Once upon a time, there was a princess who, in her youth, took the pill of immortality and flew to the moon. There she lived eternally, owning the Moon Palace. In that place, she lived with a jade-colored rabbit. Asians offer prayers to this princess, who has become a goddess, to provide them with security and fortune. The figures of the Goddess Chang’e and the rabbit are reproduced in various forms on a wide range of Asian souvenirs.
This is the plot of a mythological tale very popular in China, titled “The Goddess Chang’e Flies to the Moon,” and which seems to have been the origin of the Moon Festival.
There is also another version that links this festival to the time of corn harvest, and it is meant to thank the gods of the Earth and celebrate the harvest’s success.
The Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is an annual celebration observed by Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, and Vietnamese. It is one of the most important festivals in much of Asia, celebrated on the full moon night, with thousands of lamps, lanterns, candles, or fire dragons, depending on the place where it is celebrated. This occurs according to the Chinese and Vietnamese calendars on the 15th day of the eighth month, which corresponds to the eighth full moon, considered the largest of the 355 days. In the Western calendar, it does not have a fixed date.
Tradition dictates that the festival is enjoyed in the company of family and friends. Each participant in the festival must carry a lit lantern that they will release at the same time as they make a wish. Today, the Asian skies will be filled with lanterns people make by hand (it takes about 20 minutes to make them from paper and wire) and tinged with wishes. The lanterns have four walls on which you can paint your wishes. It is advisable to make the lantern with someone experienced, as otherwise it may not be able to take flight. This is how we experienced it in the town of Pingxi, in Taiwan.
The culinary aspect is also prominent in “moon cakes” made with lotus seeds and filled with various flavors. As expected, the cakes are moon-shaped and usually decorated with Chinese characters. In Japan and Korea, a fried egg is often eaten because it resembles the full moon.
The Legend of Moon Cakes
Years ago, a town was under Mongol rule. In this context, the Mid-Autumn Festival was to be celebrated, and to celebrate it, a rebel army commander sent the townspeople Moon Cakes, but the cakes did not contain the traditional coconut or egg yolk filling, but instead there were secret notes in which instructions were given to the townspeople so that on the night of the Festival they would rise at midnight and attack their captors, and so it happened: the surprised Mongols were defeated. In this way, the popular cakes served to liberate this town.
Other Moon Festivals
This festival has become popular in many other countries. However, most of them have little in common with the original festival. Above all, they are based on “bad copies,” where drugs and alcohol proliferate.
If you want to plan a trip to Taiwan for the Moon Festival, we recommend MyTaiwanTour.
Recommended Hotels
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