7th Grade Field Trip - Chinese Moon Festival - Sept. 19, 2013

Moon Festival

http://www.littlepassports.com/blog/

On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, the moon is at its maximum brightness for the entire year—thereby giving it the name Moon Festival.

During the Moon Festival, the Chinese and Vietnamese people celebrate the three values: the gathering of family and friends, giving thanks to a good harvest, and praying for prosperity and for a good future.
The most popular food during the moon festival is, of course, mooncakes! These cakes are about 3 inches wide and can fit into the palm of your hand. The fluffy filling is made from red bean or lotus seed paste, and the inside circle is the yolk of a salted egg. These are very high in calories, so bakers decided to make mooncakes in different flavors—there’s even an ice cream version! The round shape symbolizes unity and the sharing of mooncakes signifies the unison of families. Traditionally, the oldest member of the household would cut the mooncakes into small pieces and give them to each relative of that family.

Another very popular item during the festivities is the traditional lantern. Children love to pick out and carry lanterns during the festival and hang them
up on trees and towers. Lanterns with cartoon characters and animals are becoming very popular, but the traditional sphere is still a classic. Lanterns symbolize the wish for the sun to return after a long winter. Kids also wear papier-mâché masks, and parade around the city square with their lanterns on the day of the Moon Festival.

Other traditions that happen during the moon festival include meeting with friends, burning incense and watching ancient stories being told by puppets and dancing. This year, Sam and Sofia will be traveling to China to enjoy the Moon Festival on September 19th!

The Story of the Chinese Moon Festival & Moon Cake - 
http://www.chinese-festival.com/strory-chinese-moon-festival-moon-cake.html
The Lady – Chang Er
The time of this story is around 2170 B.C. The earth once had ten suns circling over it, each took its turn to illuminate to the earth. But one day all ten suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was saved by a strong and tyrannical archer Hou Yi. He succeeded in shooting down nine of the suns. One day, Hou Yi stole the elixir of life from a goddess. However his beautiful wife Chang Er drank the elixir of life in order to save the people from her husband’s tyrannical rule. After drinking it, she found herself floating and flew to the moon. Hou Yi loved his divinely beautiful wife so much, he didn’t shoot down the moon.
The Hare – Jade Rabbit
In this legend, three fairy sages transformed themselves into pitiful old men and begged for something to eat from a fox, a monkey and a rabbit. The fox and the monkey both had food to give to the old men, but the rabbit, empty-handed, offered his own flesh instead, jumping into a blazing fire to cook himself. The sages were so touched by the rabbit’s sacrifice that they let him live in the Moon Palace where he became the “Jade Rabbit.”
The Man – Wu Kang
Wu Kang was a shiftless fellow who changed apprenticeships all the time. One day he decided that he wanted to be an immortal. Wu Kang then went to live in the mountains where he importuned an immortal to teach him. First the immortal taught him about the herbs used to cure sickness, but after three days his characteristic restlessness returned and he asked the immortal to teach him something else. So the immortal to teach him chess, but after a short while Wu Kang’s enthusiasm again waned. Then Wu Kang was given the books of immortality to study. Of course, Wu Kang became bored within a few days, and asked if they could travel to some new and exciting place. Angered with Wu Kang’s impatience, the master banished Wu Kang to the Moon Palace telling him that he must cut down a huge cassia tree before he could return to earth. Though Wu Kang chopped day and night, the magical tree restored itself with each blow, and thus he is up there chopping still.
The Cake – Moon Cake
During the Yuan dynasty (A.D.1280-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (A.D.960-1280) were unhappy at submitting to foreign rule, and set how to coordinate the rebellion without it being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Backed into each moon cake was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). Today, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend.