Often confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival in the fall, the Chinese moon cake festival is actually the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations and falls on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. It is supposed to be the first day of the new year when the full moon can be seen. The Lantern Festival is also called the Yuan Xiao Festival in Chinese.
Mooncake day marks the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday in early spring (also known as the Spring Festival), and is therefore an occasion for festivities and celebration, before people have to go back to work after the holiday.
Celebrating the Lantern Festival
On the day of the Lantern Festival, people will go out to eat with friends or family, and paper lanterns will be hung outside temples and other buildings. In China, many buildings and even street lights are hung with red lanterns in celebration of the Chinese New Year. People will light fireworks and firecrackers, as well as sky lanterns that, after being lit, float up into the sky like hot air balloons.
Source: http://www.suite101.com/content/the-chinese-lantern-festival-a206622
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu Jie) falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, which can be anytime from mid-September to early October. It was traditionally a time when people honoured the moon and round pastries, known as 'mooncake', were given as offerings and families still come together to make them.
With fillings ranging from sweet red bean to salty egg yolk, they are often given as personal and corporate gifts and can be bought, complete with fancy packaging, from most supermarkets and upscale hotels. The festival is also known as Festival moon cakes.
Source : http://www.chinese.cn/travel/en/article/2010-08/25/content_167585.htm
With fillings ranging from sweet red bean to salty egg yolk, they are often given as personal and corporate gifts and can be bought, complete with fancy packaging, from most supermarkets and upscale hotels. The festival is also known as Festival moon cakes.
Source : http://www.chinese.cn/travel/en/article/2010-08/25/content_167585.htm
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
About Mooncake
During the Yuan dynasty (A.D.1280-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (A.D.960-1280) were unhappy to live under foreign rule. They decided to coordinate a rebellion without it being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Festival Moon cakes was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Inside each moon cake was a message with the outline of the attack. Because it's a Han (the main clan before the Mongolian took over) cake, the Mongolian people are not interested. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). Today, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend.
When do we eat moon cakes?
The answer is: any time you like. Typically when Dragon Boat Festival is over, you will start to see advertisement everywhere about mooncake, which means you can start to buy moon cakes!
Eat it any time you like. You don't have to save it till festival night. But after the Mid autumn festival, everybody is tired of it and no one would want to eat it.
Installment for moon-cakes
As I said, if you love to eat mooncakes or you have lots and lots of relatives, you will need a lot of moon cakes. I remember when I was a kid, some major mooncake bakers have already launched the moon-cake installment plan. Basically, you choose how many boxes you want and you start to pay the baker one year in advance month-by-month. The baker will also throw in goodies like Chinese preserved meat sausages.
Source : http://www.hkfastfacts.com/Chinese%20Festivals/mid-autumn-festival-moon-cakes.htm
Monday, September 6, 2010
Legends of Mid-Autumn Festival
Almost every traditional Chinese festival has a connection with legends. The most well-known stories of the Mid Autumn Festival is Chang'e flying to the moon, Jade Rabbit making heavenly medicine, and Wu Gang chopping the cherry bay. Those stories have been passed down from generations to generations alongside the celebrations of the festival itself. Today for young children, listening to the stories is still an important part of their way to celebrate the Festival moon cakes.
Chang'e Flying to the Moon
It is said that long ago there used to be 10 suns in the sky. Each day, one of the suns would travel around the sky on a carriage driven by Xihe, the mother of the suns. One day, unexpectedly, all 10 suns simultaneously appeared in the sky, which instantly dried the crops and caused disaster to the people on earth.
Hou Yi, a local archer, had great sympathy for people's sufferings from the blistering weather and decided to help them out. Houyi climbed up to the summit of Kunlun Mountains and shot down the suns leaving only one to benefit people. After he shot down the sun, Hou Yi became a hero who was revered by local people.
Later, Hou Yi married a beautiful girl—Chang'e. The young couple lived a happy and sweet life.
