Dear Hashnest Users,
Tomorrow is a special day as we celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival (or Zhong Qiu Jie in Mandarin).
Marking the end of the autumn harvest, the Mid-Autumn Festival was traditionally a time to give thanks to the gods. It is also a time of year that the moon is at its brightest, which is why lunar legends have always been attached to the celebration. Notably, the story of Chang E, the wife of a merciless king who downed the elixir of immortality he had intended to drink, to save her people from his tyrannical rule.
The tale goes that she ascended to the moon after that, and has been worshipped by the Chinese as a Moon Goddess ever since.
Since the Mid-Autumn Festival is about lunar appreciation, celebrations go into full swing once the sun goes down.
Moon-viewing parties are a popular way to enjoy the occasion, as family and friends sit in gardens lit by the soft glow of paper lanterns, sip tea, nibble on mooncakes, and if so inspired, compose poetry in venerable Tang Dynasty fashion.
The full moon is considered a symbol of reunion, as such the Mid-autumn Festival is also known as the Reunion Festival. Shaped round like the full moon, mooncakes signify reunion. The Mid-autumn Festival is associated with the moon and “moon appreciation” (shangyue) parties, particularly because the moon is at its brightest during this time.
Hashnest wishes everyone a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival and a great weekend ahead :)
Hashnest
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