The Origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival 2024 is surrounded by various legends about the moon, but the most well-known is the legend of the goddess Chang'e. The story tells of the archer Hou Yi, who shot down nine of the ten suns, leaving only one. As a reward, the gods gave him an elixir that granted immortality and the ability to ascend to heaven. Hou Yi had a beautiful and mysterious wife named Chang'e. He never left her alone except when he went hunting. Before each journey, he entrusted the elixir to his wife. One day, while Hou Yi was out hunting, someone tried to steal the elixir. To protect it, Chang'e swallowed it, causing her to ascend to heaven and become the moon goddess. Another legend related to the moon is that the Chinese believe that if someone has a true soulmate, an old man on the moon will tie their ankles together with a red string, ensuring they find and stay in love. This belief leads single women to worship the old man on the moon.