Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong. Image via Wikipedia

Happy Moon Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival)!

This is a very popular festival celebrated by Chinese. As full moon symbolizes unity and wholeness. On this special day, family and friends would gather, eat moon cakes, drink tea and appreciate the full moon. It’s also a tradition to carry brightly lit lanterns.

Moon Festival is strongly associated with a few Chinese legends and folk tales. If you are interested in learning more, try googling “mid-autumn festival legends”. There are quite a few fun stories to read and to tell. 🙂

Tonight,  I can’t help thinking of a classical Chinese poem by Li Bai. It’s a famous poem that almost all Chinese would know. The poem seems so effortless and yet each word is so poignant that could intoxicate someone for hours.

Especially for Chinese away from home, when we look at the moon, we think of home. The reason being the moon is an object that we can all share no matter where we are. At different places, we might look at the same moon at the same time!  How poetic is that? We can share the sun too, but the sun would be too bright to look at, right? ^_^

《静夜思》 written by 李白。

In Simplified Chinese:
床前明月光，
疑是地上霜。
举头望明月，
低头思故乡。

In Traditional Chinese:
牀前明月光，
疑是地上霜。
舉頭望明月，
低頭思故鄉。

Direct translation:
Before my bed
There is bright-lit moonlight
So that it seems
Like frost on the ground:

Lifting my head
I watch the bright moon
Lowering my head
I dream that I’m home.