Friday, September 17, 2010

Moon Cakes 中秋節月餅

In China and throughout many Asian countries people celebrate the Harvest Moon on the 15th day of the eighth month of their lunar calendar. The date in the Western calendar changes annually. This year, the Mid-Autumn festival falls on Wednesday, September 22, 2010.   The festival dates back to the Tang dynasty in 618 A.D., and have many legendary stories.  One legend I love is 'The Hare - Jade Rabbit'. 
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."
I bought a moon cake box from a coworker's temple.  It is a labor of love made by the temple volunteers to support their vegetarian temple.

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