Reading

Reading Passage: Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also called the Moon Festival, is one of the most important traditional festivals in China, Vietnam, and other Asian countries. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest. The festival is a time for family reunions, expressing gratitude, and enjoying the beauty of the autumn moon.

The festival has a long history that dates back over 3,000 years. It began during the Zhou Dynasty in China as a harvest celebration. Farmers gave thanks for a good harvest and prayed for future prosperity. Over time, the festival became more popular and developed into the celebration we know today.

One of the most famous traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival is eating mooncakes. These round pastries symbolize wholeness and unity. Mooncakes come in many varieties, including sweet fillings like lotus seed paste, red bean paste, and salted egg yolk, as well as savory fillings. Families often give mooncakes as gifts to relatives, friends, and business partners.

Another tradition is lantern lighting. Children carry lanterns in various shapes, such as animals, stars, or even famous cartoon characters. In some cities, large lantern displays are built in parks and public squares, creating a magical, glowing atmosphere at night. Lanterns represent hope, good fortune, and the brightness of the full moon.

The festival is also associated with legends and folklore. The most well-known story is about Chang’e, the Moon Goddess. According to the legend, Chang’e drank an elixir of immortality and floated to the moon, where she lives alone. Her husband, Hou Yi, a great archer, once saved the world by shooting down nine of the ten suns. People admire the moon and tell stories of love, sacrifice, and reunion.

In modern times, the Mid-Autumn Festival continues to be a cultural and social celebration. Families gather for dinners, children play with lanterns, and communities organize cultural performances, moon-gazing parties, and traditional games. In Vietnam, the festival is called Tết Trung Thu and is especially celebrated for children, who parade in the streets with colorful lanterns and enjoy lion dances.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is not only a celebration of the harvest and the moon but also a symbol of family, harmony, and cultural heritage. It reminds people to appreciate their loved ones, reflect on traditions, and share joy and happiness with others.

Vocabulary Exercise

Match the words with their meanings:

1. Harvest

2. Unity

3. Lantern

4. Folklore

5. Symbol

6. Tradition
   
   

a. A practice or custom passed down through generations
b. A story or belief from the past, often involving magic or gods
c. A sign that represents something else, like a meaning or idea
d. A period of gathering crops from the fields
e. A light source, often made of paper, carried in festivals
f. The state of being together or connected as a group

Comprehension Questions

1. When is the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated, and why is the date important?

2. What are mooncakes, and why are they significant during the festival?

3. Describe the legend of Chang’e and Hou Yi.

4. Name at least three activities people do during the festival today.

5. How is the festival celebrated differently in Vietnam compared to China?

6. Why is the Mid-Autumn Festival considered a symbol of family and harmony?
   
   

Discussion / Writing Exercises

1. Personal Reflection: Write 8–10 sentences about your favorite festival and compare it with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

2. Creative Writing: Imagine you are Chang’e living on the moon. Write a diary entry about your life there and your feelings during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

3. Opinion Writing: Do you think traditional festivals like the Mid-Autumn Festival are important in modern society? Explain why or why not, giving examples.

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The Legend of Cuội on the Moon

Once upon a time, there was a woodcutter named Cuội. One day, while he was in the forest, a young tiger suddenly jumped out at him. With no time to escape, Cuội had no choice but to fight for his life. He swung his axe with all his strength and struck the tiger. Since the tiger was still young, it was weaker than a human and fell to the ground after being hit.

Just then, the mother tiger came back. Cuội quickly threw away his axe and climbed up a tree. From above, he saw the mother tiger run to a nearby bush, bite off some leaves, and chew them before feeding them to her cub. After a short while, the young tiger began to move, wag its tail, and came back to life.

When the mother tiger had carried her cub away, Cuội came down from the tree, went to the bush, dug up the magical plant, and took it home.

Since the day he had that miraculous healing plant, Cuội was able to save many people’s lives. One day, he even saved the daughter of a rich man, who was so grateful that he gave his daughter’s hand in marriage to Cuội. The couple lived happily together.

But one day, Cuội’s wife fell and hit her head, losing consciousness. Cuội used the magical leaves to heal her, but she still didn’t wake up. Heartbroken, Cuội molded a clay brain and placed it inside her head, then applied the healing leaves again. Surprisingly, she came back to life, completely recovered.

However, from that time on, Cuội’s wife suffered from forgetfulness—she often forgot what her husband told her.

One day, Cuội’s wife forgot his warning and poured dirty water on the magical tree. As soon as she did, the tree suddenly began to float upward into the sky. Seeing this, Cuội rushed forward and grabbed its roots. But the tree kept rising, pulling Cuội higher and higher—until he was carried all the way to the moon.

To this day, when we look up at the moon, we can still see the figure of Cuội sitting under his magical tree.