Mid autumn festival (中秋节)

September 30, 2007

China has this special festival they celebrate called Mid autumn festival (中秋节). Traditionally, there is a folklore about a beautiful lady Chang-O, who stole from her husband the elixir of life. She flew away to the moon thus when the moon is the fullest, they say you can see her there. Another story relates to Chinese history where they use mooncakes to pass messages during a revolution.

Usually, it is when mooncakes are prevalent.

Mooncakes are “cakes were made with melon seeds, lotus seeds, almonds, minced meats, bean paste, orange peels and lard. A golden yolk from a salted duck egg was placed at the center of each cake, and the golden brown crust was decorated with symbols of the festival.“

They also relate it to harvest season so there is a lot of fruits, usually round ones, being offered to the gods. This is the time when then moon is the fullest thus symbolizing reunion. Nowadays, it is the time when families gather around and those far away long for their loved ones.

I actually like this festival because in our culture, we have this dice thing where our family plays and if you get to have 4 four’s, you’ll have a zhong wan. Meaning, you get to win the biggest prize, money!

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