is sometimes referred to as Mooncake Festival or Lantern Festival in Malaysia and Singapore. Mooncakes and Lanterns are significant during this festival, which always falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Lunar calendar. It is always a fullmoon on the 15th day of each month in the Lunar calendar. And there should never be a moon visible on the first day of each month in the Lunar calendar.
There are many tales about this festival. One being, during the Mongol rule (Yuan Dynasty), rebels attempt to communicate to plan to overthrow the Mongol rulers by distributing mooncakes to the Chinese residents in the city. These mooncakes have a piece of paper with the message “Kill the Mongols on the 15th day of the eighth month” (八月十五殺韃子), inserted inside.
Another tale is of Chang’e, a beautiful immortal who ate a pill belonging to her husband, Houyi who was a great archer, by accident. The pill enabled her to float and fly. Houyi couldn’t bear to shoot her down and so she kept floating until she reached the moon, where a jade rabbit lives. It is said that the silhouette of a rabbit on the moon is visible on this festive day.
Wonder what the moon looks like tonight…
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