This weekend we will be celebrating the Chinese Moon Fesitval with other adoptive families. 
The Mooncake or Mid-Autumn Festival falls on October 6 this year. Every year on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its maxium brightness for the entire year, the Chinese celebrate "zhong qiu jie." Children are told the story of the moon fairy living in a crystal palace, who comes out to dance on the moon's shadowed surface. The legend surrounding the "lady living in the moon" dates back to ancient times, to a day when 10 suns appeared at once in the sky. The Emperor ordered a famous archer to shoot down the 9 extra suns. Once the task was accomplished, Goddess of Western Heaven rewarded the archer with a pill that would make him immortal. However, his wife found the pill, took it, and was vanished to the moon as a result. Legend says that her beauty is greatest on the day of the Moon Festival. There are other legends, but the most famous concerns its possible role in Chinese history. Overrun by the Mongols in the 13th Century, the Chinese threw off their oppressors in 1368 A.D. The Mongols did not eat mooncakes which were perfect vehicles for hiding and passing along plans for the rebellion. The families were instructed not to eat the mooncakes until the day of the Moon festival which is when the rebellion took place.
The Mooncake or Mid-Autumn Festival falls on October 6 this year. Every year on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its maxium brightness for the entire year, the Chinese celebrate "zhong qiu jie." Children are told the story of the moon fairy living in a crystal palace, who comes out to dance on the moon's shadowed surface. The legend surrounding the "lady living in the moon" dates back to ancient times, to a day when 10 suns appeared at once in the sky. The Emperor ordered a famous archer to shoot down the 9 extra suns. Once the task was accomplished, Goddess of Western Heaven rewarded the archer with a pill that would make him immortal. However, his wife found the pill, took it, and was vanished to the moon as a result. Legend says that her beauty is greatest on the day of the Moon Festival. There are other legends, but the most famous concerns its possible role in Chinese history. Overrun by the Mongols in the 13th Century, the Chinese threw off their oppressors in 1368 A.D. The Mongols did not eat mooncakes which were perfect vehicles for hiding and passing along plans for the rebellion. The families were instructed not to eat the mooncakes until the day of the Moon festival which is when the rebellion took place.
