The Rabbit in The Moon
Our dear friends from Rabbit Rescue of Miami Florida were kind enough to send us this story. It was in their newsletter in August 1997.
They put it in their newsletter because Momo Bunny, one of their friends, told the story to her human Crystal. Momo means "fuzzy" in the Korean language. Momo is a Fuzzy American bunny!
The 15th day of the eighth lunar month, as the Chinese calendar goes, is the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is said that on this night the moon is the roundest and brightest of the whole year. And if you look carefully, you will see a rabbit in the moon! (Or you will see what looks like piles of poop, proving the existence of a rabbit…)
In Chinese culture, the celebration allways includes a feast with Moon Cakes on the menu.
The legend goes back a long, long time…
Once upon a time, there was a king in China who wanted to live forever. He ordered his magicians to find the elixir of life. They worked a long time and finally the potion was made. However, the Queen knew well that the King was cruel and would make the people suffer forever under his terrible reign. She decided to steal the magic elixir from the King.
On the night when the Mid-Autumn moon was full and bright, she entered into the King's room and stole the vial with the magic formula. But before she could get away, the King caught her in the act! In desperation, the Queen quickly swallowed the elixir herself.
Lo and behold! She began to float higher and higher into the sky and finally landed on the moon. There she found a beautiful palace and a woodcutter, and two rabbits! The rabbits lived happily ever after with the two human caregivers.
