Moonrising Story
When the earth was first created, there were ten suns circling the skies, creating great havoc and famine. The emperor called on his favorite archer, Yi, to shoot down nine of these suns, and leave the one we know today. Yi was successful in doing so, and as a reward, he was given the potion of Immortality, and became emperor after the old monarch died.
However, Yi proved to be a heartless tyrant. He taxed the peasants relentlessly. His beautiful wife, Chang Er, decided that if Yi lived forever, the peasants would never be free of him. So one night, she stole his potion of Immortality, and drank it. Clutching the Rabbit to her breast, she began to float up into the night sky, towards the moon, and eventually came to rest there.
Every year, Chinese people everywhere would celebrate the Mid Autumn Moon Festival. They would drink a toast to the lady in the moon, and eat mooncakes shaped like rabbits. And they say that on that night, when the moon is the fullest and brightest of the year, you will see the Rabbit there, with mortar and pestle, formulating some more potion of Immortality for his mistress to drink.
When the earth was first created, there were ten suns circling the skies, creating great havoc and famine. The emperor called on his favorite archer, Yi, to shoot down nine of these suns, and leave the one we know today. Yi was successful in doing so, and as a reward, he was given the potion of Immortality, and became emperor after the old monarch died.
However, Yi proved to be a heartless tyrant. He taxed the peasants relentlessly. His beautiful wife, Chang Er, decided that if Yi lived forever, the peasants would never be free of him. So one night, she stole his potion of Immortality, and drank it. Clutching the Rabbit to her breast, she began to float up into the night sky, towards the moon, and eventually came to rest there.
Every year, Chinese people everywhere would celebrate the Mid Autumn Moon Festival. They would drink a toast to the lady in the moon, and eat mooncakes shaped like rabbits. And they say that on that night, when the moon is the fullest and brightest of the year, you will see the Rabbit there, with mortar and pestle, formulating some more potion of Immortality for his mistress to drink.