![]() The Jade Rabbit is said to work in the Moon Palace (廣寒宮), using a mortar and pestle to grind herbs to produce the immortality elixir. The elderly man then revealed his true identity and sent the rabbit to the moon to become the Jade Rabbit. The rabbit knew that this would not suffice, so instead sacrificed itself for the elderly man, throwing itself into the fire that the man had started. The jackal stole curds but the lowly rabbit could only manage to collect grass. The monkey gathered fruit from the trees, while the otter collected fish from the river. The story says the Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝) disguised himself as a poor, starving old man and begged for food from various animals. Said to keep Chang’e company on the moon, the Jade Rabbit is a symbol used widely across Asia. There is also the legend of the Jade Rabbit (玉兔). People have prayed to the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival ever since. Then he began laying out offerings of her favorite fruits and burning incense, and upon hearing the news, people began following suit, praying to Chang’e for good fortune and peace. While doing so, he noticed that the moon was bigger and brighter than usual and saw what appeared to be his wife’s shadow. He wept and called his wife’s name toward the sky. Hou Yi discovered what had happened upon his return home and was devastated. Distraught about not seeing her husband ever again, she landed on the moon to stay as close as possible. Refusing to hand it over to this malicious intruder, she took it herself instead and immediately began ascending toward the heavens. Sword in hand, he instead entered Chang’e’s house, threatening her to give him the elixir. One day, while Hou Yi and his archery disciples were out hunting, Peng Meng feigned sickness and said he would stay home. Unbeknownst to Chang’e, however, Peng Meng spotted her hiding away the immortality elixir. Reluctant to leave his wife on earth forever, Hou Yi gave Chang’e the elixir to store in a wooden box should he ever want to take it. One day he came across the Queen Mother of the West (西王母) and asked her to give him an immortality elixir, a drug so powerful that those who took it would fly to the heavens, becoming immortal in the process. Hou Yi later married a beautiful young lady by the name of Chang’e (嫦娥). The people revered him as a hero and many young men flocked to him to learn archery, including the wicked Peng Meng (逢蒙). He took his supernatural bow to the top of Kunlun Mountain (崑崙山) and shot down nine of the ten suns. A talented young archer called Hou Yi (后羿) had enough of this suffering. In a time when there were ten suns in the sky, causing plants to wither and rivers to run dry, people were struggling to get by. One story is that of Chang’e Flying to the Moon (嫦娥奔月). There are various tales associated with the Moon Festival that have been passed down over the generations. ( Read more: 6 Holidays in Taiwan You Should Know About) MOON FESTIVAL MYTHS AND STORIES Sometimes referred to as Reunion Festival, the celebration falls on this specific date, for it is guaranteed that the moon will be at its largest, shining down on families while they eat and enjoy each other’s company, because a big, round moon symbolizes family unity and togetherness. ![]() While its origins are agricultural - the Moon Festival is an important harvest celebration - nowadays, the most predominant aspect of the holiday is family reunion in particular gathering for a big family dinner. ![]() In Taiwan, the Moon Festival, also known as Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節), falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, and this year it will be on Thursday, October 1. Photos by: Aron Visuals, Taiwan Scene, PhuShutter, Foto T
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