Mid Autumn Festival

Today is the Mid Autumn Festival. We have started calling this day as the Lantern Festival & the Mooncake Festival. But in Chinese, it's 'Zhong Qu Jie' so the correct term is Mid Autumn Festival. MAF falls on the 15th of August of the lunar calender every year. But if you've noticed, the moon is always the fullest (roundest) on the 16th which is the following night. I'm not too good with Chinese folklores so I'll try my best to narrate the best known folklore on how this day came about.

Once upon a time, there were 10 suns in the sky. It was way too hot. People & livestocks died from the heat. Rivers & seas dried up. Nobody could do anything until a man named Hou Yi, using a bow & arrows to shoot down 9 suns. He was the king & he had a beautiful wife, Chang Er. But like many other kings before & after him, he was afraid of death. He came to possess an elixir which will grant him eternal life. However, that will mean that his tyrannic rule over the people will never end. So on the 15th August in lunar calender, Chang Er stole the elixir & consumed it. Immediately, she started floating into the sky & finally landing on the moon. So people celebrated this day as the day Chang Er saved the world from Hou Yi.

An idea came to me just a few hours ago. But I wonder if I have the resources to carry it out. This is Ton Ton's 1st MAF with me. I was thinking of getting some paper lanterns & going out for a walk with him. But I fear that kids will scare Ton Ton for fun or accidentally burn him. Until it came to me that I can go to the highest floor of the multistorey carpark next to my block. I can probably bring a mat or something to sit on, doggy & human mooncake & of course the lanterns. Then we can just relax & enjoy the view. I hope Jeff gets home fast so he can join us.