![]() To do so, says The Atlantic, women would arrange an altar in their family’s courtyard. Either way, paying homage to the harvest moon was believed to bring prosperity and happiness. Others say it’s the moon itself with the belief that it, along with the sun, controlled the universe. Some say it’s Chang’E ancient people prayed to during the festival. The legend of the Moon Rabbit lives on: China’s unmanned lunar rover, which was named Yutu, or Jade Rabbit. In Chinese folklore, he’s making the immortal elixir for Chang’E while in Japanese and Korean tradition, he’s pounding the ingredients for rice cakes. Sometimes the rabbit is shown with a mortar and pestle. The immortals promptly rewarded him by sending him up to the moon to live forever with Chang’E. ![]() A generous soul, he jumped in the fire, sacrificing himself as a meal instead. While the fox and monkey handed the vittles over, the rabbit unfortunately had none to give. He, a fox, and a monkey were approached by three immortals disguised like beggars and asking for food. The Moon RabbitĪlso called the Jade or Gold Rabbit, as jade and gold were often used to refer to the moon, the Moon Rabbit, like Chang'E, began as a mortal. Now it’s said you can see her face in the full moon. Having no choice, she downed the concoction herself and immediately flew up to the moon, where she’d live as a goddess for the rest of eternity. Unfortunately, his jealous apprentice Feng Meng had witnessed the elixir exchange, and barged into Hou Yi’s house while he was away, demanding it from Chang’E. He only wanted to live with his mortal wife. So he left the potion untouched at home. Pleased with Hou Yi, the queen of heaven gifted him with an elixir which would grant him immortality. ![]() She started as the ordinary wife of famed archer Hou Yi, who saved the earth from burning to a crisp by shooting down nine out of 10 suns. The festival has many origin stories, but the most widely accepted seems is about the goddess who inhabits the moon.Ĭhang’E wasn’t always so celestial. But where did it come from? Origin stories The Moon Goddess The holiday has been celebrated for thousands of years, starting in the 10th century during the Northern Song Dynasty. So what is it? Imagine Thanksgiving but instead of eating turkey and watching football, you feast on mooncakes and gaze at the full moon. The Mid-Autumn Festival, sometimes called the Moon Festival, falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month (Sept. You might already know about Lunar New Year, the biggest holiday in many Asian countries, but how about the second biggest holiday?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |