Tuesday 21^st September, was an important Chinese holiday and family festival: the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.

This is the second most important traditional festival in China, but it is less well- known overseas than Chinese New Year. It is also a harvest festival and always falls in the Chinese calendar on a full moon when the autumn moon is particularly bright.

The early form of the Mid-Autumn Festival was derived from the custom of moon worship during the Zhou Dynasty over 3,000 years ago and there are still many popular legends about the moon in China, a popular one being of how the warrior Hou Yi saved the world from burning up by shooting down 9 of 10 suns overheating the sky. Hou Yi did not want to take the elixir of everlasting life given to him as a reward for his feat,  as he did not want to be separated from his wife Chang’e. Chang’e drank the elixir instead and became the goddess of the moon, so Hou Yi, distraught at losing her, made cakes and offered fruits to the moon, hoping to see her.

For the Chinese, the moon is symbolized as being holy, pure and noble, and representing perfection and unity. Over tens of thousands of poems describing the moon have been recorded, and moon cakes are typical food of the festival. Chinese mooncakes have an intricately decorated pastry casing, enclosing a lotus-seed paste or sweet bean filling with a salted egg-yolk in the middle.

Had our Chinese pupils, Johnny, Amy, Steve, Miya, SiRu, SiHan, Leo, Jonathan and Lynn been at home, they would have spent the day with their families celebrating together. Red envelopes containing money and wishes for health and prosperity are given to the young by grandparents, and special meals shared. There is, of course, a specific ‘WeChat’ Red Envelope app for sending wishes, so these pupils sent and received many on Tuesday.

Around King’s, some teachers and pupils were courageous enough to try out their Chinese and wish the pupils ‘Zhōng qiū jié kuài lè!’  or Happy Mid Autumn festival! Blackford House gave SiHan a taste of home with a Chinese take-away evening for the 3^rd Form, and some moon cakes were exchanged. We have had a promise from the Food Science Department to try and make moon cakes next year. This is quite a lengthy and intricate business, usually the preserve of grandmothers in China, but I am sure our pupils will be up for the Challenge.

So, EAL wishes you all Zhōng qiū jié kuài lè! as we turn back to Autumn in Bruton. 

Nicola Checketts - Head of  EAL