The Lunar Festival occurs after the fall harvest, representing an
opportunity for parents to reap the fruits of their labor, relax, and
spend time nurturing their children with food and stories. Every year,
while enjoying moon cakes, I remember the moon legend. The folk tale
talks about Cuoi, a little boy who discovered that the Banyan tree is
life-giving. After watching a mother tiger bring her cub back to life
with a Banyan leaf, Cuoi uprooted the Banyan tree and brought it home.
Unfortunately, instead of respecting the tree and keeping earth around
the tree clean, Cuoi’s family carelessly threw trash and dirty water on
the tree. One day, the tree could no longer bear the ill treatment and
started to fly away. Cuoi was so upset at the thought of losing his
beloved life-giving tree, he grabbed onto the long branches. They flew
into the sky, across space into the moon. During a full moon, we can
still see Cuoi sitting underneath the Banyan tree to this day.
Ultimately, the myth of the moon talks about displacement. The Banyan tree was first forcibly uprooted by Cuoi, but then it took initiative and carried Cuoi along to the moon in search of a better environment. Similarly, some immigrants are forced to move from their homes to a new land due to forces beyond their control, while other immigrants voluntarily leave home to find better opportunities elsewhere. The tree also represents life and exemplifies that we can take root and grow wherever we choose.  In Vietnam, to celebrate the Lunar Festival, parents accompany their children as they visit neighbors in the community. Each house offers various treats, including moon cakes to young visitors. Moon cakes are created because the roundness of the moon represents and celebrates the wholeness of families. Children don masks and bear lanterns as they walk around the neighborhood. Similarly, in America, Halloween is a time when parents and children spend time together to celebrate the fall, choose or create costumes to wear, and when neighbors welcome one another and give out treats. This is the only time when it’s socially acceptable to walk around to houses in costume, hiding one’s identity behind masks. The tradition of taking on another identity to interact with neighbors is especially interesting, and can represent ways in which identity is constantly in flux in present-day American culture. Ultimately, the painting is about the celebration of communities and cultural identities around the lunar solstice and its American counterpart--Halloween.
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