Hou Yi was so famous for his perfect archery skills that he had a lot of apprentices, including the unrighteous Peng Meng. One day when Hou Yi was on the way to visit his friend, the Queen Mother of the West gave him an elixir of immortality as a reward for his heroic undertaking. Meanwhile, he warned Hou Yi "Do not swallow this pill before preparing yourself with prayer and fasting for a year". Hou Yi gave the elixir to Chang'e for safekeeping and she took it as a treasure and hid it in her jewelry box. Unfortunately, Peng Meng found this secret and made a plan to steal it. Several days later, when Hou Yi and other apprentices went out for hunting, Peng pretended to fall ill and stayed at home. After they left, Peng forced Chang'e to give him the elixir. Chang'e, knowing that she could not defeat Peng, swallowed the elixir herself, and mmediately she felt herself floating up and flied to the sky. With deep love to her husband, Chang'e chose to be an immortal on the moon, closest to the earth; then she could see her husband every day.
In late afternoon, Hou Yi came back and was told what had happened. Heart-stricken, Hou Yi went to the back garden and called his wife's name ceaselessly. Surprisingly, he found that the moon was extremely clean and bright that night; and that there was a moving figure like Chang'e in the moon. Hou Yi desperately tried to catch up with the moon, but he could not do it. Hou Yi then asked servants to set a table in his back garden and with his wife's favorite snacks and fruits on it. In a short time, more and more people heard about the news that Chang'e had become an immortal, and they also put tables under the moon to pray to Chang'e for good fortune and safety. From then on, the custom of worshipping the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival began to spread in China with Mooncake as its special food.
Source : http://www.chinatravel.com/facts/chinese-festivals/traditional-chinese-festival/Middle-Autumn-Festival.htm#1
Chang'e Flying to the Moon
It is said that long ago there used to be 10 suns in the sky. Each day, one of the suns would travel around the sky on a carriage driven by Xihe, the mother of the suns. One day, unexpectedly, all 10 suns simultaneously appeared in the sky, which instantly dried the crops and caused disaster to the people on earth.
Hou Yi, a local archer, had great sympathy for people's sufferings from the blistering weather and decided to help them out. Houyi climbed up to the summit of Kunlun Mountains and shot down the suns leaving only one to benefit people. After he shot down the sun, Hou Yi became a hero who was revered by local people.
Later, Hou Yi married a beautiful girl—Chang'e. The young couple lived a happy and sweet life.
Hou Yi was so famous for his perfect archery skills that he had a lot of apprentices, including the unrighteous Peng Meng. One day when Hou Yi was on the way to visit his friend, the Queen Mother of the West gave him an elixir of immortality as a reward for his heroic undertaking. Meanwhile, he warned Hou Yi "Do not swallow this pill before preparing yourself with prayer and fasting for a year". Hou Yi gave the elixir to Chang'e for safekeeping and she took it as a treasure and hid it in her jewelry box. Unfortunately, Peng Meng found this secret and made a plan to steal it. Several days later, when Hou Yi and other apprentices went out for hunting, Peng pretended to fall ill and stayed at home. After they left, Peng forced Chang'e to give him the elixir. Chang'e, knowing that she could not defeat Peng, swallowed the elixir herself, and mmediately she felt herself floating up and flied to the sky. With deep love to her husband, Chang'e chose to be an immortal on the moon, closest to the earth; then she could see her husband every day.
In late afternoon, Hou Yi came back and was told what had happened. Heart-stricken, Hou Yi went to the back garden and called his wife's name ceaselessly. Surprisingly, he found that the moon was extremely clean and bright that night; and that there was a moving figure like Chang'e in the moon. Hou Yi desperately tried to catch up with the moon, but he could not do it. Hou Yi then asked servants to set a table in his back garden and with his wife's favorite snacks and fruits on it. In a short time, more and more people heard about the news that Chang'e had become an immortal, and they also put tables under the moon to pray to Chang'e for good fortune and safety. From then on, the custom of worshipping the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival began to spread in China with Mooncake as its special food.
