An Evening with the Moon Goddess. (standard:non fiction, 787 words)
Author: pjt	Added: Feb 17 2001	Views/Reads: 4143/7	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Spending an evening with a Moon Goddess is fine, provided you can cope with the after-effects of Chinese rice wine and the tummy turmoil created by an over-indulgence in sweet'n'spicy mooncakes!

The moon has always been a symbol of romance, mystery and a fruitful
source of inspiration to many, particularly to writers of love poems, 
songs and gothic novels. A few years ago, during a sojourn in China, I 
discovered the legend behind a centuries-old tradition and its annual 
celebration by people of all ages: the Moon Festival. I have found 
since that sojourn that there are several versions of this legend. 

The version I am about to relate was told to me by student teachers of
English at a Teachers' College situated in a mountain region in the 
south of China in the Province of Guangxi. The County in which I lived 
and worked was, in those days a closed area (out of bounds to 
foreigners) and the people lived a very traditional way of life. 

The central character of the legend was known as Chang'e, a beautiful
maiden who endeared herself to her people by marrying a local hero, the 
Lord Archer, who was called Hou I. According to the account which has 
been handed down from generation to generation through many centuries, 
one evening she caught a villain in the act of trying to steal a magic 
elixir and, to thwart him, in a desperate deed of bravery she swallowed 
it. Moments later she found herself being lifted higher and higher into 
the sky until, finally, she settled on the moon. It was the fifteenth 
day of the eighth lunar month, when the moon was full. 

After the people became aware of her bravery and her ascent to the moon
they became saddened and, in their grief, they proclaimed her the 
goddess of the moon. They prepared fruits and made cakes in the shape 
of the full moon and her husband, with the concurrence of all the 
people, decreed that from that time on the fifteenth day of each lunar 
month would be a day of celebration in honour of Chang'e, the goddess 
of the moon. The custom has continued to this day and is observed by 
Chinese people the world over. 

During the year of my stay there, the Moon Festival fell on August 25
and I joined in the festivities on the campus of Hechi Teachers' 
College in Yishan County where such festivals are celebrated strictly 
according to tradition. 

For weeks beforehand one could sense the festive build-up permeating the
atmosphere as people began making preparations for family reunions and 
a party atmosphere became palpable. Children started to stock up on 
fruits, sweets and moon cakes as gifts for friends and offerings to 
Chang'e. There was a roaring trade in firecrackers and groups of 
students started preparing for "moon parties" to be held at the sports 
ground under the full moon. 

On the evening of August 25 I arrived at the apartment of Zhou Yi, Dean
of the English Department, where I had been invited to join him and his 
family for a festive meal. And what a treat it was: exotic dishes of 
frogs' legs, squid, bean curd (tofu), lean pork and beef cooked in a 
variety of ways, and a wide selection of vegetables. And, of course, 
lashings of steamed rice. The table was really creaking! For the toasts 
(to Chang'e and China-Australia friendship) we drank a particularly 
potent rice wine called haojiu (pronounced "how-joe"). 

After dinner we strolled through the campus grounds under a brilliant
moon, chatting on the way to groups of children who were sitting 
outdoors at small, low tables laden with moon cakes and other offerings 
to the moon goddess. A breeze kept blowing out candles which, with 
traditional Chinese lanterns, were there to attract the attention of 
the goddess. The scene reminded me of the Western custom of leaving out 
drinks and cakes for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. 

At the sports ground we sat with many groups of students on the grass,
each group formed a circle with the traditional offerings in the 
centre. The atmosphere was one goodwill and a brand of excitement that 
only such a long-standing tradition could generate. The students loaded 
me up with gifts of moon cakes and other traditional foods (apparently 
they assumed that Chang'e would recognise my "status") as we laughed 
and sang songs and drank toasts with the local version of Coca-Cola. 

The moon was still bright and full and the students were still
celebrating as Zhou Yi and I wandered back to our respective apartments 
several hours later. 

Next day was a teaching day for me and, although a bit seedy from haojui
and somewhat flatulent from the effects of over-indulgence in moon 
cakes, I got through the day thanks to a sense of satisfaction at 
having been part of such an interesting and historic festival. 


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