One Evening With The Moon Goddess.

INTRODUCTION:
The story of an ancient Chinese legend and how I participated in its
celebration one happy evening in a remote Chinese county under a
brilliant moon.

The moon has always been a symbol of romance, mystery and a fruitful
source of inspiration to many, particularly to writers of love poems,
songs and to authors of gothic novels. A few years ago , during a
sojourn in China, I discovered the legend behind a centuries-old
tradition and its annual celebration by people of all ages: the Moon
Festival. I have found since that sojourn that there are several
versions of this legend.

The version I am about to relate was told to me by student teachers of
English at a Teachers' College situated in a mountain region in the
south of China in the Province of Guangxi. The County in which I lived
and worked was, in those days a closed area (out of bounds to
foreigners) and the people lived a very traditional way of life.

The central character of the legend was known as Chang'e, a beautiful
maiden who endeared herself to her people by marrying a local hero, the
Lord Archer who was called Hou I. According to the account which has
been handed down from generation to generation through many centuries,
one evening she caught a villain in the act of trying to steal a magic
elixir and, to thwart him, in a desperate deed of bravery she swallowed
it. Moments later she found herself being lifted higher and higher into
the sky until, finally, she settled on the moon. It was the fifteenth
day of the eighth lunar month, when the moon was full.

After the people became aware of her bravery and her ascent to the moon
they became saddened and, in their grief, they proclaimed her the
goddess of the moon. They prepared fruits and made cakes in the shape
of the full moon and her husband, with the concurrence of all the
people, decreed that from that time on the fifteenth day of each lunar
month would be a day of celebration in honour of Chang'e, the goddess
of the moon. The custom has continued to this day and is observed by
Chinese people the world over.

During the year of my stay there, the Moon Festival fell on August 25
and I joined in the festivities on the campus of Hechi Teachers'
College in Yishan County where such festivals are celebrated strictly
according to tradition.

For weeks beforehand one could sense the festive build-up permeating
the atmosphere as people began making preparations for family reunions
and a party atmosphere became palpable. Children started to stock up on
fruits, sweets and moon cakes as gifts for friends and offerings to
Chang'e. There was a roaring trade in fire crackers and groups of
students started preparing for "moon parties" to be held at the sports
ground under the full moon.

On the evening of August 25 I arrived at the apartment of Zhou Yi, Dean
of the English Department, where I had been invited to join him and his
family for a festive meal. And what a treat it was: exotic dishes of
frogs' legs, squid, bean curd (tofu), lean pork and beef cooked in a
variety of ways, and a wide selection of vegetables. And, of course,
lashings of steamed rice. The table was really creaking! For the toasts
(to Chang'e and China-Australia friendship) we drank a particularly
potent rice wine.

After dinner we strolled through the campus grounds under a brilliant
moon, chatting on the way to groups of children. They were sitting
outdoors at small, low tables laden with moon cakes and other offerings
to the moon goddess. A breeze kept blowing out candles which, with
traditional Chinese lanterns, were there to attract the attention of
the goddess. The scene reminded me of the Western custom of leaving out
drinks and cakes for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

At the sports ground we sat with many groups of students on the grass,
each group formed a circle with the traditional offerings in the
centre. The atmosphere was one of goodwill and a brand of excitement
that only such a long-standing tradition could generate. The students
loaded me up with gifts of moon cakes and other traditional foods
(apparently they assumed that Chang'e would recognise my "status") as
we laughed and sang songs and drank toasts with the local version of
Coca Cola.

The moon was bright and full and the students were still celebrating as
Zhou Yi and I wandered back to our respective apartments several hours
later.

? Patrick Talty 2003, All Rights Reserved.

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