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The Moon
among
the Chinese
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The Sun and the Moon
It's generally believed that the Chinese only pay attention to the Moon and neglect the Sun. This idea is completely erroneous, despite all indications to the contrary. In fact, one could say that in Chinese thought and life, the Sun and the Moon always go "hand in hand ". If for the Chinese, Yang and Yin are the original principles of the Universe, the Sun is unmistakably associated to Yang and the Moon to Yin. If one celebrates the Sun on the Chinese New Year's Day, one celebrates the Moon on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the year - it's the Mid-Autumn festival, during which one eats delicious traditional "Moon cakes". (In the year 2011, the Mid-Autumn festival will take place on September 12.)
However, it's evident that the Chinese attach particular importance to the influences of the Moon, probably because to them, these influences seem more concrete, more direct and more widespread. There exists between them and the Moon a sort of intimacy and complicity that they seem to refuse to the Sun. It somewhat resembles the emotion that one feels for one's mother and not for one's father, although one deeply loves both of them!
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