The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. It is the time when families get together and enjoy their sweet home.

These is also a romantic, or a little tragic legend about this festival.

Story begins::
    It is said that: 

Once upon a time, there were ten suns rising in the sky, which scorched all crops and drove people into dire poverty. A hero named Hou Yi was worried about this. He ascended to the top of the Kunlun Mountain.

By using his superhuman strength, he drew his extraordinary bow and shot down nine of the ten suns. He also ordered the last sun to rise and set according to time.

For this reason, he was respected and loved by the people and lots of people of came to learn martial arts from him. A person named Peng Meng was one of them.

One day on his way to the Kunlun Mountain, Hou Yi came across the Empress of Heaven Wangmu who was passing by. Wangmu presented to him a parcel of elixir. It was said that by taking it, one would ascend immediately to heaven and become a celestial being.

Hou Yi, however, hated to part with Chang E, his beautiful and kindhearted wife. So he gave the parcel to Chang E to treasure. Unexpectedly, it was seen by Peng Meng.

One day when Hou Yi  went hunting, Peng Meng, rushed into the inner chamber and forced Chang E to hand over the elixir.

Aware that she was unable to defeat Peng Meng, Chang E turned round to open her treasure box, took up the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp.
 
As soon as she swallowed the elixir her body floated off the ground, dashed out of the window and flew towards heaven.

When Hou Yi returned home at dark, he knew from the maidservants what had happened. Overcome with grief, Hou Yi looked up into the night sky and called out the name of his beloved wife.

Thinking of his wife day and night, Hou Yi then had an incense table arranged in the back garden that Chang E loved. Putting on the table sweetmeats and fresh fruits Chang E enjoyed most, Hou Yi held at a distance a memorial ceremony for Chang E who was sentimentally attached to him in the palace of the moon.

When people heard of the story, they arranged the incense table in the moonlight one after another and prayed kindhearted Chang E for good fortune and peace. From then on the custom of worshiping the moon spread among the people.

Story ends.

The moon looks extremely round, big and bright on the 15th day of each lunar month. People selected the August 15 to celebrate because it is a season when crops and fruits are all ripe and weather pleasant.

On Mid-Autumn Festival, we usually putting food on tables and look up at the sky and talk about the moon, the Chang E and others.