Chinese Moon Festival

Pomelo

Moon cake

Hou Yi shooting down the suns

Chang-O flying to the moon



The main topic chosen by our team is Chinese Moon Festival, which is actually not a story base on its traditional history but a legend imagined by ancient people. It is a Chinese myth similar to those depicted in Greek mythology as well.

The Moon Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar when we celebrate it by having BBQ, doing fireworks, enjoying moon cakes and pomelos with close friends and families. It is one of our traditional holidays where our ancestors created lot of imaginations while observing the moon at its fullest and roundest. The most famous one we would like to share in here is what we called “Chang'e flies to the moon “ .

Once upon a time, there is a hero called Houyi, who has very good archery skills and shot down nine suns to save the earth. He become well-known since then and married to a beautiful girl named Chang’e and had happy marriage life. Ond day, he met a Monk while his hunting at the woods, the mysterious monk gave he a pill and told him that he would become immortal if he took it. Houyi brought it home and have his wife Chang’e stored it well in the case. Like Pandora in Greek mythology, his wife Chang’e is too curious about the pill and she took it out of the case. At the moment her husband walkied into the house and she was so nervous that she accidentally swallowed the whole pill. Her husband saw her float in the sky and would like to shoot her to prevent her float further yet in vain. His wife Chang'e kept floating until she landed on the moon and this date happened to be the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar.

Accordingly, Houyi and his folks had a ritual under the moon in memory of his wife, which passes down generations to generations until today and we also gave it a name : Chinese Moon Festival.

Edit by Betty . Chole . Joy , Zoe and Norbit