![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The fruit basket will contain seasonal fruit, like pears, grapes, grapefruit, and pomegranates. The top one is, of course, moon cake, but there are other traditional gifts, too: fresh Shanghai hairy crabs, tea, fruit baskets, and organic oils and rice. The mid-autumn festival is a great occasion to give family and friends gifts. Many legends told to children surround the moon and Chang’e. By offering her and the rabbit food, it is believed that good luck will come to the offeror. Apart from other things, moon cakes are served and lighted candles are placed on the table.Īccording to common belief and legend, a beautiful woman - the Goddess Chang’e we already told you about - is living on the moon with a cute rabbit. The traditional dinner will be held at a table placed outside to see and worship the moon. Not only is the full moon the symbol of family union but also of good luck. If they live too far away, they will celebrate with close friends instead. The three-day bank holiday allows family members who live in other locations to get to their family home. On the evening of the festival, families will get together to have dinner. The roundness of the moon represents a family reunion. The name of the filling is stamped on the top of the cake. The cake is cut into small wedges and eaten with tea. Other fillings are mixed nuts and dried fruit. ![]() The thick, sweet filling is made of red bean paste or lotus seeds, sometimes surrounding the yolk of a salted duck egg. Moon cakes are round (like the full moon, which is at the center of everything during the festival), but can come in a square shape, too, Mostly the pastries are small although there are bigger moon cakes too. They are given as gifts, shared among family and friends during the celebration. Like lanterns, moon cakes are a symbol of the Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s also habitual to write good wishes on the sides of lanterns or cover them in riddles for friends or family to guess what they mean. The lanterns are a symbol of the festival, carried around, hung in trees or houses, sent flying into the air, or set afloat on water - although this practice is not to be confused with the lantern festival or the ghost festival when fishermen put lanterns on their boats. Often, it’s a fun activity for kids to make them in all colors and shapes. The making and lighting of colorful paper lanterns are a crucial part of the festival. Here are the customs and celebrations in detail: In 2021, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 21st of September, and the Chinese people have a three-day public holiday. Offerings are also made and incense is burned for Chang’e, the Moon Goddess of Immortality. When the moon gets pregnant it becomes round (hence the need for a full moon on the day of the festival) and women give offerings, praying for fertility. The Zhuang people, for instance, believe that the sun and moon are a couple and that the stars are their children. The practices observed for all three are manifold. There are three basic concepts to the festival that are closely connected: gathering, giving thanks for the harvest, and praying for a good future, health, longevity, beauty, and even a spouse or babies. This coincides with mid-September to early October of the Gregorian calendar. It’s celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, provided there is a full moon. Celebrated in China and other Asian countries, it’s more than 3,000 years old and dates back to when the Chinese emperors worshipped the moon, praying for a bountiful harvest. The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or the Moon Cake Festival, is the most important festival after the Chinese New Year. ![]()
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