Origin of the Moon Festival
The choice of the festival’s theme -- celebrating the glories
and mysteries of the moon -- was a natural. Along with the sun, the
moon has long been an object of human curiosity and worship. “It
is probable that sun and moon were early held to be deities and that
they were the first visible objects of worship,” according to
the book “Sketches of the History of Man.”
To the most ancient ancestors of the
Chinese, the sun and the moon were considered the “chief objects of veneration,” according
to records dating to the Han dynasty emperor Wu Di (157-87 B.C.).
In ancient Asian mythology, there is
a strong relationship between the moon and water. The moon is said
to regulate reservoirs and supplies of water. There is a suggestion
that the moon produces fertility and freshness in the soil. The moon’s
role in bountiful harvests is widely recognized during autumns around
the world.
In Chinese celestial cosmology, the moon represents the female principle,
or yin. During ancient autumn Moon Festivals, women took center stage
because the moon is considered feminine. Only women took part in Moon
Festival rituals on the night of the full moon. Altars would be set
up in households, and when the full moon appeared, women would make
offerings of incense, candles, fruit, flowers, and mooncakes.
The enduring legend of the Moon Goddess, Chang E (Chang E in other
transliterations), reflects the feminine principle of yin, as opposed
to the masculine principle of yang, which is symbolized by the sun.
