Mid Autumn Festival

It has been a busy couple of weeks at school.  Getting started is always the busiest part and the most tiring.  I have had quite a few criers in my class.  But 4 weeks in, they have all settled.

My classroom, ECE, set up ....

 Maths and construction area

 Changing area

 Literacy areas

 Reading corner

 Science/exploration table

 Birthday calendar 

 Calendar and weather board

 Fantasy area

 Snack box area

 Welcome wall, where are we all from?

Rest area

We have had a public holiday this last weekend.  It is a very special holiday to the Chinese.  It is called the Mid Autumn Festival.  As one of my colleagues says, its like Christmas where all the families get together and feast.

This is the story  of Mid Autumn Festival …

"Zhong Qiu Jie", which is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is celebrated on the

15th day of Aug of the lunar calendar. It is a time for family members and loved ones to

congregate and enjoy the full moon - an auspicious symbol of abundance, harmony and luck. Adults will usually indulge in fragrant mooncakes of many varieties with a good

cup of piping hot Chinese tea, while the little ones run around with their brightly-lit

lanterns.

“Zhong Qiu Jie” probably began as a harvest festival. The festival was later given a

mythological flavour with legends of Chang-E, the beautiful lady in the moon.

中秋节最早可能是一个庆祝丰收的节日。后来，月宫里美丽的仙女嫦娥的神话故事赋予

了它神话色彩。

According to Chinese mythology, the earth once had 10 suns circling over it. One day,

all 10 suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was saved when

a strong archer, Hou Yi, succeeded in shooting down 9 of the suns. Yi stole the elixir of life to

save the people from his tyrannical rule, but his wife, Chang-E drank it. Thus started the

legend of the lady in the moon to whom young Chinese girls would pray at the Mid-Autumn Festival.

传说古时候，天空曾有10个太阳。一天，这10个太阳同时出现，酷热难挡。弓箭手后翌射下了其中9个太阳，

拯救了地球上的生灵。他偷了长生不死药，却被妻子嫦娥偷偷喝下。此后，每年中秋月圆之时，

少女们都要向月宫仙女嫦娥祈福的传说便流传开来。

In the 14th century, the eating of mooncakes at "Zhong Qiu Jie" was given a new significance. The story goes that

when Zhu Yuan Zhang was plotting to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty started by the Mongolians, the rebels hid their messages in the Mid-Autumn mooncakes. Zhong Qiu Jie is hence also a commemoration of the overthrow of the Mongolians by the Han people.

在14世纪，中秋节吃月饼又被赋予了一层特殊的含义。传说在朱元璋带兵起义推翻元朝时，将士们曾把联络信藏在月饼里。因此，中秋节后来也成为汉人推翻蒙古人统治的纪念日。

During the Yuan Dynasty (A.D.1206-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding

Sung Dynasty (A.D.960-1279) 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. Packed into each mooncake 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 event.

在元朝，蒙古人统治中国。前朝统治者们不甘心政权落入外族之手，于是密谋策划联合起义。正值中秋将近，

起义首领就命令部下制作一种特别的月饼，把起义计划藏在每个月饼里。到中秋那天，起义军获取胜利，

推翻了元朝，建立明朝。今天，人们吃月饼纪念此事。

So to celebrate the Festival the school organised a feast for all the staff in the school canteen after school.  There was different types of foods, mainly fruits and snacks.  It lasted about an hour.  Everyone ate and then went home.

 Prunes

 Seeds

And the famous Moon Cakes

Then on Saturday we got a surprise visit from our Receptionist Daisy.  Apparently their culture during this festival is to visit family and friends and give gifts of food.  Well her and her husband came along, did not stay, but came to drop off a parcel of moon cakes, some pork ribs and some cooked sweet corn on the cob.  That was so sweet.  Then they had to leave as they had other family members to go and visit.

 A box of moon cakes

The box of moon cakes, meat and corn.

We were going to go to the wet market on Monday, as it was a public holiday, but we could not find one taxi to take us there.  I think every person was on holiday.

Well we have some interesting times ahead and cant wait to share them with you.  Keep reading.