中秋节 happy mid-autumn festival day to you.

today is mid-autumn festival day.

it is probably the second most important holiday in china,
right after chinese new year.

i have heard some people compare it to america's thanksgiving.

however mid-autumn festival is celebrated for a much different reason than thanksgiving.

but it is very common for family to be together during this holiday.

just like thanksgiving.

our family was invited over to a chinese families celebration tonight.

they have a daughter the same age as our little man.

chad and our son were outside our building about a month ago when a little girl and her dad came out to play with them.  {the little girl saw little man from inside and asked her dad if she could go play with him}.  the dad speaks wonderful english.  he has actually been to the minneapolis area.
crazy right?  

we are building quanxi {do you remember what that means?  connection!}

we had a wonderful time.  but i have to say i was a little nervous.  i didn't want to make any cultural mistakes. ya know?  we brought over 6 pears in a basket with a little note.  we were told by friends that fruit or moon cakes {in even numbers, not odd.  and never only 4 of something.  6 or 8 are a good 'lucky' number.} are good things to bring to someone for this holiday.

we are excited to hang out with them again and continue to build quanxi!

here is an explanation of the folk tale ::

Once upon a time there was a famous archer, Hou Yi, who with his arrows was able to slay mankind’s worst enemies, ferocious beasts that inhabited the earth. Yi was married to Chang-O, a beautiful but inquisitive woman who had been an attendant of the queen mother of the west before her marriage. Now at this time, there were 10 suns that took turns circling the earth-one every 10 days. One day, all 10 of the orbs circled, together, causing the earth’s surface to burn and threatening mankind. The wise emperor of China summoned Yi and commanded him to kill but one of the suns. This Yi proceeded to do. Upon the completion of his task, Yi was rewarded with a pill, the elixir of life, and advised: "make no haste to swallow this pill, but first prepare yourself with prayer and fasting for a year." Being a wise man, Yi took the pill home and hid it under a rafter while he began healing his spirit, In the midst of this, Yi was summoned again by the emperor.

While her husband was gone, Chang-O noticed a beam of white light beckoning from the rafter. She followed it and a fragrant perfume, discovered the pill and swallowed it. Immediately, Chang-O found she could fly. Just at that moment her husband returned home, realized what had happened and began to reprimand his wife. Chang-O flew out the window into the sky. Yi sped after her, bow in hand, and the pursuit continued halfway across the heavens. Finally, Yi had to return to the earth because of the force of the wind. 

His wife reached the moon and there, breathless, she coughed and part of the pill fell from her mouth. Now, the hare was already on the moon and Chang-O commanded the animal to take pestle and mortar and pound another pill so that she returned to earth and her husband. The hare is still pounding and his outline can be seen on the face of a full moon. 

As for Yi, he built himself a palace in the sun as Yang (the sun and the male principle), Chang-O as Yin (the moon and the female principle). 

Once a year, on the 15th day of the full moon, Yi visits his wife. That is why the moon is full and beautiful on that night.