Moon Festival
The Moon Festival is, if I understand correctly, the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, that meant it was October 6. It is very much like the American Thanksgiving. It is a time where families join together and celebrate the rice harvest, gaze at the full moon, and barbecue!
There are legends surrounding the moon festival, everything from a rabbit who sacrificed himself to feed some hungry men and then was honored to become the Jade Rabbit seen in a full moon... to a woman who drank her husband's immortal-elixir to save the world from an eternal rule under his cruel and harsh hand... to a woodcutter who was sent to cut down a Cassia tree on the moon before he could gain immortality... is there a theme? Eternal life? Those in the legends wanted it... maybe not the rabbit? But immortality, in a sense, was its prize.
It makes me think of Ecclesiastes 3:11.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
I think there is more than what we see here on earth. I think we were made to live forever... but not in the pain and suffereing and wrongness of sin. That is why Jesus Christ, God's Son came. He was God come to earth, to live our life, to die our death, and then to fullfill the price of sin and ultimately defeat death and sin. Because of Jesus Christ we have the hope and the assurance of eternal life - with Him. And I think the with Him part is the most excellent. God has proven Himself to be good, and to be love. Eternity with Him is the greatest opportunity, for which humanity was truly created.
At any rate, I just wanted to put up some photos from the BBQ in Hsinchu last evening! A few of the foreigners, including me, had the pleasure of celebrating the Moon Festival with our Dean, Isabella, and her family.
This was the feast Isabella's mother had prepared for the BBQ when we arrived in Hsinchu.
While we waited for it to actually be dinner time, some of us walked to a nearby park.
Some of the children in the park were excited to talk to the "wei-gwa-ren" (foreigners) and said, 'Hello! Bon jour!" One started singing "5 Little Monkeys." It was pretty funny. They also got a kick out of my attempted Chinese. At any rate, after a while, a game of racing around the playground started. Each one wanted to challenge the foreigners. They were pretty good runners. Here is one leg of the race, just about to begin...
Upon arriving back at the house, the BBQ was begun!
There were sausages...
There were some serious oysters...
The street, in the light of the full moon.
There are legends surrounding the moon festival, everything from a rabbit who sacrificed himself to feed some hungry men and then was honored to become the Jade Rabbit seen in a full moon... to a woman who drank her husband's immortal-elixir to save the world from an eternal rule under his cruel and harsh hand... to a woodcutter who was sent to cut down a Cassia tree on the moon before he could gain immortality... is there a theme? Eternal life? Those in the legends wanted it... maybe not the rabbit? But immortality, in a sense, was its prize.
It makes me think of Ecclesiastes 3:11.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
I think there is more than what we see here on earth. I think we were made to live forever... but not in the pain and suffereing and wrongness of sin. That is why Jesus Christ, God's Son came. He was God come to earth, to live our life, to die our death, and then to fullfill the price of sin and ultimately defeat death and sin. Because of Jesus Christ we have the hope and the assurance of eternal life - with Him. And I think the with Him part is the most excellent. God has proven Himself to be good, and to be love. Eternity with Him is the greatest opportunity, for which humanity was truly created.
At any rate, I just wanted to put up some photos from the BBQ in Hsinchu last evening! A few of the foreigners, including me, had the pleasure of celebrating the Moon Festival with our Dean, Isabella, and her family.
This was the feast Isabella's mother had prepared for the BBQ when we arrived in Hsinchu.
While we waited for it to actually be dinner time, some of us walked to a nearby park.
Some of the children in the park were excited to talk to the "wei-gwa-ren" (foreigners) and said, 'Hello! Bon jour!" One started singing "5 Little Monkeys." It was pretty funny. They also got a kick out of my attempted Chinese. At any rate, after a while, a game of racing around the playground started. Each one wanted to challenge the foreigners. They were pretty good runners. Here is one leg of the race, just about to begin...
Upon arriving back at the house, the BBQ was begun!
There were sausages...
There were some serious oysters...
The street, in the light of the full moon.
posted by Anna at 2:48 PM
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