Chinese students celebrate Mid-Autumn event
October 13, 2006
As Iowa natives begin to dream of roasted turkeys, mashed potatoes and apple pies – and a break from school – Chinese students’ thoughts turn homeward to a different holiday, where families celebrate by looking to the moon.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second-most important event in China, the first being the Lunar New Year celebration, said Gwang Wang, one of three vice presidents for the Chinese Students and Scholars Friendship Association.
“This tradition [has lasted] over thousands of years in China,” Wang said.
Mid-Autumn Day officially fell on Oct. 6 this year when there was a full moon, but CSSFA members and others in the Ames community will celebrate the holiday at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union with music, dance, martial arts and mooncake.
“Ching Ir and the Moon”
The Mid-Autumn Festival is an ancient tradition in China. It is deeply textured with stories such as the following:
Long ago, there were 10 suns in the sky – too many for the Earth. The suns dried out the land so that no crops could grow anywhere. The suns were the children of a god, so the people did not object.
Nothing was done until Hou Yi, a brilliantly skilled archer, bravely walked to the top of a mountain and shot down nine of the suns, leaving only one in the sky to shine onto the Earth and provide life and sustenance for vegetation.
Hou Yi saved the world – now crops could grow to feed the people. Because of this, Hou Yi and his wife, Ching Ir, were loved by all, even those in the highest places.
A god gave the couple two pills that would let them live forever.
Before Hou Yi and his wife could take the pills, however, their wicked servant tricked them. He gave two pills to Ching Ir and none to her husband because he wanted her for himself.
There was so much life in the pills that when Ching Ir took them, she could no longer stay on earth and suddenly flew to the moon. Ching Ir still lives in the moon to this day and is honored every Mid-Autumn Festival.
Mooncake, typically round in honor of the celestial body, is a very sweet, rich food and a key part of the holiday’s tradition.
“All of the families will come together to enjoy dinner and enjoy the moon cake [on Mid-Autumn Day],” Wang said.
Family is the most important aspect of the day, so the holiday can be a hard time of the year for many Chinese students who often call home.
“During this festival, we miss our families so much,” he said.
Wang said it isn’t too bad in his case since he’s married and can enjoy the holiday with his wife.
“[Mid-Autumn Day is] pretty much like Thanksgiving Day here,” said Zhen Zhan, an ISU alumnus who now works in Des Moines but is still involved with the planning of CSSFA events, referring to the day’s family-oriented nature.
The day has meant different things over the many years, he said. There are many tales associated with the day, such as the story of Ching Ir and the moon.
The stories and meanings continue to be a part of the holiday. Zhan said all Chinese children know the story of Ching Ir, which will be the subject of one of the songs performed at the festival.
Every performance will somehow include the moon, Zhan said, and he hopes they will all serve to remind festival attendees of previous Mid-Autumn Day memories when they came together as families to look at the full moon and enjoy mooncake.
There will also be a fashion show at the event, featuring traditional and modern Chinese dress. Games such as a lottery will also be held throughout the evening.
Admission to the Mid-Autumn Festival is $5 for nonmembers and free for members. The majority of the evening’s activities will not incorporate English translation.
