Page 47 - sample pack

47

Background

The Mid-Autumn Festival dates back 3,000 years and takes place on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar (late September or early October on the Western calendar). Mid-Autumn Festival takes place on the day when the moon is the fullest and brightest it will be all year. The festival takes place after harvest time in China, so it can be compared to Thanksgiving in the US or autumn harvest in Britain. On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese families gather to admire the bright moon and eat mooncakes and pomelos under the moon together.

Legend of Chang’e

According to Chinese legend, Chang’e was a beautiful woman who was married to an archer, Houyi. At that time, there were 10 suns which would take turns circling the Earth. One day, all 10 suns circled the Earth at the same time, making the Earth hot and causing it to burn. The Emperor of China ordered Houyi to use his archery skills to shoot down nine of the suns, leaving just one. Houyi did this and saved the world from burning. As a reward, the Emperor gave Houyi a pill that would let him live forever. Houyi took the pill home and hid it in his house. One day, Chang’e noticed a strange glow in her house. She found the pill and swallowed it, and immediately began to foat up into the sky. She foated out of the window and up to the moon. She has been considered the Moon Lady ever since.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese families make a wish to Chang’e by looking up at the moon, and also go outside to look at lantern exhibitions.

Legend of Chang’e

Mooncakes are the Chinese snack traditionally served during the Mid-Autumn Festival. They are pastry squares flled with bean paste and salted duck egg yolks. Traditionally, people made these at home before the Mid-Autumn Festival. Nowadays, most people prefer to buy them ready-made from a bakery as they are very diffcult to make.

Class activity: Monitor the moon

Monitor the moon during the week before the Mid-Autumn Festival and ask your students to make a wish on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

CELEBRATIONS AND FESTIVALS

Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋節

Arts and crafts: Make your own lantern

Materials:

1) A4 coloured paper 2) Glitter glue 3) Glue 4) String

Method:

1) Fold the paper in half lengthways

2) Under the supervision of an adult, snip lines along the paper every 1cm at right angles to the fold, without reaching the edge of the paper

3) Unfold the paper, and put it in front of you with the slits with the shorter sides of the paper on the right and left, and the long sides top and bottom

4) Decorate the top and bottom of the paper with glitter glue

5) When it is dry, roll the lantern up and glue the ends together; when the glue is dry the lantern will be able to stand up on its own

6) Glue some string to the top of each lantern and hang them round the classroom