Mid-Autumn Festival

Pour continuer de célébrer l'anniversaire d'Hanna en beauté, nous sommes allées au Mid-Autumn Festival (aussi connu sous le nom de Moon Festival), c'est un festival populaire célébré à la fois par les Chinois et les Vietnamiens. Il a lieu le quinzième jour du huitième mois du calendrier chinois, ce qui tombe généralement en septembre ou début octobre, c'est la que la Lune est la plus pleine et la plus ronde.

Pendant le festival, tout le monde mange des mooncakes, dont il y a beaucoup de variétés différentes.
Le Mid-Autumn Festival est l'une des fêtes les plus importantes du calendrier chinois avec le nouvel an chinois et le solstice d'hiver, jeudi était donc ferié.

Généralement, les familles chinoises et les amis profitent de ce jour pour se réunir, admirer la pleine lune, manger des mooncakes et des fruits (star fruits and pomelos). Plusieurs coutumes accompagnent cette célébration : tout d'abord, tout le monde se balade avec une lanterne (elles vont des plus traditionnelles au plus modernes), certains brulent de l'encens, d'autres plantent des Mid-Autumn trees, il y a aussi des parades et des danses du Dragon.

J'ai demandé à des locaux l'origine de cette célébration mais il semble y avoir beaucoup de versions différentes : 

Celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival is strongly associated with the legend of Houyi and Chang'e, the Moon Goddess of Immortality. There are many variants and adaptations of the legend of Chang'e that frequently contradict each other. However, most versions of the legend involve some variation of the following elements: Houyi, the Archer, an emperor, either benevolent or malevolent, and an elixir of life.One version of the legend states that Houyi was an immortal and Chang'e was a beautiful young girl, working in the palace of the Jade Emperor (the Emperor of Heaven) as an attendant to the Queen Mother of the West (the Jade Emperor's wife). Houyi aroused the jealousy of the other immortals, who then slandered him before the Jade Emperor. Houyi and his wife, Chang'e, were subsequently banished from heaven. They were forced to live on Earth. Houyi had to hunt to survive and became a skilled and famous archer.

At that time, there were ten suns, in the form of three-legged birds, residing in a mulberry tree in the eastern sea. Each day one of the sun birds would have to travel around the world on a carriage, driven by Xihe, the 'mother' of the suns. One day, all ten of the suns circled together, causing the Earth to burn. Emperor Yao, the Emperor of China, commanded Houyi to use his archery skill to shoot down all but one of the suns. Upon completion of his task, the Emperor rewarded Houyi with a pill that granted eternal life. Emperor Yao advised Houyi not to swallow the pill immediately but instead to prepare himself by praying and fasting for a year before taking it.Houyi took the pill home and hid it under a rafter. One day, Houyi was summoned away again by Emperor Yao. During her husband's absence, Chang'e, noticed a white beam of light beckoning from the rafters, and discovered the pill. Chang'e swallowed it and immediately found that she could fly. Houyi returned home, realizing what had happened he began to reprimand his wife. Chang'e escaped by flying out the window into the sky.

Houyi pursued her halfway across the heavens but was forced to return to Earth because of strong winds. Chang'e reached the moon, where she coughed up part of the pill.Chang'e commanded the hare that lived on the moon to make another pill. Chang'e would then be able to return to Earth and her husband.

The legend states that the hare is still pounding herbs, trying to make the pill. Houyi built himself a palace in the sun, representing "Yang" (the male principle), in contrast to Chang'e's home on the moon which represents "Yin" (the female principle). Once a year, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Houyi visits his wife. That is the reason why the moon is very full and beautiful on that night.

Beautiful story, isn't it ? Night Night everyone

PS1 : toutes les photos ont été prises à Victoria Park (sauf celle des mooncakes)

PS2 (nan, nan, pas la console) : dsl pour l'anglais, I was too lazy to translate

PS3 : comment ça j'ai pris 36 000 photos de lanternes ??