MoonDust
September 15th, 2005, 11:08 AM
Just reading today’s entry in my almanac and I found out it was the Moon’s B-day. So I looked it up! Here’s what I found:
Most of the Chinese celebrations are based on either the solar or lunar year. All Chinese festivals reflect Long Life, Peace, Kindness, Honor and Wealth, and stresses family togetherness.
The Harvest Moon festival is a mid- autumn celebration. There are thirteen months in a Chinese year, and on the fifteenth day of the Eighth Moon, the birthday of the Moon is celebrated. The Chinese have a legend that the hare lived in the moon and one of the most popular decorations is the rabbit. The rabbit sleeps with his eye open and promises long life to those who live a good life.
The Birthday of the Moon is one of the happiest holidays and is like Thanksgiving. When all the crops are brought in the gods and ancestors are thanked for the bounty.
The people eat round moon cakes which can be bought in pastry shops. Many women bake them using pale yellow flour and fill them with nuts, spices, and sugar. It is decorated with red, yellow, green and gold leaf.
The people climb the mountain to get a good look at the full moon. Friends and relatives exchange moon cakes. Thirteen cakes are stacked on top of one another, each cake representing a singular lunar month of the Chinese calendar.
http://www.cccoe.net/specialed/oct/Level2Plan.html (http://www.cccoe.net/specialed/oct/Level2Plan.html)
Cool!
Most of the Chinese celebrations are based on either the solar or lunar year. All Chinese festivals reflect Long Life, Peace, Kindness, Honor and Wealth, and stresses family togetherness.
The Harvest Moon festival is a mid- autumn celebration. There are thirteen months in a Chinese year, and on the fifteenth day of the Eighth Moon, the birthday of the Moon is celebrated. The Chinese have a legend that the hare lived in the moon and one of the most popular decorations is the rabbit. The rabbit sleeps with his eye open and promises long life to those who live a good life.
The Birthday of the Moon is one of the happiest holidays and is like Thanksgiving. When all the crops are brought in the gods and ancestors are thanked for the bounty.
The people eat round moon cakes which can be bought in pastry shops. Many women bake them using pale yellow flour and fill them with nuts, spices, and sugar. It is decorated with red, yellow, green and gold leaf.
The people climb the mountain to get a good look at the full moon. Friends and relatives exchange moon cakes. Thirteen cakes are stacked on top of one another, each cake representing a singular lunar month of the Chinese calendar.
http://www.cccoe.net/specialed/oct/Level2Plan.html (http://www.cccoe.net/specialed/oct/Level2Plan.html)
Cool!