6:40 a.m. - 2002-09-22
Moon Festival
I'm late with my diary entry today. Apparently, I didn't have reservations for the computer after noon, according to my sons. I'm sneaking in now.
My second son and his fiance came by today. Her heritage is Chinese and today (September 21)is a day of celebration for them. The date changes each year in our solar calendar because it is calculated according to the Chinese lunar calendar. It is "Moon Festival" day which is supposed to be commemorated with those you love. It was very thoughtful of them to make a point of coming to see us since we wouldn't have known otherwise. They were headed off to her parents home where her Mom was going to cook a special meal for my son - Western style - in addition to traditional Chinese fare. The feast begins at midnight so that everyone can also enjoy gazing at the moon. (I've included some of the legends about the festival at the end of this entry and the web link where I found them for anyone who is curious. It is an interesting site.)
This is a very good sign. Her Mom has been very upset that her daughter was going to marry a caucasian. I think she was concerned about the problems people have in biracial marriages and I understand her point somewhat, since it is difficult enough to sustain a marriage these days without having any more problems thrown in. That said, I should also note that I have a lot of friends who have married into a different faith, race, or ethnic community who are very happy in their choice. I've never doubted that my son and daughter-in-law to be will make a go of it.
They are in the process of having their first home together built right now. It has been a bit of a struggle, but it should be ready by November. I'm storing some of their new furniture here until then, since they are in a small apartment. They have very nice taste in furniture - too bad I have to give it back. At one point, I was asked if I would like to move into the unit next to them and they asked her parents too. (It's a four unit development). Something about less conflict between the grandmothers with respect to cuddle time with the grandbabies. It was tempting, but I think they deserve some space on their own for a while.
Anyway, as promised, here is the link and the stories I mentioned.
http://chinesefortunecalendar.com/midfallstory.htm
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The time of this story is around 2170 B.C. The earth once had ten suns circling over it, each took its turn to illuminate to the earth. But one day all ten suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was saved by a strong and tyrannical archer Hou Yi. He succeeded in shooting down nine of the suns. One day, Hou Yi stole the elixir of life from a goddess. However his beautiful wife Chang Er drank the elixir of life in order to save the people from her husband's tyrannical rule. After drinking it, she found herself floating and flew to the moon. Hou Yi loved his divinely beautiful wife so much, he didn't shoot down the moon.
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In this legend, three fairy sages transformed themselves into pitiful old men and begged for something to eat from a fox, a monkey and a rabbit. The fox and the monkey both had food to give to the old men, but the rabbit, empty-handed, offered his own flesh instead, jumping into a blazing fire to cook himself. The sages were so touched by the rabbit's sacrifice that they let him live in the Moon Palace where he became the "Jade Rabbit."
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During the Yuan dynasty (A.D.1280-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (A.D.960-1280) were unhappy at submitting to foreign rule, and set how to coordinate the rebellion without it being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Backed into each moon cake was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). Today, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend.
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