嫦娥奔月(Cháng É bēnyuè) Chang Er Flies to the Moon

It is said that one year in ancient times, there appeared 10 suns in the sky, and every drop on the earth was melted away under such heat. As a result, the civilians couldn’t make a living any more. There was a hero named 后羿(Hòu Yì) Hou Yi who was good at shooting, so he shot down the extra 9 suns and was 尊敬(zūnjìng) admired by all the civilians in the country. In order to award him, Heavenly Queen Mother gave him a pouch filled with elixir of life, and he gave it to his wife 嫦娥(Cháng É) Chang Er who was very beautiful and kind-hearted. But all of this was seen by Peng Meng, who was very 奸诈(jiānzhà) treacherous and 心术不正(xīnshùbúzhèng) harbored evil intentions. He threatened Chang Er with a sword to get the elixir of life. Under this circumstance, Chang Er ate the elixir of life 当机立断(dāngjīlìduàn) without any hesitation and flew to the moon. After hearing the news that Chang Er flew to the moon and become a fairy, all of the civilians put the incense burners under the moon to ask for the kind lady’s blessing. From then on, the custom of 赏月(shǎngyuè) appreciating the moon on the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival is spreading gradually among people in the country. Now people also like to appreciate the moon and eat moon cakes in their backyard with their family members on Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Mid-autumn festival is China’s second most popular festival and is marked by two ways to celebrate: