Happy Chinese National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival from Education Recruitment Experts



National Day (Chinese: 国庆节; pinyin: guóqìng jié; lit.: 'national celebration day'), officially the National Day of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国国庆节), is a public holiday in China celebrated annually on October 1 as the national day of the People's Republic of China, commemorating the formal establishment of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. The Chinese Communist Party victory in the Chinese Civil War resulted in the Kuomintang retreat to Taiwan and the Chinese Communist Revolution in which the People's Republic of China replaced the Republic of China.

Although it is observed on October 1, another six days are added to the official holiday, normally in lieu of the two weekend breaks around October 1, making it a de facto public holiday comprising seven consecutive days also known as Golden Week (黄金周; huángjīn zhōu). 

What is National Day Golden Week holiday in China?

The legal holiday for Chinese National Day is 3 days in mainland China, 2 days in Macau and 1 day in Hong Kong. In mainland, the 3 days are usually connected with the weekends ahead and after, hence people can enjoy a 7-day holiday from Oct. 1st to 7th, which is the so-called 'Golden Week'. 

Why is it called Golden Week?

Falling in autumn season with clear weather and comfortable temperatures, Chinese National Day holiday is a golden time for travel. It is the longest public holiday in China besides the Chinese New Year. The weeklong holiday enables both short-distance and long-distance trips, resulting in a boom of tourist revenue, as well as an overwhelming tourist crowd.

In 2020, the Mid-Autumn Festival will fall on National Day so it makes up the 8-day holiday. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a national holiday for the Chinese. Chinese people increasingly love to travel during their holidays to escape from the busy days.

The Mid-Autumn Festival (Simplified Chinese: 中秋节; Traditional Chinese: 中秋節; Vietnamese: Tết Trung Thu; Korean: 추석; Japanese: 月見), also known as Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated by Chinese and other people including in the " Sinosphere." It is the second-most important Chinese holiday after Chinese New Year with a history dating back 3,000 years, when China's emperors worshipped the moon for bountiful harvests.  The celebration is called Chuseok (autumn eve) in Korea and Tsukimi (moon-viewing) in Japan.

The festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night, corresponding to mid-September to early October of the Gregorian calendar.  On this day, the Chinese believe that the moon is at its brightest and fullest size, coinciding with harvest time in the middle of Autumn.

Lanterns of all size and shapes, are carried and displayed – as beacons to light the way to prosperity and good luck. Mooncakes, a rich pastry typically filled with sweet-bean or lotus-seed paste, are traditionally eaten during the festival.

Why Mid-Autumn Is Celebrated at Month 8 Day 15

Traditional Calendar Seasons

According to the Chinese lunar calendar (and traditional solar calendar), the  8th month is the second month of autumn. As the four seasons each have three (about-30-day) months on the traditional calendars, day 15 of month 8  is "the middle of autumn".

For the Full Moon

On the 15th of the lunar calendar, each month, the moon is at its roundest and brightest, symbolizing togetherness and reunion in Chinese culture. Families get together to express their familial love by eating dinner together, appreciating the moon, eating mooncakes, etc. The harvest moon is traditionally believed to be the brightest of the year.

For Harvest Celebration

Month 8 day 15, is traditionally the time rice is supposed to mature and be harvested. So people celebrate the harvest and worship their gods to show their gratitude.

Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Stories (Top 3 Legends)

Every holiday or festival has its story or background. The stories and legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival are quite interesting. There are many magical legends explaining the origin of the festival. Read some of the most widespread stories about the Mid-Autumn Festival below.

1. Chang'e and Hou Yi — Love Story of a Beautiful Lady and a Hero

Pictures of a Beautiful Lady and the Moon — Who is She?


Chang'e

You can see many pictures about the Mid-Autumn Festival when you Google this festival's images. The pictures usually contain a beautiful woman and a bright moon. The woman is in ancient dress and is usually stepping on a white cloud. Who is she? She is the leading lady of this sad love story.

The Story Goes Like This …

Hou Yi (/ho ee/) was an excellent archer. Chang'e (/chung-er/) was his wife.

Long, long ago, there were 10 suns in the sky. The suns burnt all the plants on Earth. People were dying.

One day, Hou Yi used his bow and arrows to shoot down nine of them. All the people on Earth were saved.

The Queen Mother of the West gave Hou Yi a bottle of elixir that could make him immortal. But the elixir was only for one person. Although Hou Yi did want to become immortal, he wanted to stay with Chang'e more. Therefore, he didn't drink the elixir and asked Chang'e to keep it safe for him.

Hou Yi became more and more famous after he shot down the nine suns. People wanted him to be their master and most of them were accepted by Hou Yi.

Not every student of Hou Yi had good morality. Pang Meng, one such student, wanted to seize his elixir.

One day, Hou Yi went hunting with his students, but Pang Meng (/pung mnng/) pretended to be ill and stay at home. After making sure Hou Yi had gone, he went to Hou Yi's house and tried to force Chang'e to give him the elixir. Chang'e knew she couldn't defeat Pang Meng, so she drank the elixir immediately.

