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Open in new tab he Mid-Autumn Festival, which is also called the Chinese Moon Festival, is a harvest festival in the Chinese calendar. It is a time for family reunion, giving thanks for the harvest and also a time for praying for things such as; a husband or wife, a baby, beauty, a long life or good fortune. As you can imagine it is one of the most important annual festivals for Chinese people.
This festival takes place on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month every year so, just like Dragon-Boat day, its exact date by the Western calendar differs from year to year.
In Britain people have been giving thanks for successful harvests since pagan times, that is before Christianity came to our part of the world. Harvest festival is traditionally held on the Sunday nearest to the Harvest Moon; and the Harvest Moon is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox (about Sept. 23).
Harvest festivals typically feature feasting, both family and public, with foods that are taken from the crops that come to maturity around the time of the festival. Ample food and freedom from the necessity to work in the fields are two central features of harvest festivals: eating, merriment, contests, music and romance are common features of harvest festivals around the world.
There are quite a few legends about the mid-Autumn festival, but I’ll just mention a couple of well-known ones.
Why Lady Chang’e Flew to the Moon
In the distant past there used to be ten suns in the sky. One year these suns became so scorching that the heat dried up the lakes and the people were at death’s door. Just at that time a hero, named Hou Yi, heard about this problem. With his extraordinary power and a supernatural bow, he shot nine of the suns down on the peak of Mount Kunlun.
As you might expect, Hou Yi became loved and respected by the people. A large number of people flocked to Hou Yi to ask him to be their teacher and to seek instructions. Among those students there were some who were treacherous and cunning. Peng Meng was one such student.
Before long, Hou Yi fell in love and married a beautiful young girl named Chang’e. One day, when Hou Yi went to Mount Kunlun to meet some friends, he encountered the Queen of Heaven, who gave him an elixir of life. Anyone who drunk this all this elixir would instantly become an immortal.
When Hou Yi returned home he gave this elixir to his wife to keep safe. Chang’e put the elixir of life into a case on her dressing table.
Unfortunately, the treacherous Peng Meng saw this. Three days later, when Hou Yi went out for hunting with his friends, Peng Meng pretended to be ill and so he didn’t go with them. Shortly after they had left, Peng Meng took his double-edgeds word and broke into Hou Yi’s House. He threatened Chang’e and demanded that she handed over the elixir of life.
Peng Meng was strong and dangerous and Chang’e knew that she wouldn’t be able to stop himor manage to protect the elixir of life. So Chang’e fetched the elixir of life from her case and held it out to Peng Meng, but just as he reached for it she swiftly raised the bottle to he lips
and drank it all. Immediately, Ch ang’e became an immortal and started
to rise away from the ground, she floated out of the window and flew
towards the moon. Chang’e stayed on the moon, which was the nearest
place to the earth, as she was anxious about her husband, Hou Yi.
When Hou Yi returned home that night and was told what had happened
during his absence he became extremely enraged and immediately went
looking for Peng Meng to kill him. However, Peng Meng had already
escaped. The heart-stricken Hou Yi shouted to the sky and shouted for
Chang’e, just at that time he surprisingly discovered the moon was
extremely bright and clear that night and he caught sight of a swaying
figure that was exactly like Chang’e.
Hou Yi hastily asked his maids to put an incense table in the back garden
and put fresh fruits and moon cakes which were the favorite food of
Chang’e on the table, holding a memorable ceremony for Chang’e who
lived on the distant moon. When the local people heard that Chang’e had
flown to the sky and became an immortal on the moon, they all arranged
incense tables below the moon to worship the goodness Chang’e, praying
for happiness and safety.
Since then, Chinese people have worshipped and gazed at the
moon in appreciation during the Mid-autumn festival.
Either of the two times each year (around March 21 and
September 23) when day and night,everywhere on earth
b) Of something that is very good or interesting and worth
remembering
c) Of someone who is not able to be trusted, or showing that
someone cannot be trusted
d) A controlling influence
e) Of being full of sorrow, disappointment, or regret
f) Something, usually a drink, that is able to cure illnesses and let
you live for ever.
g) To meet someone or something without expecting or intending to
h) Of someone who is tricky and clever at getting what they want,
often in a dishonest way
i) To make someone very angry, or to fill someone with rage
j) To come together, as in a group of animals such as birds or sheep
k) To burn a surface so as to change its color and texture.
l) An organized gathering of people who have not been together for
a long time.
m) A story from the past that many people believe, but which cannot
be proved to be true.
n) A special meal with large amounts of food and drink.
o) A person who worships many gods and/or goddesses or the earth
or nature
iSLCollective.com
Peng Meng was a good student and a strong friend of Hou Yi. T/F
6.The Queen of Heaven gave him the elixir of life to Chang’e. T/F
7.Chang’e threw the elixir away to stop Peng Meng drinking it. T/F
8.Chang’e became an immortal and started to rise from the ground. T/F
9.HouYi visited his wife, Chang’e, on the moon and took cakes for her. T/F
10.The people prayed to Chang’e for victory over their enemies. T/F
- Reading Comprehension. Choose the best answer.
1.What is the relationship between the date of Dragon-boat day and the date of
the Mid-Autumn Festival?
a.They are both festivals in the Chinese lunar calendar.
b.The dates of both holidays vary from year toyear in the western calendar.
c.The dates of both holidays do not very from year to year in the western
calendar.
d.Both festivals originally come from outside China.
2.What was the reason for Hou Yi shooting at the suns?
a.If he could shoot down the suns the Queen of Heaven would reward him.
b.Shooting down nine of the suns was a magic action which allowed him to marry
Chang’e.
c.He shot down nine suns to protect the people from their heat.
d.He didn’t shoot down the suns. He asked the Queen of Heaven to give him
some elixir so he could destroy nine of the suns.
3.Why did Chang’e drink the elixir?
a.Because she wanted to become an immortal and live on the moon.
b.Because she loved her husband.
c. Because it was the only way she could stop the elixir being stolen.
d.Because she was jealous of the Queen of Heaven who gave the elixir to her
husband.
iSLCollective.com - Vocab Questions. Choose to best word or phrase to complete
the following sentences taken from the text.
1.The Mid-Autumn festival is a _ festival in the Chinese calendar.
( A. family B. harvest C. dragon D.reunion) - The exact time of Mid Autumn festival _ from year to year.
( A. is not B. varies C.contrasts D. is at midday) - Harvest festivals typically feature both family and public.
( A. happiness B. singing C. dancing D.feasting)
4 There are quite a legends about the Mid-Autumn Festival.
( A. few B. many C. some D. much)
5 In the distant past there _ ten suns in the sky.
( A. is B. would have been C. used to be D. will be) - Hou Yi went to Mount Kunlun where he _ the Queen of heaven
( A. faced B. confronted C. encountered D. gathered) - Peng Meng Chang’e because he wanted the elixir.
( A. threatened B. fought C. begged D. demanded)
8.Chang’e became an immortal and out of the window.
( A. jumped B. floated C. walked D. fell) - Hou Yi discovered that the moon was bright and clear.
( A. at night B. bigger C. a lot D. extremely)
10.Since then, Chinese people have at the moon during the Mid
Autumn Fesival.
( A. gazed in appreciation B. tried to watch C. taken many photographs)