The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history and, like other traditional festivals, gradually developed over time. In ancient times, the emperors had the ritual of worshiping the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. The term "Mid-Autumn" was already recorded in the book "Zhou Li" (Rites of Zhou). Later, nobles and scholars imitated this practice, gazing at the bright and round full moon during the Mid-Autumn season, observing and worshiping it, expressing their emotions. This custom gradually spread to the people and became a traditional activity. By the Tang Dynasty, the custom of worshiping the moon became even more popular, and the Mid-Autumn Festival finally became a fixed holiday. According to "Tang Shu" (Book of the Tang), there is a record of "the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month." This festival became popular during the Song Dynasty and by the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become one of the main traditional festivals in China, ranking alongside the Spring Festival.
The legends surrounding the Mid-Autumn Festival are rich and varied, including stories such as Chang'e Flying to the Moon, Wu Gang Chopping the Cassia Tree, and the Jade Rabbit Mortaring Medicine.
One of the legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival — Chang'e Flying to the Moon
It is said that in ancient times, ten suns appeared simultaneously in the sky, scorching the crops and making life unbearable for the people. A hero named Hou Yi, who was extremely strong, sympathized with the suffering people. He climbed the Kunlun Mountain, gathered his divine strength, and shot down nine of the suns with a divine bow, ordering the last one to rise and set on schedule, bringing benefits to the people.
Hou Yi was thus respected and loved by the people. He married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang'e. Besides teaching martial arts and hunting, Hou Yi spent all his time with his wife, and people envied this couple of outstanding talent and good looks.
Many aspiring people came to learn from him, among whom was a man named Peng Meng, who had ill intentions.
One day, Hou Yi went to the Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek wisdom. On the way, he met the Queen Mother of Heaven, and he asked her for a pill of immortality. It was said that if one took this pill, they could instantly ascend to heaven and become an immortal. However, Hou Yi did not want to leave his wife, so he temporarily entrusted the pill to Chang'e for safekeeping. Chang'e put the pill into a treasure box in her dressing table, but Peng Meng saw it and wanted to steal the pill to become an immortal himself.
Three days later, Hou Yi led his disciples out to hunt, while Peng Meng pretended to be sick and stayed behind. As soon as Hou Yi left with his disciples, Peng Meng rushed into the inner courtyard, holding a sword and threatening Chang'e to hand over the pill. Knowing she couldn't fight Peng Meng, Chang'e made a quick decision, opened the treasure box, and swallowed the pill. Immediately after, she floated off the ground and flew out through the window toward the sky. Since she missed her husband, she landed on the moon closest to the earth and became an immortal.
In the evening, Hou Yi returned home, and the maids told him what had happened that day. Hou Yi was both shocked and furious, drew his sword to kill the villain, but Peng Meng had already escaped. Hou Yi beat his chest in despair, grieving deeply. Looking up at the night sky, he called out his beloved wife's name. To his surprise, the moon that night was unusually bright and clear, and there seemed to be a figure moving, resembling Chang'e. He chased the moon desperately, but no matter how many steps he took forward, the moon receded the same number of steps. No matter how he tried, he could never reach it.
