Moonlit Magic: Honoring the Traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival

Mid-Autumn festival is perhaps the second most important holiday in Asia. It occurs on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Lunar calendar, when it’s believed the moon is its fullest and closest to earth. A lot of the symbology focuses around the moon; the ‘fullness’ represents having all the family together, its brightness and size represents prosperity, and in some religious practices like Daoism, the moon represents an abundance of yin energy – the energy of potentiality.

In China, Mid-Autumn festival is a time of reunion and giving thanks for the bounties of the Summer. It is in some ways their equivalent of Thanksgiving. Families gather often from great distances, sharing traditional foods like mooncakes, and admiring lanterns that cities and families put out during the holiday.

There is a popular and bittersweet story that goes along with Mid-Autumn festival concerning Chang’e (pronounced ‘chang uh’) and her husband Hou Yi. There are many versions as it’s been passed down for generations, but this is how I heard it:

In ages past, the Earth was plagued with ten suns. This abundance of light and heat was disastrous and the planet was being burned up. Hou Yi, a legendary archer, endeavored to save the planet and thus shot down nine of the suns, leaving just one for light and warmth. For this great feat, Hou Yi was gifted an elixir from the gods that would make him immortal. But if he were to drink it, he would have to leave his beloved wife Chang’e behind and ascend to the heavens.

Hou Yi elected to remain on earth with Chang’e and gave her the elixir for safe keeping. However, a covetous apprentice of Hou Yi named Feng Meng stole into his master’s home while he was away in the hopes of taking the elixir for himself. But Chang’e was there, and in order to save herself and keep the envious Feng Meng from his prize, she drank the entire elixir herself. In an instant Chang’e became immortal.

Sadly, this meant that Chang’e and her husband could no longer be together for she was bound to ascend. She used her powers to stay as near to her beloved as possible and took the Moon as her home. When Hou Yi learned of her fate he vowed to honor her sacrifice, and on the anniversary of her ascension until his death he laid out gifts to show his love.

Some versions of the tale note that in late September the bands of the Milky Way appear nearly vertical to the horizon, creating a bridge between the earth and the moon. As the story goes, the gods took pity on Chang’e and her husband, and so on the day of her immortality the two lovers are connected on a bridge of stars.

In Daoist traditions the holiday is more nuanced. Great emphasis is placed on the sun and moon as yin and yang opposites. When Hou Yi shot down the other suns, he was creating balance so that all the world could follow the Way. In addition to themes of reunion, family and abundance, Daoists will also practice Qigong under the moonlight to take advantage of its potentiating energies.

If you are experiencing symptoms of yin deficiency, now might be a good time to work on cultivating that. Ample rest, meditation, quietude, and slow walks are physical means of gathering yin. Dietarily, increasing dark foods like dark leafy greens, blueberries, and dark mushrooms are yin-rich. Other yin foods are kidney beans, black beans, mung beans, seaweed and kelp, oyster, mussels, barley, quinoa, rice, and banana.

Symptoms of yin deficiency include general dryness, but especially a dry mouth and throat; night sweats and hot flashes; scanty period with pale blood; easily fatigued with activity; low libido; irregular heart beat; scanty urine or incontinence; weak low back, knees and/or ankles; loose stools or constipation; and many others.

The main idea of Mid-Autumn festival is reunion and connectedness. Take time to appreciate the bounties of life, reflect on summer, and spend time with the people you love. Spare a thought for Chang’e and Hou Yi, who for this brief moment are connected by the stars.

If you’d like to learn how you can better live in concert with the Autumn season, you can read more in this article. And if you feel you may be struggling with signs of yin deficiency, schedule an appointment so that we can bring you back into balance.