If you’re like me, today kind of slipped up on you — but, today is the 15th day of the 8th month (on the Chinese calendar.) The significance of today is that it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival or Moon Festival, and probably some other names. No matter what you call it, it’s one of China’s biggest holidays.
This year the Moon Festival falls on September 10 and it’s also a popular observance in many other Asian countries like Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore — but those countries have different names for the celebration. The festival date, however, is the same as in China — this year, that’s today. On the Chinese mainland, people usually have a three-day public holiday for the festival. In Hong Kong and Macau, the day after the festival is a public holiday rather than the festival day itself because many celebration events are held at night.
On the Chinese lunar calendar, the four seasons each have three lunar months — day 15 of month 8 is “the middle of autumn” — thus, it’s name. The date of the festival is a full moon, and that’s why it is also called the Moon Festival. (On the 15th of each lunar calendar month, the moon is at its roundest and brightest, symbolizing togetherness and reunion in Chinese culture.)
The festival is always brightly lit with Chinese lanterns and people reunite with their families and friends, check out the lanterns, visit temples and attend various celebration events — and — buy and exchange mooncakes. In ancient times, mooncakes were a kind of offering to the moon. Over the centuries, these special cakes have become the most popular food of the festival.
Mooncakes typically measure 2 to 4 inches across and up to 2 inches deep. Most mooncakes have a pastry skin enveloping a sweet, dense filling. They are usually eaten in small wedges during the festival, and shared by family members. They are generally served with Chinese tea, and, very rarely, mooncakes are served steamed or fried.
In Chinese culture, roundness symbolizes completeness and togetherness. A full moon symbolizes prosperity and reunion for the whole family. Round mooncakes complement the harvest moon in the night sky during the Mid-Autumn/Moon Festival.
The mooncake isn’t just a food, it’s a profound cultural tradition deep in Chinese people’s hearts, symbolizing a spiritual feeling. At the festival people eat mooncakes together with family, or present mooncakes to relatives or friends, to express love and best wishes.
Seems like kind of a cool thing to do….
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