat. Not forgetting the increasingly popular snowskin moon cakes with fancy fillings, ranging from chocolates to champagne. Another wonderful part of a festival's tradition is to simply look and admire the glorious moon. Contrary to the sublime in Romanticism, historically, poets and writers felt at one with the moon spiritually. Hence, writing poetry about the full moon was an art form, and also a philosophical and spiritual discipline that was widespread among scholars, officials, and emperors of many dynasties. Also, loneliness and homesickness are feelings often felt during the mid-autumn festival when one is not able to be with family. Let me read you two poems by Li Bai from the Tang dynasty who is widely regarded as an immortal poet, or the divine poet. The first is called Drinking Alone with the Moon, which portrays humanity as lost in delusion and loneliness, yet still yearning for a connection with heaven. Bring me my shadow, and now there are three. The moon cannot understand me. My shadow follows silently wherever I go. The moon temporarily accompanies the shadow. I take the opportunity to have a joyous time. Moonlight wanders around when I sing. The shadow flows along when I dance. Enjoying the friendship while I'm awake. The companionship ends while I'm drunk. Let our friendship be eternal. We'll meet again in the vast sky. In the second poem, Still Night Thoughts, the full moon now reminds the poet of distant loved ones. Now, let's travel back to the present time. Mankind from both the Far East and the Western world have always been curious and fascinated about the moon. As American astronaut Neil Armstrong landed on the surface of the moon, he uttered words that could be written into history books for generations to come. That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Now we have come to a full circle, just like the moon, talking about history, relationship of the ancient Chinese with the moon, and the legend of the Moon Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner. In Robert Frost's words, we run as if to meet the moon. Oscar Wilde said, Well, let me add tea to that list, for without tea, life would be indeed incomplete even if we have a full moon. So, happy Mid-Autumn Festival. May moon cakes, tea, family and friends be of an abundance to you. Until next time, peace and tea be with you.