The elixir made her fly higher and higher. In the end, she stopped on the moon. She became immortal.

Hou Yi was very sad when he received the news. He came back home and moved a table under the moon, preparing some food on it. He hoped Chang'e could come back to stay with him.  

2. Wu Gang Chopping the Cherry Bay — He Could Never Cut It Down

Shadow on the Moon of a Huge Tree

When you look at the moon on a clear night, you can see there is a shadow on it. Although it has been proven that the shadow is actually mountains that were generated by a meteor, a Chinese legend says that is the shadow of a huge tree on the moon.

The Story Goes Like This …


Wu Gang chopping the cherry bay

Wu Gang (/woo gung/) was an ordinary person who wanted to become immortal but didn't work very hard, and he never tried his best to learn the necessary theurgy.

The Emperor of Heaven got angry with him because of his attitude. In order to punish him, the Emperor of Heaven planted a huge cherry bay tree, which was 1,665 meters (5,460 feet) high, on the moon and ordered Wu Gang to cut it down. If Wu Gang could cut it down, he could become immortal.

This time, Wu Gang was very serious and worked hard on chopping down the tree. But you know what? He could never finish his work because the cherry bay was healed every time that Wu Gang chopped it.

Wu Gang wouldn't give up. He tried time and time again, and is still trying now. On clear nights, people can see an obvious shadow on the moon. This is made by the huge cherry bay.

3. The Jade Rabbit — Self-Sacrifice Rewarded

The jade rabbit is also a widespread character related to the Mid-Autumn Festival and the moon. The Chinese believe that the jade rabbit is a companion to Chang'e on the moon. 

The Story Goes Like This …


Jade Rabbit

There are three animals living in a forest: a fox, a rabbit, and a monkey.

One day, the Emperor of Heaven wanted to test the animals' virtues. So he came to Earth and changed his appearance to that of an old man.

He said, "I heard that you three are good friends, so I came a long way to meet you. Now I am very hungry. What will you offer me?"

"Please wait here. We will come back with food soon." Then the three animals went their separate ways to find food.

The fox caught a fish in a river; the monkey got fruit in the forest; but the rabbit got nothing and came back with nothing.

The old man said, "It seems that you three are not united and work alone. You two kept your promise and brought back food. But the rabbit hasn't brought back anything."

The rabbit felt very sorry. "Please help me to get some firewood. I want to cook some food for him," she said to the fox and monkey.

After they set the firewood on the fire, the rabbit said, "Sorry I didn't fulfill my promise. But I can give myself to you. Eat me, please!" and the rabbit jumped into the fire.

The Emperor of Heaven was deeply moved by the rabbit. He picked up the rabbit's bones and said, "I was so touched. To honour her, I will let her go to the Moon Palace, so that people can see her forever."

Chang’e, who lived alone after arriving in the moon, liked the Jade Rabbit at the first sight, and therefore kept it company. As time went on by, Chang’e and Jade Rabbit became inseparable friends.

Hearing about the story of Chang’e and Hou Yi, the Jade Rabbit felt sympathetic to them and decided to make a special heavenly medicine, which could help Chang’e return to Earth. Unfortunately, the Jade Rabbit has still not been able to make it even though he has worked hard for thousands of years. Observing the moon on the Mid-Autumn Day carefully, we can still see the Jade Rabbit making his heavenly medicine.

10 Popular Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Greetings/Sayings

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
中秋快乐! 
Zhōngqiū kuàilè!

Wish you and your family a happy Mid-Autumn Festival
祝你和你的家人中秋快乐 
Zhù nǐ hé nǐ de jiārén zhōngqiū kuàilè

Wishing us a long life to share the graceful moonlight, though thousands of miles apart.
但愿人长久，千里共婵娟 
Dàn yuàn rén chángjiǔ, qiānlǐ gòng chánjuān

A bright moon and stars twinkle and shine. Wishing you a merry Mid-Autumn Festival, bliss, and happiness.
皓月闪烁，星光闪耀，中秋佳节，美满快乐！
Hàoyuè shǎnshuò, xīngguāng shǎnyào, zhōngqiū jiājié, měimǎn kuàilè!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! May the round moon bring you a happy family and a successful future.
祝福中秋佳节快乐，月圆人圆事事圆满. 
Zhùfú zhōngqiū jiājié kuàilè, yuè yuán rén yuán shì shì yuánmǎn

The roundest moon can be seen in the autumn. It is time for reunions. I wish you a happy Mid-Autumn Day and a wonderful life.
月到是秋分外明，又是一年团圆日，祝你节日愉快，身体安康
Yuè dào shì qiū fèn wài míng, yòu shì yī nián tuányuán rì, zhù nǐ jiérì yúkuài, shēntǐ ānkāng

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival
https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/mid-autumn-festival-greeting.htm
https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/mid-autumn-festival-date.htm
https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2014/09/05/chinese-folklore-special-mid-autumn-festival-stories/