Journey to the East

The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, which is usually around mid or late September. It is a date that parallels the autumn and spring equinoxes of the solar calendar, when the moon is supposedly at its fullest and roundest. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake, of which there are many different varieties.

Mmmmmm.... Mooncakes

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the two most important holidays in the Chinese calendar, the other being the Chinese New Year (also known as Spring Festival), and is a legal holiday in several countries. Farmers celebrate the end of the summer harvesting season on this date. Traditionally, on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomelos together.

There’s also a really cool story about the origins of the mid-autumn festival. Like the other aspects of the day, the story about how Mid-Autumn Festival began centers around the moon. There are many versions of the origin story, but this is my favorite. It features Houyi, a godlike archer, Chang’e his wife, and a magical, pharmaceutical moon-rabbit. Here’s what Wikipedia offers in summary:

Houyi was an immortal, while Chang’e was a beautiful young girl, working in the Jade Emporer’s (the Emperor of Heaven) Palace as the attendant to the Queen Mother of the West (wife of the Jade Emperor), just before her marriage. One day, 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, and forced to live by hunting on earth. He became a famous archer.Now at this time, there were 10 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 (a goddess, the ‘mother’ of the suns). One day, all 10 of the suns circled together, causing the earth to burn. The Emperor of China commanded Houyi to shoot down all but one of the suns. Upon the completion of his task, the Emperor rewarded Houyi with a pill that granted eternal life, and advised him: “Make no haste to swallow this pill; first prepare yourself with prayer and fasting for a year”. Houyi took the pill home and hid it under a rafter, while he began healing his spirit. While Houyi was healing his spirit, Houyi was summoned again by the emperor. Chang’e, noticing a white beam of light beckoning from the rafters, discovered the pill, which she swallowed. Immediately, she found that she could fly. At that moment, Houyi returned home, and, realizing what had happened, began to reprimand her. Chang’e flew out the window into the sky.

With a bow in hand, Houyi sped after her, and the pursuit continued halfway across the heavens. Finally, Houyi had to return to the Earth because of the force of the wind. Chang’e reached the moon, and breathless, she coughed. Part of the pill fell out from her mouth.  On the moon, she found a jade hare, and Chang’e commanded the animal to make another pill, so that she could return to earth to her husband.

As of today, the hare is still pounding herbs, trying to make the pill. As for Houyi, he built himself a palace in the sun as “Yang” (the male principle), with Chang’e as “Yin” (the female principle). Once a year, on the 15th day of the full moon, Houyi visits his wife. That is why, that night, the moon is full and beautiful.

It’s a hell of a story if you ask me. A little convoluted? Sure. But you can’t beat a magical moon rabbit who makes immortality pills. That’s good drama. From the “moon-pills” that the hare makes, are derived the mooncakes that are eaten on Mid-Autumn Festival. Currently, grocery stores are selling them in ENORMOUS quantities, and we’ve tried several varieties, including: five nut, sweet bean paste, and “egg” flavored. Honestly, they’re not bad, and I’d like to think I’ve acquired some sort of discerning taste for them.

Because the Mid-Autumn festival is on a lunar schedule, its calendar date shifts from year to year. This year, because of the way the lunar calendar falls, it falls remarkably close to National Day (which is ALWAYS celebrated on October 1). Essentially, what this means is that two breaks which are normally short have been combined into one superbreak. To celebrate, we’re getting out on the road and going “on holiday” as our British friends here in Ji’nan say.

Starting next Monday, September 28, I’ll be headed out West to Xi’an (西安), one of the great cities of China (or really all of Asia for that matter). It’s about a 15 hour train ride from Ji’nan, but it will be well worth the wait. A little bit about Xi’an: Xi’an is the capital of Shaanxi proince. I like to think of it as China’s “Gateway to the West” in the same way that St. Louis or Chicago is the US.

For years during China’s dynastic period, it was known as Chang’an (长安), and it was the cultural and political heart of the Chinese Empire. So, it’s a city with rich cultural heritage. In those times it was also the capital of dynastic China, so it’s famous for all of its ancient traditional buildings. There are many famous towers and walls. Most famous however, are the funerary sculptures from the mausoleum of China’s first emporer. These are known as the Terracotta Warriors, lifesize sculptures of an army (there are 5,000+ of these things) of soldiers set to guard the emporer’s eternal rest. They’re amongst the most famous landmarks in all of China (probably second only to the Great Wall). All in all it should be a great trip. Stayed tuned for more.

Xi'an: Famous for these guys