News > September 27, 2007

By Claire O'Brien | Contributing writer

In the year 2000 BCE, Princess Chang E flew from her home on earth to live on the moon, having eaten magic medicine in order to prevent an evil ruler from consuming it to become immortal. Her sacrifice saved China, but condemned her to a life on the moon, where her only companion was a pet known as the Jade Rabbit.

So goes the myth that began the Moon Festival.

On the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, China commemorates Princess Chang E’s departure and the full moon with the annual event that also celebrates the end of the summer harvest.

The university community celebrated with an event held in the Greene Room of Reynolda Sept. 23, organized by the Chinese Student Scholar Association with help from the Asian Student Interest Association.

Junior Van Ngyuun, treasurer of ASIA, estimated that a crowd of about 200-300 people was gathered for a dinner that included duck, shrimp, clams, rice and pork.

The Moon Festival is considered the second largest Asian Festival, after the New Year, and is traditionally celebrated by the gathering of family and eating of moon cakes, known in Chinese as Yue bing. Yue bing are small round pastries with thick fillings that can range from egg yolks to lotus seed paste.

“In China it is common for students to present their teachers with moon cakes, especially at the universities,” said Su Liu, a Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant in the East Asian Languages and Cultures Department.

The festival can be called by many names, including the Mid Autumnal Festival and the Lantern Festival (in reference to the decorative lanterns hung along the sides of streets).

The holiday is often compared to Thanksgiving: an opportunity to reunite with family and celebrate another year.

Poems and songs for the festival usually revolve around central themes of family and weather, often reflecting on missing family members and sending good wishes for the upcoming year.

Moon viewing was once an important aspect of the celebrations but in modern times the festivities have shifted to focus on spending time with friends and relatives.

Guests not only included university students but many local families as well, reflecting the familial spirit of the holiday.

Many of the kids played Chinese Chess and other games, but most of the activities revolved around socializing and appreciating one another’s company.

When asked to describe the traditional activities of the Moon Festival freshman David Hua said, “Basically you just enjoy yourself and eat.”