Have you ever celebrated Chinese New Year, where dragons dance through the streets and fireworks explode in the sky? If so, you’ll know that the New Year in China follows a different calendar system than the one we use here in the United States! The New Year in China follows the lunar calendar, a calendar system that adheres to the phases of the moon. The United States uses the Gregorian calendar, so those of us who enjoy celebrating Eastern holidays on the Western side of the world find ourselves celebrating Eastern Holidays on different days every year. Today, we’re sharing stories from the parts of the world that celebrate the Autumn Festival – everywhere from China to Japan. We’ll hear stories of a wild hunter who rescues a town from an evil black bird, a monkey who long to be a god, and a brave 9-year-old girls who battles a monstrous snake to save her village. We’ll celebrate the Autumn Festival our own way in this part of the world – by telling stories.

 

On today's episode, enjoy the following:

"Monkey King" by Beatrice Bowles from Heaven’s Garden in the Heart (11:32)

San Francisco-based storyteller and writer Beatrice Bowles, who is known for her cultural diversity in her work, tells of a monkey so magical that he was known by all as the Monkey King. In his thirst for power, however, the Monkey King’s plans are spoiled by the wisdom of the one they call Buddha. Share a smile with Beatrice as she regales us with "Monkey King". 

 

"Left Hand Story" by Brenda Wong Aoki from Timp 2017 (8:24)

Producer, playwright, and storyteller Brenda Wong Aoki tells a story about Min Tai, a young Hmong girl whose village is sucked up by a monstrous black bird. Min Tai is the lone survivor, and she spends her days weeping until a clever hunter comes along with a plan to defeat the bird beast and avenge Min Tai’s village. His solution brings about a discovery of where left-handed people come from. 

 

"Li Chi Slays the Serpent" by Beth Horner from An Evening at Cedar Creek (5:30)

Missouri-born storyteller Beth Horner explores her vivacious style of tale-spinning as she tells of a monstrous snake and the brave girl who hatches a plan to save her family. 

 

"The Magic Brocade" by Heather Forest from World Tales of Wisdom and Wonder (15:16)

Award-winning author and storyteller, Heather Forest, brings us a story from the heart of China involving a weaver, her three sons, and a magic brocade. We'll let you guess which of the three sons comes out ahead. Hint - when there are three, it's usually the youngest. 

 

"Tanuki and the Magic Fan" by Eth-Noh-Tec from Treasure Bag of Asian Stories (7:53)

Musical storytellers Nancy Wang and Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo (who formed the storytelling group knowns as Eth-Noh-Tec), explore a story from the mountains of Japan. In it, Tanuki, a badger with a tricky nature, steals a magical fan and uses it to play tricks on the people of the nearby village.