This festival falls on the 8th moon, 15th day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar, making it on the 3rd October for 2009 around the time of the Autumn Equinox. This festival is also known as Mooncake Festival or Lantern Festival. The Mooncake Festival or Lantern Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival , call it what you will – is a celebration of unity. There are as many versions of legendary stories told as to why the Chinese community and Vietnamese community (in a different way) pray to the moon and celebrate this particular night.

Story One – The Lady: Chang Er
The time of this story is around 2170 B.C. The earth once had ten suns circling over it, each took its turn to illuminate to the earth. But one day all ten suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was saved by a strong and tyrannical archer Hou Yi. He succeeded in shooting down nine of the suns. One day, Hou Yi stole the elixir of life from a goddess. However his beautiful wife Chang Er drank the elixir of life in order to save the people from her husband’s tyrannical rule. After drinking it, she found herself floating and flew to the moon. Hou Yi loved his divinely beautiful wife so much, he didn’t shoot down the moon. The poem titled ‘Chang Er’, written by Tang Dynasty Poet Li ShangYin, is one of the most popular poems written about the legend.

The silhouette of the candle
strongly cast on the screen,
As the Milky Way sets,
the morning stars fade.
Chang Er ought to regret stealing the elixir,
As she pines in loneliness night after night,
amid the deep sea and blue sky.

Story Two – The Man: Wu Kang
Wu Kang was a shiftless fellow who changed apprenticeships all the time. One day he decided that he wanted to be an immortal. Wu Kang then went to live in the mountains where he importuned an immortal to teach him. First the immortal taught him about the herbs used to cure sickness, but after three days his characteristic restlessness returned and he asked the immortal to teach him something else. So the immortal to teach him chess, but after a short while Wu Kang’s enthusiasm again waned. Then Wu Kang was given the books of immortality to study. Of course, Wu Kang became bored within a few days, and asked if they could travel to some new and exciting place. Angered with Wu Kang’s impatience, the master banished Wu Kang to the Moon Palace telling him that he must cut down a huge cassia tree before he could return to earth. Though Wu Kang chopped day and night, the magical tree restored itself with each blow, and thus he is up there chopping still.

Story Three – The Hare: Jade Rabbit
In this legend, three fairy sages transformed themselves into pitiful old men and begged for something to eat from a fox, a monkey and a rabbit. The fox and the monkey both had food to give to the old men, but the rabbit, empty-handed, offered his own flesh instead, jumping into a blazing fire to cook himself. The sages were so touched by the rabbit’s sacrifice that they let him live in the Moon Palace where he became the “Jade Rabbit.”

Story Four – The Cake: Mooncake
During the Yuan dynasty (A.D. 1280-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolians. Rebel leaders unhappy with the overlords, plotted to overthrow the government. As the Mid-Autumn Festival drew near, the rebels ordered cakes baked and distributed to the villages. Messages of the outline of the attack were baked into the cakes. On the night of the Festival, the rebels with the help of local villagers, successfully overthrew the government and later established the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.). Today, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend.

With so many different versions of legendary stories and beliefs behind the origin of this festival it difficult to pin point actually how it all started. Whichever it is, the importance is the underlying philosophy and purpose to celebrate this festival. Like all other joyous festivals celebrated in Malaysia, this Lantern and Moon Cake Festival also bring all the people closer together to cultivate a positive relationship despite their religion and race. The moon cakes are purchase more often as gifts for relatives and friends. The Pamelo fruit is an important gift to go along with the moon cake because in Cantonese, the name for this auspicious fruit is “yaw” which has the same vocal speech as “have”. However, a celebration will be held at Padang Kota Lama from 8pm to 11pm on the 3rd October 2009. Get a glimpse of this season auspicious lunar at its fullest and hopefully get to see Lady Chang Er dancing-floating around the moon with the Jade Rabbit.