MMoon Tales from Other Cultures

Activity 1 - Learn about an ancient festival
The ancient Chinese, being an agricultural people, planted and harvested by watching the moon. They even created a mid autumn festival called the Moon Festival. This festival was held the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. There are also many legends and stories connected with the moon that are part of Chinese mythology. Some of these had morals similar to folk tales from other countries.

Learn more about the Moon Festival so that you can discover the answer to these questions.

• During which month is the Moon Festival usually held?

• What are moon cakes?

• What event do Moon cakes commemorate ?

Activity 2 -Read some Moon tales
Read Wu Kang And The Cassia Tree about a young man or about Chang-O a young woman. According to Chinese legends both went to the Moon.

Write a brief description which tells why these two Chinese figures ended up on the Moon. Include the answers to these 2 questions.
What was the moral of the story?
What problems did the characters have which caused them to end up on the moon?

 

Read about Coyote as the Moon, Fox and the Moon, Coyote and Eagle Steal the Sun and Moon and other tales as you visit this site about Native Americans.

Read about more Moon Myths from other cultures and countries around the world including Africa, Japan, China, Greece, Rome. There are several reading levels to select from. How did these cultures honor or think about the the Moon? How is this the same or different from the ways you might think about the Moon?

 

Activity 4 - Try writing your own Moon tale or myth.