► Chinese Lore for Chinese-Hawaiians - 4: Moon Worship

Honolulu Star Bulletin. Thurssday, February 7, 1957 - Tales about Hawaii, Clarice B. Taylor  

     It is impossible today to say "this" is correct or "that" is correct in speaking Chinese customs.

     The origins of many of these customs are lost in antiquity and there are many explanations given of them.

     For instance, the worship of the moon goddess on the first and the 

15th of the month.

     Scholars have several explanations which derive from old Chinese literature.

DECREED BY EMPEROR

     One literary source says the Moon Festival was decreed by the Emperor Ming of the East Han dynasty in 58 A.D. Another source says the festival is much older and tells of the origin of the Moon Festival on the 15th of the eighth month as proof.

     During the turbulent years of the Ching dynasty, an Emperor escaped from his enemies and fled to the hills where he was starving.

     On the night of the full moon of the eighth month, a great moon shone over the fields like daylight. The Emperor sent his people into the fields to look for food.

     They found snails, peanuts, taro, and many kinds of fruits.

ESTABLISHES FESTIVAL

     When the Emperor was restored to his throne, he set up the Moon Festival and told his people to make round, white cakes like the moon for the occasion.

     Buddhists say the Moon Festival was inaugurated during the Tun dynasty (618 to 907 A.D.) to celebrate the victory of the Buddhist monks over the T'aoists in a great debate.

     The Buddhists were then at the height of the influence at court and T'aoists with the people.

     In the course of the debate the monks told how the disciples has asked Lord Buddha, "What is to become of our ancestors? They are not here to hear your message."

     Buddha replied,
     
     "Before I was born, there were many other Buddhas from who your ancestors may have received the message.

     "You can offer sacrifices to the Buddhas on the 15th of the first month and ask them to intervene for your ancestors."

BUDDHIST VICTORY

     Because of the Buddhist victory, the Emperor decreed the first moon festival to be held on the two days of the first full moon of the year (the 15th and 16th of the First Moon).

     That is the festival celebrated today as the Lantern Festival.

     NEXT: The Lantern Festival.
     

► Molokai Iliili-Opae: Destruction - 15 (b)

Honolulu Star Bulletin. Thursday, January 31, 1957 - Tales about Hawaii, Clarice B. Taylor   

     So many sacrifices were required to appease the gods of Iliili-opae Heiau at Mapulehu, Molokai that the priests of the temple became to be hated by all Molokai people.

     As a result of raids upon their neighbors, the kings of Mapulehu district were kept in a state of warfare with their neighbors.

     A bitter feud grew between the King and  the Kaunakakai alii.

     It was carried on for generations so that the people of both districts suffered, each having to provide victims for the other's temples.

     One day the Ku priests of Iliili-opae sent their Mu priests to capture sacrifices from the Kaunakakai district.

CAPTURE FAMILY

     The priests dragged back an entire family of whom there were 10 male sacrifices.

     Gourds, denoting that the men were to be sacrifices, were tied about their necks and the family was allowed to live with a certain amount of freedom near the temple.

     As each service required, the men of the family were led away to be sacrificed until only the old father remained.

     The old man was a good religious man who in his days of freedom had faithfully maintained his prayer services and fed his own family aumakua (guardian god).

     One night the aumakua came to the old man in hi sleep and suggested to him that he escape.

FLEES IN DARK

     The old man waited until a dark night of the moon and then fled up to Mapulehu Ridge, through the forests and down into Pelekunu Valley.

     He had never been there before but his aumakua guided him straight to the house of a famous priest called Kauhuhu whose strength came from his shark god, Kauhuhu.

     The old man fell at the priest's feet and sobbed out his story. The priest struck the sacrificial gourd from his neck, gave him food and promise to bring revenge upon the Iliili-opae priests.

     Kauhuhu shut himself into his house and began prayers to his own gods.

CLOUDBURST

 Topography of  Iliiliopae Heiau (center)

     























That night a cloudburst poured rain upon Mapulehu and Punaula Ridges so that the water collected in the valley.

     It burst over Iliili-opae Heiau in a great torrent, washing away the houses in which the priests lived and about two-thirds of the platform area.

     Many of the priests were caught in the torrent and washed into the harbor (now Ualapue fishpond) and eatedn by sharks so that the people called the harbor Ai Kanaka.

NEXT: Heiau rebuilt