In
the lunar calendar the fifteenth day of the eighth month each year, the Chinese
celebrate Mid-Autumn Day (Full Moon Festival). It is a very fun and meaningful
holiday. In the evening of Mid-Autumn Day, people played in the park or sidewalk.
They sat in the park, ate moon cake, fruits, and enjoyed the full moon. Children
carried their lanterns and walk around the park. Some people made paper boats
and put candles in the paper boats, then made their wishes before letting the
boats float in the pond.
I really like Mid-Autumn Day celebration. When I watched the beautiful moon, I ate moon cake, which tasted very sweet. It has eggs in the center also. The moon cake's shape is a circle, square, or cartoon. Then I sipped tea. It was strong and has a great scent of jasmine in the tea. It reminds me of a Chinese legend: Long time ago, there was a girl who is an angel. One day, she came down to earth. By a mistake, she fell in lover with a cow herder. But angel should not fall in love with a human. When the King of Heaven found out, he was very angry and he separated them. Then the angel was very upset and cried everyday. After one week, the King was touched by the love of the angel for the cow herder. He made new rule: Allowing the angel and cow herder to meet once a year -on the Mid-Autumn Day. Lovers in China consider this evening as a special night for them.
Last year on Mid-Autumn Day in Seattle, I sat in the yard and watched many stars in the sky. Then I thought of a poem. "As by my bed, the mood did beam, it seemed as if with frost the earth were spread. But soft I raise my head, to gaze at the fair moon. And now, with head bent low, of home I dream." I missed my homeland and now I really understand the meaning of this poem. And I will always remember this lonely Mid-Autumn Day!
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