Our Autumn Moon event was a wonderful evening for everyone! We had over 100 people attend! The kids painted lanterns, wrote calligraphy, and did crafts. Dinner was very delicious, and everyone got to taste moon cake, a tradition of the Autumn Moon Festival. After dinner, the Hand in Hand language class students put on a play, acting out the story of Chang’e, the goddess who lives on the moon with her little bunny rabbit. When it got dark, all the kids went outside on a lantern parade, and looking up at the moon, we might’ve seen Chang’e with her little bunny on the moon!
About the Autumn Moon Festival
The 15th day of every 8th lunar month is the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. It is the most important festival after the Chinese Lunar New Year. The moon on the night of the 15th day of lunar August is believed to be fuller and brighter than in other months. A full moon is a symbol of togetherness. As such, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for family reunion. Generally speaking, eating moon cakes, enjoying the moon and lighting up lanterns are common traditions on the festival. (fromwww.cultural-china.com)
Learn Chinese!
Chang E (the moon goddess) – 嫦娥 (chang e)
Autumn Moon Festival – 中秋节 (zhong qiu jie)
Moon Cake – 月饼 (yue bing)
See more photos from our celebration here, at our Picasa Photo Gallery!