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Showing posts from August, 2014

Mid Autumn Festival

When Neil Armstrong became the first man to land on moon on 20 th July 1969, he did not manage to make a date with “Chang Er”.  When he took the first step on moon, he famously says, “ This is one step for a man, one giant leap for mankind ”.   This may have dispelled the “Chang Er” myth but to the Chinese, the legendary story of “Chang Er” which is very much connected to Mid-Autumn Festival is still very much celebrated in any Chinese community all over the world.  Some say her husband was a tyrant, some say he was a great hero but “Chang Er” remains a perfect wife to a fault.                 Legend says “Chang Er” had sacrificed herself by swallowing an elixir given to her husband, Hou Yi who apparently shot down nine out of ten suns to relieve people’s suffering from the extreme heat .  She then flew to Moon and became a Goddess.  Eventually, people offered sacrifices to “Chang Er” to pray for peace and good luck which led to the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival.