Moon Festival

We went to the embroidery factory this afternoon. It was amazing...such tiny threads used to create masterpieces of magnificent works. These ladies who stitch these creations have skills I have never seen before. They work 8 hour days with no light (the light destroys the dye in the threads), so when they get older they may or will have eyesight problems.

Today is also the Moon Festival celebration in China. As I stated in an earlier post the moon festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month and dates back to the Tang Dynasty of 618 A. D. It celebrates the biggest, brightest full moon of the year, the harvest moon. The Chinese are an agricultural society and in ancient times they planted and harvested by the lunar calendar.

During the Moon Festival families come together to celebrate...it is likened to our Thanksgiving holiday. Unlike the American holiday, the Chinese celebrate with Moon Cake. Moon cake is a round pastry filled with red bean paste, fruit or jam. It tastes like pecan pie filling. The round shape is significant as it represents family reunion.

We celebrate with our group family. We all get along together and rely upon one another...we have become family away from our families.

Missing home, but loving China
jenny

P.S. We have discovered why Karen screams at 6:00pm. She is teething and after a full day of sucking at her bottle or eating rice her gums and teeth hurt. We are giving her orajel and tylenol when it hurts at night and it seems to be helping as she isn't screaming anymore. She and I are bonding even more each day. She will let her daddy out of her sight now and is contented with me. She is darling.