HouYi’s Heroic Deeds and the Mysterious medicine
In the last story, we talked about how HouYi shot down nine suns and saved the people. As a reward, XiWangMu gave HouYi an immortality medicine. HouYi returned home, excited, and planned to share the medicine with his wife, Chang'e. They decided to split it in half and enjoy eternal life together.
But fate had other plans.
The Disaster Caused by the medicine
HouYi’s fame grew after he shot down the suns. Many people came to him to learn archery, including a man named FengMeng, who had bad intentions.
FengMeng learned that HouYi had an immortality medicine and decided to steal it.
On the morning of the 15th day of the eighten lunar month, HouYi went out with his disciples. FengMeng pretended to be sick and stayed behind. That night, FengMeng sneaked into HouYi's house, holding a sword, and demanded that Chang'e hand over the medicine. Chang'e realized that if someone like FengMeng got the medicine, he would harm more people. So, she decided to outsmart him.
When FengMeng saw that Chang'e refused to give him the medicine, he began searching everywhere. Just as he was about to find the hidden treasure box, Chang'e quickly stepped forward, took the medicine, and swallowed it.
Chang'e’s Ascent and HouYi’s Despair
Once Chang'e swallowed the medicine, she suddenly floated into the air. She flew out of the window and soared higher and higher, passing over the moonlit land.
Eventually, she flew toward the moon, which was shining brightly in the blue sky.When HouYi returned home, he found that Chang'e was gone.
He rushed outside and looked up at the sky. He saw his wife far away on the moon.HouYi knew she could never come back. In despair, he set out Chang'e’s favorite foods in the garden and prayed for her from below.
The Deep Love of HouYi and Chang'e
Touched by their deep love, XiWangMu allowed them to meet once every year on 15th day of the eighten lunar month, on the moon.
This story of love and separation has been passed down through generations, and it become a part myth of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The Origin and Traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival
In addition to the story of Chang'e flying to the moon, there are other beautiful legends, such as the Jade Rabbit making medicine and WuGang chopping the cassia tree.
If you are interested, feel free to leave a comment, and I’ll post more of these stories.
From a historical perspective, the origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival have several theories. The festival is said to date back to ancient times, becoming widespread during the Han Dynasty and officially taking shape during the early Tang Dynasty. This shows that the festival was originally a time for moon worship.
The term "Mid-Autumn" first appeared in the Zhou Li (Rites of Zhou), which mentions:
"In the middle of autumn, the moon nurtures the elderly, and people eat porridge and food."
仲秋之秋之月养衰老，行糜粥饮食。
The Traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival
Today, the Mid-Autumn Festival remains one of China’s most important holidays. It is a time for family reunions.During this time, people eat mooncakes, admire the moon, worship the moon, light lanterns, play with lanterns, solve lantern riddles, enjoy osmanthus flowers, and drink osmanthus wine. These customs have been passed down for centuries. Maybe that is the meaning of tradition.
That’s all for today’s story. Tomorrow, we will talk about what happened after Chang'e flew to the moon. This story is connected to Journey to the West, so don't miss it!
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