Most lunar months in the Chinese calendar denote a Double Festival - like the Double fifth or ninth but the there’s no Double Eight FESTIVAL. Surprising, given the number eight is such a significant number in Asian communities. On a smaller scale, veneration of the Eight Immortals takes place, specifically the female Immortal, He Xiangu. During Osmanthus month( an ancient name for the month) the Mid Autumn Festival or the Moon Festival is primarily celebration. Since the moon is central to its namesake festival; Luna would be full bloom on the eighth day of the 8th of the 8th lunar month. This year (2023) the Moon Festival falls on 29 Sept. in the Gregorian calendar, and celebrates the Full Moon which occurs at 7:57pm in Sydney*(more Full moon times below).
CULTURAL CUSTOM
This Festival is the second most important festival in the Chinese calendar, after the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival). The CNY festival celebrates a New Moon, Spring and New beginnings. While the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates Autumn, a Full moon and the Harvest. it’s also known as the Moons birthday! The eighth lunar month in the Chinese Calendar was known to the Ancients as Osmanthus month and depicted in paintings by the pairing of sparrows and rice, symbolizing Harvest. The 15th day of the 8th Lunar month is the specific date of the - Mid Autumn Festival. Hence its namesake, but it’s also called - Worship the Full Moon Festival or Reunion Festival. Of course there’s no guarantee year on year, that the 15th day will mark a full moon but generally from 14th-17th, luna will at least appear a few days from full depending on what time the new moon lunation occurred - morning or evening. The Autumn Moon is thought to be the biggest, fullest and brightest of the year and represents reunion - of family, just like at CNY. This year it’s a Full moon on the 15th lunar day in all parts of the globe. Of course in the Gregorian Calendar the date fluctuates and it can occur in Sept. or Oct., depending on the intercalary (leap) year calculations. And a few days prior on 23rd Sept. 2023, Qui Fen (the Autumn Equinox), and a new solar term began in the Chinese Calendar.
The Mid Autumn Festival is one of five Full moon festivals honoured in the Chinese calendar. The day after (16th Lunar day) marks the birthday of the Sun Wukong — The Monkey King and folk gather once more to Chase another moon sighting.
In Hong King, a Fire dragon dance is a traditional custom during the Lunar celebrations. From the 14th night of the eighth lunar month at Causeway Bay, a fire dragon dance occurs for three consecutive nights. The dragon is more than 70 meters long, made of pearl grass with 32-sections of the dragon body filled with longevity incense. The winding fire dragon dances under the moon light to the music of dragon drums.
MOON CAKES
The roots of the festival hark back to the Tang Dynasty and was recognized in 2006 as a Cultural day to celebrate one’s heritage and appreciate the the luminary of the night skies - a Full moon. Thus the latter naming ‘Reunion Festival’ for families to come together and celebrate Autumn’s Harvest. It’s akin to Thanksgiving. A veneration space/altar is set up for a moon palace talisman in the ‘moonlight position’ and ‘worship to the moon’ occurs in the direction of the moonrise. (Sydney peeps, luna sets at 5:53 pm 275° WEST. Miniature round cake offerings have the surface painted with the moon palace (minus the toad depiction) and folks worship and burn incense at their altar. In the "The Brief Introduction of the Emperor Jingjing" it’s said "On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the cakes will be round, the teeth will be wrong when divided, and the petals will be carved like lotus flowers. . . . at the Reunion Festival."
The customary festival food to eat with family and friends, is the intricate pastry called mooncake, hence another popular festival name of ‘Chinese Moon Cake Festival’. The sweet pastry consumed to celebrate the swollen monthly show of the Moon has been called many names over it’s 3,000 year history.
Taishi cakes were the first incarnation and traditionally made to serve as a Festival offering to the Moon. Back then, they were called Huan or Hu (walnut) cakes. The name was derived from the filling - sesame seeds and walnuts were first introduced from the west (Han dynasty 202bc) and were quickly used to make the cakes. Then, simply called Round cakes. Today’s colloquial reference is Mooncakes, which was coined by a Concubine called Yang YuHuan of the Emperor Li Longji.
Tradition dictates that the mooncake is divided equally among all family members, with a piece kept for absent members. Restaurants now serve exquisite individual portions and taste varies from sweet, salty, spicy (meaty) or salty and sweet. The intricate surface decoration often displays well-wishing characters.
MYTH & LEGENDS
Back on the 7th day of the 7th lunar Month, known as the Qixi Festival (Double Seventh) 22 Aug.2023 most Asian folks class this date as Chinese Valentine’s Day. But the Moon Festival was initially also Valentine’s day. Love lore denotes that the God of the Moon, a custodian of Love and Marriage. Young lovers ( and not so young ) would venerate this Full Moon and wish for love and happiness, or beg for the God of matchmaking to intervene.
One popular legend relates to Goddess Chang. She was the mortal wife of a heroic archer called Hou Li. The myth goes that once upon a time, ten suns were in the skies above. The intense heat resulted in crops dying and general suffering. The archer, grew fed up with the dehydrating conditions, so he drew his bow and took down nine of the suns.
As a reward for his heroic efforts he was gifted an immortality elixir from the Jade Rabbit, (the hare seen in the Full Moon, who pounds Medicine), which has links to the current 15th Solar Term, when the medicinal harvest of specific flowers occurs. One day the archer’s home was broken into, and his wife who was the guardian of the potion, drank the vile, rather than have it fall into evil hands. She immediately ascended into the heavens, never to return to the earthly plane. Her husband venerated her soul every year on the Mid Autumn festival and worshiped the full moon with offerings of her favoured foods. It’s similar folklore to the lovers separated at QiXi, hence the Chinese Valentine piece.
So how do you plan on celebrating this Full Moon (times below)? Spending the evening with family and friends, eating moon cakes and moon-gazing and celebrating Harvest? Ive decided to go camping, under the Lunar rays and appreciate the Full Moon minus the city light pollution.
Mid Autumn Full moon @ 6° Aries
Sept 29 - 7:57pm- Sydney
Sept 29 - 10:57am - London/Dublin
Sept 29 - 5:57am - New York
Sept 29 - 5:57pm - Beijing