Mooncake Festival

Yesterday was the greatest day of the week since its Friday and we can leave the office 30 minutes earlier. Since there was a badminton event in the office, I was quite relaxed with what I am doing. When some of my office mates returned from the event, I was surprised that one of the bosses gave me a mooncake. According to him they are celebrating the Mooncake festival this coming Sunday and it was a tradition to give mooncakes.

What is a moon cake festival anyway? Mooncake festival or also known as Moon or Mid-Autumn festival is celebrated on the 14th of September for this year. The date of the Mooncake festival is actually depends on the lunar calendar and when the moon is at its brightness, usually every fifteenth day of the eight month.

According to about.com, “Children are told the story of the moon fairy living in a crystal palace, who comes out to dance on the moon's shadowed surface. The legend surrounding the "lady living in the moon" dates back to ancient times, to a day when ten suns appeared at once in the sky. The Emperor ordered a famous archer to shoot down the nine extra suns. Once the task was accomplished, Goddess of Western Heaven rewarded the archer with a pill that would make him immortal. However, his wife found the pill, took it, and was banished to the moon as a result. Legend says that her beauty is greatest on the day of the Moon festival.”

Happy mooncake festival to the Chinese people! Just be careful though with the big calories of the mooncakes.

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