Source : http://www.chinatravel.com/facts/chinese-festivals/traditional-chinese-festival/Middle-Autumn-Festival.htm#1
Friday, September 3, 2010
Mooncake
The Chinese custom of eating moon cake was first recorded in the reign of the emperor Hsi Tzung (A.D. 874-889) of the Tang dynasty and became popular in the Sung dynasty (A.D. 960-1279) The moon cake is traditionally made in the shape of a full moon, symbolizing union and perfection, is usually about the size of a doughnut, and is stuffed with a variety of fillings such as bean paste, egg yolk, lotus seeds, dates, pineapple, walnuts, almonds, and sesame. The crafty Chu Yuan-chang, founder of the Ming dynasty, instigated a rebellion against the Mongol rulers by concealing a call to revolt in moon cakes, leading to the downfall of the Yuan dynasty.
There are many styles of Mooncake in China; the most popular in Taiwan are the Cantonese, Soochow, and Taiwanese styles. The Cantonese moon cake is thicker and heavier, while the Soochow and Taiwanese ones have a crispy skin. In the last couple of years a new breed of refrigerated, unbaked moon cake has been gaining popularity, especially among youngster; and durian, coconut meat, vanilla, tea, and coffer have added as ingredients.
Most Chinese consume moon cakes given to them by relatives, friend, employers, or public relations people.Hence, brands matter. Among the most famous are Kee Wah, Maria's and shin Tung Yang. Moon cakes go best with oolong or jasmine tea.
It takes the moon about 29 1/2 days to revolve around the earth, and the Chinese lunar month is either 29 or 30 days. An extra month(called a leap month) is necessary about every three years. There will be a second eight lunar month in 1995. The 15th of the first eight lunar month is celebrated as the Mid autumn festival, which has been designed a public holiday by the Republic of China government. Have a nice holiday, and remember moon calkes taste best when shared by family members or lovers, or both.
Source : http://www.sinica.edu.tw/tit/festivals/0995_MidAutumn.html
There are many styles of Mooncake in China; the most popular in Taiwan are the Cantonese, Soochow, and Taiwanese styles. The Cantonese moon cake is thicker and heavier, while the Soochow and Taiwanese ones have a crispy skin. In the last couple of years a new breed of refrigerated, unbaked moon cake has been gaining popularity, especially among youngster; and durian, coconut meat, vanilla, tea, and coffer have added as ingredients.
Most Chinese consume moon cakes given to them by relatives, friend, employers, or public relations people.Hence, brands matter. Among the most famous are Kee Wah, Maria's and shin Tung Yang. Moon cakes go best with oolong or jasmine tea.
It takes the moon about 29 1/2 days to revolve around the earth, and the Chinese lunar month is either 29 or 30 days. An extra month(called a leap month) is necessary about every three years. There will be a second eight lunar month in 1995. The 15th of the first eight lunar month is celebrated as the Mid autumn festival, which has been designed a public holiday by the Republic of China government. Have a nice holiday, and remember moon calkes taste best when shared by family members or lovers, or both.
Source : http://www.sinica.edu.tw/tit/festivals/0995_MidAutumn.html
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Moon Festival in Australia
Traditionally, the middle of autumn is the end of the harvest, when people return home for a reunion, gathering with friends and family. In Australia, 'mid autumn' happens to be early spring and it gives the festival a new meaning - "the first full moon of the new season is a nostalgic time: Winter is behind us and the energy of summer is on the horizon".
Every year, over 600,000 people of Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean descent celebrate the Moon Festival across Australia. The most visual element among the Mid autumn festival activities is the sale of moon cakes. At Asian supermarkets, grocery stores, cake shops and restaurants, you will see at prominent places piles of moon cakes and colour posters.
In Sydney Chinatown, in the two weekends leading to the Festival, there are fire crackers, loud drumming accompanying the dragon and lion dances. Local councils with large Asian population such as Hurstville, Parramatta, Cabrammatta, and Kograh would sometimes join hands with local businesses in organizing Moon Festival celebrations in the town centre. The celebrations would usually take the form of street market with food and craft stalls and a stage where traditional entertainment is performed.
Another popular form of celebration in Sydney is the harbour cruise under the moonlight where families and friends can get together to enjoy foods of the festival, good laughter and appreciate the beauty of the full moon.
