In some stories, messages were printed on its surface, which is why traditionally there are auspicious sayings on mooncakes. In this story, mooncakes were used to pass secret messages amongst the rebels, under the guise as gifts for the Mid-Autumn Festival, so a revolt could be planned for that day, and that there was a plague spreading which could only be countered by the eating of these special mooncakes, which contained the message to kill the rulers on the Mid-Autumn Festival. The previous dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, were people of Han origin, while the Yuan Dynasty were descended from the Mongol Empire, which were seen as outsiders to the Chinese. The other historical origin of the mooncakes is tied to the rebellion during the Yuan Dynasty. The Historical Context: The Ming Revolution This is the mythical origin of the mooncake. He missed her so much he made offerings of fruit and mooncakes in remembrance of her. In trying to protect the elixir, Chang Er drank the elixir and flew to the moon, leaving Hou Yi behind. ![]() However, when Hou Yi’s disciple Feng Meng ( féng méng, 逢蒙) found out about it he tried to rob them when Hou Yi wasn’t home. Hou Yi shot 9 out of the 10 suns out of the sky saving the earth and was rewarded by the gods with the elixir of immortality. According to one legend, there were once 10 suns in the sky. The legendary account is a love story between Chang Er ( cháng é, 嫦娥), the Goddess of the Moon, and Hou Yi ( hòu yì, 后羿), the archer. There are two accounts about how the mooncake came about, one mythical and legendary, while the other is based on Chinese historical accords. The Mythical Context: The Legend of Chang Er and Hou Yi On this day Chinese families, and as extension other cultures from the Sinosphere, celebrate by a reunion dinner, lanterns and most importantly, eating mooncakes. It is one of the big 4 celebrations in Chinese culture, the others being Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), Chinese All Souls’ Day (Qingming Festival), and Winter Harvest (Winter Solstice Festival). This is why the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Harvest Moon Festival. ![]() The Mid-Autumn Festival ( zhōngqiūjié, 中秋節) is celebrated by the Chinese diaspora across the world on the 15 th day of the 8 th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, which coincides with the Harvest Moon. As the Mid-Autumn Festival looms over us, we take the time to find out about those little delectable morsels known as mooncakes, from its mythical origin of Chang Er to its historical context within the Ming Revolution, we also take a look at some of the offerings this season.
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