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Harvest Moon Festival1 W% O+ y9 C/ x+ x* `2 ?( C
+ @% |2 z, r+ `* ]% i0 QSeptember 19th, 2004
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3 j1 a- U0 S, QThe Harvest Moon Festival is the second most important festival in China. It is on August 15th on the Chinese calendar, when Chinese people can enjoy the bright full moon. In fact, the moon involves all of activities on that day.
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There are a variety of the origins of the Harvest Moon festival that have spread the countryside. One of the widespread opinions is that August on the Chinese calendar is the harvesting season, and so people celebrate the harvest as a special time of Thanksgiving. The full moon is the symbol of reunion for families, so some people call the festival “The Reunion Festival”. Because the festival is in the middle of the fall on the Chinese calendar, it has another name - the Middle Fall Festival. The Moon festival means reunion and harvest for every family.
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Some mythologies about the Harvest Moon Festival will grow on you. One of them is about Chang Er – a pretty woman. It said that a long time ago, there were ten suns in the sky. When the suns rose, every day, all of plants were scorched so that the people could not survive. A brave hero named “Houyi” shot the extra 9 suns down with arrows and saved the world. The king who dominates heaven was very angry because the suns were his sons. He punished Houyi by demoting him from heaven to the natural world. In the world, Houyi ran into Chang Er and got married to her soon after. The queen gave Houyi a pill in sympathy, which could make him return to heaven. Chang Er betrayed her husband out of greed and ate the pill stealthily. After she flew up, she didn’t dare go to heaven. She flew to the moon, which was a deserted boondock, and lived in the Moon Palace alone. Only a white rabbit accompanied her all day. Another story was about a man named Wugang who was downgraded to the moon because of a serious fault. His duty on the moon was to cut down the laurel, which was more than 1500 meters high and grew in the Moon Palace. But the tree grew so fast that it could never be cut down. Therefore, at present, they still appear on the moon. During the Moon Festival, the people always enjoy delicious feasts, appreciating the bright moon and talking about those stories in delight. These mythologies make the Moon Festival more fascinating.; B- i6 d g8 K9 b
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Before the Moon Festival, friends and relatives give each other
" u3 L$ Y/ w9 R3 ]. g* W& ]( v% C0 Zmouthwatering pastries called moon cakes. Moon cakes contain a variety of sweet fillings, such as almond paste, red bean paste, or eggs. These small cakes are baked in molds, and they often have flowers, the moon, and other traditional Chinese symbols designs on top. Some amazing moon cakes are so delicate that they could be esteemed as arts. During the Moon Festival, moon cakes are not regarded as main food by the people. They are desserts, symbolizing reunion. After the Moon Festival, the price of moon cakes declines steeply. Moon cakes gradually disappear from families’ dining tables and markets. For Chinese people, moon cakes are the most significant and essential foods during the Moon Festival., s) g; J" ]' W, u
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The popular activities at this time are appreciating the moon, dragon dancing, and lantern puzzle. On the night of the Moon Festival, the people go to lakes, climb up to the tip of mountains, or sit in their backyards, appreciating the bright full moon. Dragon dancing and parades often occur. The best-known activity is lantern puzzles. The people make all kinds of good-looking lanterns, paste puzzles on them, and hang them on the door. The people who pass by the house usually linger and guess. The customs and activities on the Moon Festival are colorful.4 R& w& h+ R4 N7 Z" m6 Y5 V$ s+ n
" {5 |' I7 P6 i) N* NIn short, the Moon Festival is very significant to every Chinese. A Chinese poem says we miss our families much more every festival. The Moon Festival is coming and the time for reunion is coming, but when can I reunite with my family?
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狗仔卡
发表于 2004-11-15 23:27
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发表于 2004-11-15 23:33
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