Some times there are also groups who would organize lantern shows in local parks. Some schools would orgainse students to re-enact folklores as part of the school Moon Festival celebrations.
Besides the public celebrations, more people celebrate at home with a small group of family friends. After dinner comes the traditional celebration time - colourful lanterns, tables and chairs would be put up in the garden or backyard where adults and children would enjoy abundant supply of mooncake and fruits and gaze the moon. It's also the gayest time for small children when they are allowed to run around with candlelit paper lanterns.
Source : http://www.chinatown.com.au/eng/article.asp?masterid=155&articleid=741
Every year, over 600,000 people of Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean descent celebrate the Moon Festival across Australia. The most visual element among the Mid autumn festival activities is the sale of moon cakes. At Asian supermarkets, grocery stores, cake shops and restaurants, you will see at prominent places piles of moon cakes and colour posters.
In Sydney Chinatown, in the two weekends leading to the Festival, there are fire crackers, loud drumming accompanying the dragon and lion dances. Local councils with large Asian population such as Hurstville, Parramatta, Cabrammatta, and Kograh would sometimes join hands with local businesses in organizing Moon Festival celebrations in the town centre. The celebrations would usually take the form of street market with food and craft stalls and a stage where traditional entertainment is performed.
Another popular form of celebration in Sydney is the harbour cruise under the moonlight where families and friends can get together to enjoy foods of the festival, good laughter and appreciate the beauty of the full moon.
Some times there are also groups who would organize lantern shows in local parks. Some schools would orgainse students to re-enact folklores as part of the school Moon Festival celebrations.
Besides the public celebrations, more people celebrate at home with a small group of family friends. After dinner comes the traditional celebration time - colourful lanterns, tables and chairs would be put up in the garden or backyard where adults and children would enjoy abundant supply of mooncake and fruits and gaze the moon. It's also the gayest time for small children when they are allowed to run around with candlelit paper lanterns.
Source : http://www.chinatown.com.au/eng/article.asp?masterid=155&articleid=741
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Charmed Replica Book Of Shadows Ebook
By: ajax
As a fan of Charmed TV serial, it feels not completed if we do not have the Book of Shadow which is one of the icon of the serial.
Charmed Replica Book of Shadows eBook
With the Internet and eBooks becoming ever more popular, buying a Charmed Book of Shadows Replica eBook is now a very popular decision amongst the legions of loyal Charmed fans.
Many fans of the show would love to own their very own Book of Shadows, but buying an exact replica often costs several hundred dollars and in the current economic climate, it's a luxury few can afford.
So many are now turning to the eBook version, as a viable alternative. The Charmed Book of Shadows eBook features over 200 replica pages, with all the Spells, Demons, Potions, Rituals and Recipes used by the famous Halliwell sisters in the hit TV series Charmed.
Each spell, demon, warlock, ritual, potion and recipe has it's own page, with a parchment style background and with highly detailed information such as; who wrote the spell, who cast it, the history and background of each demon, how to vanquish each demon, the purpose of each ritual and how to perform it, how to make potions and when to use them.
The Charmed Book of Shadows eBook is lovingly created by a professional artist and a huge fan of the show! The artist has tried to make the pages as authentic as possible, including a "Parchment Paper Style Background" to give them a genuinely aged look and feel.
The pages can be printed out on any standard Inkjet printer and can be stored in one of the many leather look Book of Shadows covers being sold all over the Internet.
To make the Book of Shadows look as authentic as possible, many people also artificially age the paper to give the "centuries old" feel of the Charmed Book of Shadows used in the show.
When purchasing your own Charmed Book of Shadows eBook, be sure to purchase yours from a reputable source as the quality varies greatly depending on the designer.
Being a massive fan of the show, I have bought numerous different versions, most of which turned out to be largely disappointed. However, one particular Charmed Book of Shadows eBook did stand out above all the others.
Source : http://www.floweradvisor.com.sg/lifestyle/technology/television/130903/charmed_replica_book_of_shadows_ebook/
See Also : Mooncake, Mid autumn festival
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