Every autumn, before and after the "Watermelon Festival", which is one of the traditional festivals of China, the campaigns of the Chinese authorities to organize the Uyghurs to celebrate the Watermelon Festival begin to flourish. Along with this, the Chinese government, under the pretext of the holiday, will carry out political campaigns such as "Education for National Unity" and "Building a Common Chinese National Identity" to achieve a plan to replace the Uyghur identity with a Chinese identity.
Watermelon Festival, a Chinese national holiday, will be held on August 15 according to the lunar calendar. Records show that this festival, which was formed on the basis of the belief of the Chinese nation in worshiping the moon, was celebrated in the early times with activities such as reciting classical poems, drinking beer and watching the moon. Since the Tang Dynasty, the tradition of eating sweets called "Yobing" or "moon cake" in English has emerged and it has been established as a legal holiday. So in Chinese culture, the moon is considered a product of historical development.
In Chinese cultural tradition, on this day, people gather as families, sit on the full moon field when the moon rises, eat mooncakes and watermelons, and pray to the moon goddess for blessings and peace. There have been many myths and stories about the appearance of the moon and its relationship with the watermelon in Chinese history. In recent years, "new myths" have been added to these myths, and Uyghurs and Uyghur peoples have started to take their place from this myth.
In the articles about the origin of mooncakes published on major Chinese websites such as "Sohu" and "Beijiahou", various media salons, and some foreign platforms such as Twitter, the claim that "mooncakes spread from Xinjiang" is all over the place, and such comments are everywhere. It is known to be gradually becoming popular.
There are several myths about the origin of "moon cakes", and it is suggested that "moon cakes" spread mainly from the western region to the central plains. According to a legend, the new moon was called "Hubing" in the Tang Dynasty, and later became "Yobing" and formed the traditional festival of the Chinese nation - "Watermelon Festival" which continues to this day.
According to another legend, during the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian went on an embassy to the western region and brought back seeds such as sesame and walnuts. Later, the people of the Middle Plains created a food called "Hubing" containing walnut kernels. On August 15th, Emperor Tang Xuanzong and Queen Yang Guifei of the Tang Dynasty ate "Hubing" together with the moon walk. Yang Guifei suggested that the name was inappropriate and called it a beautiful name, "Moon Cake". This name was also very popular with the King of Tang, so it became common in the Middle Plains to eat this kind of food on the full moon day and call it Moon Cake.
According to the third myth, after the Chinese army returned victorious from the battle with the Huns, Tang Gaozu, the king of the Tang Dynasty, threw a great feast to celebrate the victory. It was at this time that a merchant from Turpan presented a product of his hometown to the King of Tang. When the king saw this kind of food made in a round shape, it looked like the moon in the sky, and from then on, it became common to call this kind of food "moon cake".
Chinese authorities said that "the Uyghurs have had a custom of eating mooncakes for a long time."
He tried to prove his mistake with a photo described as "a 1,400-year-old moon cake excavated from Turpan Astana". A museum worker in Urumqi gives this explanation about the fossil food found in the cemetery in Astana: According to the results of the investigation, the moon cake is made of wheat flour. In appearance, the current moon is very similar to the shape of a disk, about six and a half centimeters in diameter. The face of the moon cake features ancient Iranian-style beadwork and Chinese floral motifs adapted from Buddhist lotus motifs. It also means that this moon cake not only inherits the moon cake making style of the Tang Dynasty in the Middle Plains, but also incorporates Western cultural elements.
A 1400-year-old pyramid found in Turpan Astana
Fictional stories about the origin of the tradition of eating mooncakes during childhood, especially mooncakes being linked to "bread" which is an inseparable food of Uighurs, are ridiculous and stupid, and it is absurd to explain myths that the Chinese themselves do not believe in to Uyghur food culture. The myth described above is not mentioned in any historical sources or based on archaeological evidence. If the moon has a history and tradition for thousands of years, why is it found in Turpan, one of the ancient places of the Uyghurs, where no moon moon is found in areas where such culture is formed and spread? If, as the Chinese claim, mooncakes were really a common food among Uyghurs in history, it would have been included in the category of Uyghur cuisine today or passed down by Uyghur ancestors to their next generation, of course.
In the past, foreign and Uyghur researchers have specially researched and published their research on food samples found in the lands where Uyghurs lived. Among them, in the book "The History of Food in the Western Country" by the archaeologist Joseph, there is an explanation about the food that was excavated from Astana in 1972-1973, called "thousand-year moon cake" by the Chinese. Explained. The book also provides photos and descriptions of other cookies excavated from Astana.
According to Chinese media, it is not known what kind of sauces are added to the ancient moon cake so as not to affect its integrity. As the moon is thick, it must be filled with sauce. Calling it a "millennial mooncake" without knowing whether it's a sourdough mooncake or a sourdough pie is unscientific.
Analyzing the patterns on the surface of this type of food, the British archaeologist Aurel Stein shows that some of the cultural items found in Astana have a strong influence of Chinese culture, but this culture belongs to the type of culture that originated from the Inner Asian culture, which was based on the ancient Iranian culture. In addition, the cultures of the Uyghurs are believed to have been influenced by the ancient Iranian culture, but also by Hindu and Greek cultures.
