This couple has come to be a symbol of opposites: true yin and yang. The story goes that an archer named Hou Yi shot down 9 of the 10 suns in order to save all the crops. Its typically on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, which for us, is. Hou Yi, on the other hand, went and built himself a palace on the sun. There is a delightful myth about the Mid-Autumn Festival. Mid-Autumn Festival (also called August Moon Festival) is a Chinese holiday that people get excited about weeks in advance. There’s also a woodcutter who tries to cut down the cassia tree, to no avail. Zhu applied for and got permission to distribute thousands of mooncakes to Chinese residents in the Mongol capital as a blessing to the longevity of the Mongol emperor. To keep her company, there’s a rabbit who is always trying to make an elixir of immortality for her. The story goes that Liu Bowen, the confidant of the rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang, suggested that the rebellion be timed to coincide with the Mid-Autumn festival. Hou Yi was angered and tried to shoot her down, but failed.Īs she reached the moon, she was cursed and transformed into a frog. In the process of trying to escape her enraged husband, she leaped from a window and floated toward the moon. He ordered the preparation of a life-extending elixir, which Chang E stole and swallowed for herself. After becoming king, Hou Yi married Chang E, but shortly thereafter he became an evil ruler. Hou Yi became a hero by shooting down nine of the ten suns that rose one day to threaten the world. She met an archer called Hou Yi at the age of 18, and the two became good friends. This would be tough, though, as she was turned into a mortal in a poor family of farmers. She was only able to return to heaven if she was able to do some heroic and good deed to earn it. She was banished to live on earth, away from heaven, as a mortal. If FASCA members would like to volunteer for the 9/25 event, please sign up below. At some point, she accidentally broke a porcelain jar that was precious to the Emperor. FASCA Atlanta is hosting a Mid-Autumn Festival Culture Storytime event at the East Cobb Library on Saturday 9/25. During it, families reunite and celebrate with with mooncakes and lanterns. The story of the Mooncake Festival is centered around Chang E.Ĭhang E was an exceptionally beautiful young girl who worked for the Jade Emperor in his heavenly palace. Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional Chinese festival held on the 15th day of the eighth lunar calendar month.

Midautumn festival story