Today is the Moon Festival!

The Moon Festival is a celebration honoring the moon. It is a Chinese festival that goes back two thousand years. It is a celebration of the harvest, but more importantly it is a celebration of family. And there is a special cake involved, so that is pretty cool

This celebration is connected to the tale of Chang’e – known in Chinese Mythology as the moon goddess. The story given as the origin of the Moon Festival is about how Chang’e became the goddess of the moon in the first place.

Long, long ago, a beautiful young woman named Chang’e lived in a palace. It was not just any palace – mind you – it was a heavenly palace. It was the Jade Emperor’s palace to be precise. And in this palace in heaven lived immortals and fairies and other strange and magical beings. And it is to this palace that good people go when they die.

So one day Chang’e was playing in the palace and carelessly broke a rare, and precious porcelain jar that belonged to the Jade Emperor. Enraged by her thoughtlessness, the Emperor banished Chang’e to Earth where she would live as a poor peasant until she could contribute something valuable to humanity. Only then would she be allowed back into heaven.

And so Chang’e left heaven and lived as a member of a poor farming family. One day, when Chang’e was 18 years old, a young archer named Hou Yi saw her and was greatly taken with her. And so Chang’e and Hou Yi became good friends.

Not long after this, a strange thing happened. One morning instead of one sun rising in the sky, there were 10 suns overhead. And as the day went on these suns blazed and scorched the earth. Crops began to wither and die, wells started to dry up and people could not go out for fear of being burned. But Hou Yi, bravely stepped forward to save the earth by shooting down 9 of the suns with his bow and arrow.

Everyone was so grateful to Hou Yi for his heroism that they made him king. And so he married Chang’e and ruled over all the land.

But it was not long before Hou Yi’s pride took over and he became obsessed with immortality. He had all the scientists and magicians work long and hard to create for him an elixir that would prolong his life. When the potion was nearly completed Chang’e came upon it and swallowed it.

Hou Yi became violently enraged and Chang’e ran for her life from her husband’s wrath. Hou Yi chased his wife to the very top of the palace where Chang’e, having no other place to go, jumped out of the window.

But she did not fall. Chang’e floated up and up and up. Hou Yi tried to shoot her down but all of his arrows missed, and eventually Chang’e found herself on the moon.

Meanwhile Hou Yi ascended to the sun where he built his palace. And there they live still, the Sun and the moon, Yin and Yang.

Also, apparently Chang’e was turned into a three legged toad by her mother-in-law. But that is a different story, for a different time.