Happywonders - Happy Wonders

Behold my interchangeable diorama! I start by explaining how I make the backgrounds, and then there is a clip of me changing scenes. Enjoy!

Goddess of the Moon (Cháng’é)

“Every year around September in the Gregorian calendar, people across Asia and around the world gather with their families to celebrate the Moon Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival).

The festival involves the serving of mooncakes and, in some places, like Taiwan, often involves barbecue parties with family, friends and neighbors. Central to the folklore of the Moon Festival is the telling of the story of the moon goddess, Cháng’é.

According to this ancient story, a long, long time ago, the heavens was home to ten blazing suns. The ten suns scorched the surface of the earth mercilessly and the earth’s inhabitants – the animals, plants and people – struggled desperately to survive in this fiery world.

One day, a brave and powerful archer decided to take matters into his own hands. His name was Hòu Yì and he took his bow, climbed up the highest peak he could find and challenged the suns.

One by one, Hòu Yì succeeded in downing the fiery orbs. Just as he was about to shoot down the tenth and final sun, however, a beautiful village maiden appeared and begged him to stop.

“If you shoot down the final sun,” she pleaded, “the world will be plunged into icy darkness forever. Spare this last sun and the world will thrive – neither too bright or too dark, too hot or too cold.”

Hòu Yì heeded the maiden’s advice and permitted the last sun to remain in the sky.

The gods rewarded Hòu Yì’s bravery by gifting him with a bottle of elixir which, when imbibed, would turn mortals into immortals and enable them to join the gods.

In addition to the heavenly gift, the village maiden, thankful for Hòu Yì’s bravery, pledged herself to be his wife. The maiden’s name was Cháng’é.

When Hòu Yì received the elixir, he did not immediately consume it. He put away the bottle in what he felt was a safe place in his home and went on a hunt, leaving his dear wife to guard the elixir. The two had decided that, at a later time, they would both take the elixir and be able to live with the gods together, never to be separated.

It was at this time that bandits who knew of the elixir’s existence, intruded upon Hòu Yì’s residence, demanding that Cháng’é give up the elixir.

The maiden, unwilling to hand over her husband’s hard-won prize to bandits, took the decision to consume the substance herself.

This ill-timed and supposed blessing of immortality had become a curse – forever separating Cháng’é from her husband who must remain a mortal man.

Cháng’é felt her body become lighter and lighter. She began to float up towards the sky, eventually landing on the Palace of the Moon, where she took up residence.

Hòu Yì, separated from his beloved wife, could do nothing. But thenceforth, he began, on the anniversary of his wife’s ascent to the moon during mid-autumn, to place fruits and cakes on altars to honor her.

This practice began by Hòu Yì during this time of year is the reason, this story says, behind the mid-autumn festival so popular throughout East Asia.”

Reference: islandfolklore.com/the-bunny-girl/

(Barbie is wearing Over the Moon Chang’e doll’s dress/headpiece) (Moon is a mini moon lamp)

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Lumi and Icelyn wish everyone a warm and wonderful winter!