To take the "beaded" pattern that the Chinese are making, this pattern is used on textiles, everyday items, and handicrafts found in the Tarim Valley and places like Turpan. Archaeologist Volk Brigman emphasized that the beadwork is typical of the Gandhara, or Kandahar, style of art. It is necessary to explain that Kandahar culture itself means a style of culture formed by the combination of Greek cultural and artistic elements and Buddhist culture. We can say that during the intermingling of cultures, it had a certain influence on the development of art, philosophy and natural sciences of Central Asian peoples.
Another version is the lotus flower, which can be found in many monuments such as the Thousand House wall paintings of the Uyghur Buddhist era. This pattern is also found in decorative arts, and we can see that the lotus flower pattern was used a lot in the Ottoman Empire, especially in tile art. A copy can have different symbolic meanings in different times and contexts. Therefore, the Chinese people's conception of the lotus version as a mere reference to Chinese identity is an expression of China-centrism.
Why is the "millennium moon cake" so valuable to the Chinese today? What is the reason for fabricating so many stories and linking the "moon cake" which does not exist in Uyghur culture to Chinese historical culture?
The Chinese government's massive repression against the Uyghurs, dubbed "genocide" by Western countries led by the United States, aims to eradicate the Uyghurs as a nation, including mass kidnappings of the Uyghur people, the destruction of the Uyghur language, and the destruction of Uyghur culture and art, including Uyghur. There are attacks to undermine food culture or make it Chinese.
Looking at it, now in most Uyghur ceremonies or gatherings, some types of food such as kuruma, which is related to Chinese food culture, have started to replace Uyghur traditional food and become more and more popular. The customs of Uighurs sitting around on their own platforms or carpets to eat or to create occasions to celebrate are also restricted. Therefore, English food habits and table manners are gradually disappearing, and the difference with the Chinese is decreasing.
Experts call this a "soft border" between different identities. Currently, the Chinese government is trying to break down the "soft border" between Chinese and non-Chinese people and make them have a purely Chinese identity.
All in all, the myth of "Moon Cake" is a part of the Chinese government's plan to impose a Chinese stamp on Uyghurs, which aims to Chineseize all Uyghurs' behavior, from clothing to eating and drinking, to weaken their identity, and finally to subjugate the entire nation, that's all.
Dozens of Palestinians were injured in confrontations with the occupation and the authority required international intervention
Dozens of Palestinians were injured in confrontations with the Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank , while Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh called for international intervention to stop what he described as “settler terrorism.”
The Palestinian Red Crescent announced that 78 Palestinians were injured, including two who were hit by live bullets, during confrontations with the Israeli occupation forces in the town of Huwwara, south of Nablus .
Al Jazeera correspondent Guevara Al-Badiri reported that dozens of citizens suffered from suffocation as a result of the occupation forces firing gas bombs to suppress the protesting youth.
The occupation forces suppressed the funeral procession of the young martyr, Labib Dhamidi, who was executed last night by settlers’ bullets, immediately after the funeral arrived on the main Huwara Street, after they expanded their presence along Huwara Street, closed the “Zaatara” military checkpoint, and prevented citizens from opening their shops in the town.
The Israeli occupation forces arrested a number of Palestinian citizens in the town of Huwwara, south of Nablus, under the pretext of their participation in the protests that broke out today in the town against the ongoing attacks by settlers and occupation forces on the town and the residents. The occupation forces handcuffed a number of protesters and took them to arrest and detention camps.
For its part, the European Union delegation to the Palestinian territories expressed its concern about the level of violence in Huwwara, stressing the need to ensure accountability and protect civilians.
In this context, a number of settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles with stones and closed the street leading to the northern entrance to the city of Al-Bireh, under the protection of the occupation army.
According to local sources, a group of settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles with stones at the “Beit El” military checkpoint at the northern entrance to Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate, without the occupation soldiers stationed at the checkpoint preventing them from doing so, while a number of Palestinian citizens tried to open the street to restore traffic to the city. Its nature.
A call to stop "terrorism"
On the other hand, Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh called, on Friday, for international intervention to stop what he described as “settler terrorism” in the West Bank.
Shtayyeh called on "international human rights institutions to intervene to stop the organized terrorism practiced by colonial gangs, in partnership with Israeli occupation soldiers, against our people in the town of Huwwara."
For its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir 's incitement of settlers to commit murders against Palestinians and invade their areas.
The Foreign Ministry also condemned the Israeli minister’s claims that the town of Hawara is part of Israel and his statement that “the rule of Hawara is like the rule of Tel Aviv.”
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called on the international community to intervene to stop this terrorism, stressing that "the Palestinian people are victims of the occupation and international double standards at the same time."
The official spokesman for the Palestinian Presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeina, said, “The Israeli occupation authorities are waging a relentless war against the Palestinians, and they have crossed all red lines, by insisting on a policy of killing and incursions into the Palestinian territories in full view of the world.”
Abu Rudeina held "the Israeli occupation government and the American administration fully responsible for the serious crimes committed by the Israeli occupation soldiers and settlers against the Palestinians, the most recent of which was the attack on citizens, their homes and property in the town of Huwwara, and the execution of 4 young men in Tulkarm."
On the other hand, the Israeli occupation authorities released the official responsible for the wall and settlement file in the Palestinian Authority, Minister Muayyad Shaaban, after an hours-long detention in the town of Deir Istiya, in the northern West Bank, during his participation in a peaceful activity against settlement.