The Legendary Stories of the Chinese Moon Festival
The Stories of the Chinese Mid Autumn Festival
I. The Lady - Chang Er這位女士-嫦娥
The time of this story is around 2170 B.C. The earth once had ten suns circling over it, each took its turn to illuminate to the earth. But one day all ten suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was saved by a strong and tyrannical archer Hou Yi. He succeeded in shooting down nine of the suns. One day, Hou Yi stole the elixir of life from a goddess. However his beautiful wife Chang Er drank the elixir of life in order to save the people from her husband's tyrannical rule. After drinking it, she found herself floating and flew to the moon. Hou Yi loved his divinely beautiful wife so much, he didn't shoot down the moon.
翻譯:這是一個發生在西元前2170年左右,地球曾經被10個太陽包圍,每個太陽都輪流照明地球,但是有一天所有的太陽一起出現,用他們的熱灼熱地球,一位強大且又專制蠻恆的射手后羿解救了地球,他成功地擊落太陽中的九個,有一天后羿從一個女神那裡偷了長生不老藥液,然而他的美麗太太,為了保護人們免於她的丈夫專制體制下,她的美麗妻子嫦娥就將長壽藥液喝了,在她喝了之後,她發現自己飄浮起來並飛往月球,后羿非常愛他的美麗妻子,所以沒有將月亮擊落
I. The Man - Wu Kangu
Wu Kang was a shiftless fellow who changed apprenticeships all the time. One day he decided that he wanted to be an immortal. Wu Kang then went to live in the mountains where he importuned an immortal to teach him. First the immortal taught him about the herbs used to cure sickness, but after three days his characteristic restlessness returned and he asked the immortal to teach him something else. So the immortal to teach him chess, but after a short while Wu Kang's enthusiasm again waned. Then Wu Kang was given the books of immortality to study. Of course, Wu Kang became bored within a few days, and asked if they could travel to some new and exciting place. Angered with Wu Kang's impatience, the master banished Wu Kang to the Moon Palace telling him that he must cut down a huge cassia tree before he could return to earth. Though Wu Kang chopped day and night, the magical tree restored itself with each blow, and thus he is up there chopping still.
III. The Hare - Jade Rabbit
In this legend, three fairy sages transformed themselves into pitiful old men and begged for something to eat from a fox, a monkey and a rabbit. The fox and the monkey both had food to give to the old men, but the rabbit, empty-handed, offered his own flesh instead, jumping into a blazing fire to cook himself. The sages were so touched by the rabbit's sacrifice that they let him live in the Moon Palace where he became the "Jade Rabbit."
IV. The Cake - Moon Cake
During the Yuan dynasty (A.D.1280-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (A.D.960-1280) were unhappy at submitting to foreign rule, and set how to coordinate the rebellion without it being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Backed into each moon cake was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). Today, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend.
By Chinese Fortune-Telling Calendar
The Dates of Chinese Moon Festival
The 15th day of the 8th lunar month
| Year | China Time Zone | Pacific Standard Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time Zone |
| 2005 | 9/18/2005 | 9/17/2005 | 9/17/2005 |
| 2006 | 10/06/2006 | 10/06/2006 | 10/06/2006 |
| 2007 | 09/25/2007 | 9/25/2007 | 9/25/2007 |
| 2008 | 9/14/2008 | 9/13/2008 | 9/13/2008 |
| 2009 | 10/03/2009 | 10/02/2009 | 10/02/2009 |
| 2010 | 9/22/2010 | 9/22/2010 | 9/22/2010 |
Find The Date of Chinese Mid Autumn (Moon) Festival
2007 Chinese Moon Festival
