Moon Cake Festival

Mid Autumn in the Chinese lunar calendar marks the arrival of the Moon Cake Festival. The Chinese has celebrated this event for thousands of years. The legend behind this festival can be traced back to the invasion of China during the Sung dynasty by the Mongols. People were living in destitution and desolation under the tyrannical rules of the Mongols. Defiance and resentment brewed in the heart and minds of the people. Oppressive regulations were imposed to suppress the people. Any sharp objects or tools that could be construed as a weapon and thus posed a threat to the regime was forbidden. Only a handful of knives were allowed in a village. These knives were tied in a public open place and guarded closely. The day finally came for the people to rise up in arms. The people hid a message inside the moon cakes to inform others of the exact time and date of the uprising. Under the bright full moon, the genesis of a full scale insurrection bore fruit.

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