中秋节Mid-Autumn Festival

中秋节Mid-Autumn Festival北妈amp南妈 Mid-Autumn FestivalMid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival) is a harvest festival, celebrated in China and other East Asian countries, such as Vietnam and Singapore. It’s always in September or October, on month 8 day 15 of the Chinese lunar calendar. Also called the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, it is celebrated when the moon is believed to be the biggest and fullest, and mooncake is the main most characteristic festival food. Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important festival in China after Chinese New Year. To the Chinese, the festival means family reunion and harmony. 初一新月不可见，只缘身陷日地中。
初七初八上弦月，半轮圆月面朝西。
满月出在十五六，地球一肩挑日月。
二十二三下弦月，月面朝东下半夜。
phases of the Moon New moonWaxing crescentFirst quarter Waxing gibbous Full moon Waning gibbous Third quarter (or last quarter)Waning crescent How the Chinese Celebrate Mid-AutumnParticularly on the evening of Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese people get together with their family. They eat dinner together with their extended family (usually three generations) at the grandparents’ home. Food for the dinner includes duck, taro, and other regional festival foods, which may take most of the afternoon to prepare. After dinner, the family traditionally offer sacrifices to the moon, in the belief that the moon will bring them good luck. The offerings may include mooncakes and symbolic fruits. If the weather is favorable, they then appreciate the bright moon while eating mooncake. During a bright moon night, many families choose to go outside to a park to gaze at the moon. What the Chinese Eat for Mid-Autumn FestivalMooncakes are the must-eat Mid-Autumn food in China. They are a traditional Chinese pastry. Chinese people see in the roundness of mooncakes a symbol of reunion and happiness. Other foods eaten during the festival are harvest foods, such as crabs, pumpkins, pomeloes, and grapes. People enjoy them at their freshest, most nutritious, and auspicious meanings are particularly associated with round foods. Why Is the Moon Festival Celebrated?In the past, the Moon Festival was celebrated at harvest time. Ancient Chinese emperors worshiped the moon in autumn to thank it for the harvest. The ordinary people took Mid-Autumn Festival as a celebration of their hard work and harvest. Today, people mainly celebrate the moon festival as a time for family reunions. The Origins and History of China’s Mid-Autumn Festival Originated in the Zhou Dynasty (1045 – 221 BC) Became Popular in the Tang Dyansty (618 – 907) Became a Festival in the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279) Mooncakes Eaten from the Yuan Dynasty (1279 – 1368)Popularity Peaked in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 – 1912) The Story of the Lady on the Moon Long ago there were ten suns in the sky. It was too hot. Plants and people were dying. A hero used his bow and arrows to shoot down nine suns. He saved everyone. The queen of heaven gave the hero a bottle of magic water. It would make him live forever and go to heaven. But the hero didn't want to go. He wanted to stay with his pretty wife. So he didn't drink the magic water. He asked his wife to keep it safe. One of the hero's men was bad and wanted the magic water. One day the hero went hunting with his men. The bad man stayed at home. He went to the hero's house to get the magic water. The pretty lady knew she couldn't win against the greedy man. So she drank the magic water. It made her live forever and fly to the moon.