mooncakes are to mid-autumn festival what mince pies are to christmas. the seasonal round cakes traditionally have a sweet filling of lotus seed paste or red bean paste and often have one or more salted duck eggs in the center to represent the moon. and the moon is what this celebration is all about. mid-autumn festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th month，it is the time when the moon is said to be at its brightest and fullest.
there are two legends which claim to explain the tradition of eating mooncakes. one tang dynasty myth holds that the earth once had 10 suns circling it. one day all 10 suns appeared at once，scorching the planet with their heat. it was thanks to a skillful archer named hou yi that the earth was saved. he shot down all but one of the suns. as his reward，the heavenly queen mother gave hou yi the elixir of immortality，but she warned him that he m