It is now the evening of September 1, but I haven't written anything yet...
Now it is September 8, and after another week, I finally come to write the summary for August. The day after tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, which also happens to be Teacher's Day; these two holidays rarely coincide, so I can introduce them together here.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, Moonlight Festival, Moon Evening, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Worship Festival, Moon Lady Festival, Moonlight Festival, Reunion Festival, etc., is a traditional folk festival in China. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from celestial worship and evolved from the ancient autumn evening moon worship. Since ancient times, there have been customs such as moon worship, moon appreciation, eating mooncakes, viewing lanterns, admiring osmanthus flowers, and drinking osmanthus wine, which have been passed down to this day and continue to thrive. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in ancient times, became popular during the Han Dynasty, and took shape during the Tang Dynasty. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a combination of autumn seasonal customs, and most of the festive elements it contains have ancient origins. Moon worship, as one of the important rituals of folk festivals, gradually evolved into activities such as moon appreciation and moon praise. The Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes reunion through the fullness of the moon, expressing nostalgia for one's hometown and loved ones, and hoping for a good harvest and happiness, becoming a rich and precious cultural heritage. The original date of the "Moon Worship Festival" was on the "Autumn Equinox," one of the twenty-four solar terms in the Chinese calendar, and was later adjusted to the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four major traditional festivals in China, along with the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival.
Teacher's Day aims to recognize the contributions of teachers to education. In modern Chinese history, several dates have been designated as Teacher's Day. It wasn't until 1985, when the ninth meeting of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress passed the State Council's proposal to establish Teacher's Day, that September 10, 1985, was officially confirmed as China's first Teacher's Day. Since Teacher's Day is not a traditional Chinese festival, different regions celebrate it each year with various activities, lacking a unified or fixed form. Governments and schools hold celebrations and award ceremonies for Teacher's Day, granting bonuses and certificates to teachers; they organize performances by students and dance troupes to present songs and dances to teachers; they visit and express condolences to teacher representatives, and organize collective oaths for newly hired teachers. Students also spontaneously participate by writing blessings on bulletin boards, greeting cards, and drawings; they share group photos and reflections on social media to express their sincere wishes and heartfelt greetings to teachers.
Speaking of the Mid-Autumn Festival, I have almost always spent it at school, and activities like moon appreciation have rarely been conducted. Mooncakes are not bad, but the types I like are relatively uncommon, so I can only say, "Who first saw the moon by the river? In what year did the river moon first shine on people? Life goes on endlessly, and the river moon looks the same year after year." As for Teacher's Day, the atmosphere was strongest in elementary school, followed by middle school, then high school, and in university, hardly anyone talks about this holiday anymore, as it seems to be overshadowed by the Mid-Autumn Festival. I remember that I was mostly responsible for the bulletin board in elementary school, so the special edition for Teacher's Day was no exception.
Without further ado, let's summarize last month. Last time I mentioned that August in Luzhou was unbearably hot, and the air conditioner broke for a few days, but fortunately, it was repaired. Later, I came to Wuhan, where the temperature never reached 39 degrees or above again. Although it can't be considered cool, it was much more comfortable than Luzhou, and autumn arrived smoothly afterward. I always feel that the events that happened in the first week of September are more numerous and impressive than those of the entire month of August. For example, the earthquake in Luding; I am not sure if there is a scientific reason for a major earthquake following a severe drought, but the people of Sichuan have indeed had a tough time these past two months. Another example is that I encountered some difficulties in reimbursing the procurement costs for the Rubik's Cube robot project, and performing well in a competition, as well as thinking about future work matters, won't be easy either.
On other fronts, I also started picking up Japanese in August, hoping to stick with it, especially since our school has added a JLPT testing center. During the holiday, I made some progress in piano under my teacher's guidance, but unfortunately, after school started, I didn't get to choose piano class this semester, so I don't know how many practice opportunities I will have.
Let's wrap up the August summary here. After September comes October, and I will be a year older then. We'll chat again then, over.