![]() ![]() He then held her hand and took her towards the seat that was specially designed for them for today evening. I should offer my greetings too," Ying Lili stated. However, she did not want Sheng Li to defy the norms of this festival. I cannot take any risk," Sheng Li said with a smile. "I will kneel and bow on her behalf, Empress Dowager. ![]() It won't affect her and her child," the Empress Dowager proclaimed. I will give the greetings to the moon on your behalf," Sheng Li told Ying Lili. Sheng Li and Ying Lili had to offer the prayers first as the Emperor and the Empress. On the edges, two candles were placed on the candle stand. After them, the Emperor and the Empress entered, who halted in front of the table which had mooncakes, some snacks, and fruits on it. The Princes and their wives stood up to show respect towards them. The Empress Dowager entered, followed by the three Consort Dowagers. Soon, the other Princes started to come with their respective wives. The red and yellow lanterns were hanging at every corner of the pavilion. The moon looks pretty today," Lei Wanxi said and smiled. "Sixth Brother, where are the other Brothers?" He asked. He put the mooncake back into the bowl and covered it from the lid. Weng Yu licked his lips as he was hungry. "We still need to worship the moon first," he said. "Brother Yu, don't eat now," Lei Wanxi told him, who took his seat. Taking out the moon dessert, he brought it close to his mouth. He picked the lid that had covered the bowl. He saw many dishes were put on the floor table in front of him. Weng Yu delightedly sat down on the last seat as the seats were made according to the rank. At the front, the main seat for the Emperor and the Empress was made, followed by the Empress Dowager and the other Consort Dowagers. The seats were aligned at a perfect distance from each other. The bright and shiny moon was clearly visible from the pavilion. When the people observed his gifts, they followed suit and worshipped with him.In the main pavilion of the Northern Family, the entire royal family gathered. When Yi returned and heard of what had happened, he grieved and offered fruits in devotion to his wife. Flying into the sky with her new immortal powers, she chose the moon as her home. A subordinate of his, Peng Meng, learnt of the elixir and tried to force Chang’e to give it to him, but she swallowed it instead. But Yi did not want immortality without his wife to join him, so he kept the elixir in his home. His heroic actions were seen by one of the immortals, who chose to give Yi an elixir for immortality. Yi shot down nine of the suns with his arrows, leaving one remaining for light and warmth. ![]() ![]() Chang’e was the wife of a famed archer Hou Yi, and they livedat a time long ago when the Earth was plagued by ten suns. The legend behind the festival is also a sad and beautiful one. Always on a full moon, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls this year on September, 24. The Mid-Autumn Festival is set to be the 15th day of the eighth month. The specific day is determined by the Chinese Lunar Calendar. It was held to celebrate their harvest and all their hard work in the last days of the season before the changing of the weather. While mooncakes make the Mid-Autumn Festival a special one in Chinese culture, the festival itself was always an importantone to the Chinese ancestors. In whatever way they are made, they are delicious, and always a welcome gift. As a cake, they are usually individually proportioned at approximately four inches each in diameter, but some chefs in China will attempt extremely large mooncakes to commemorate the holiday. One such favorite is mooncakes baked with a salted duck egg yolk in the center, again symbolizing the moon. They come with a sweet paste filling inside, often red bean or lotus seed paste, although many other varieties of the filling, such as black or white sesame seed, are also available. One (a day) is usually enough to satisfy the craving for this yearly treat. Mooncakes are round like the moon, stamped in elaborate decorations, and rich with egg yolk in the recipe. Families share the delicious confection with each other to celebrate the holiday with joy as they honor the good fortune of the harvest season. Often baked and packaged lavishly, the mooncakes are meant as gifts. Why? Because this is the time of year when the mooncakes are produced. But ask any Chinese person about the festival, and they will tell you it’s all about the mooncakes. In many parts of Asia, there are children’s lantern parades, and lion dances. It is celebrated extravagantly with big dinners and family reunions. It involves the tragically romantic story of Chang’e, the moon goddess and her mortal husband Hou Yi. The Harvest Moon Festival, commonly referred to as the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节), is a celebration rich in Chinese lore. ![]()
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