The Mid Autumn Festival 2023
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. Similar holidays are celebrated in East and Southeast Asia. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture; its popularity is on par with that of Chinese New Year.
Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Lantern or Moon Festival, takes place annually on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar. This year, that day falls on September 29. To celebrate this holiday, families and friends gather to revel in festivities like feasting on mooncakes, playing with lanterns, and moon gazing.
Lanterns
Lanterns are no doubt one of the oldest traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival. For thousands of years, communities would come together during the holiday to write wishes on sky lanterns (the type that floats up into the sky) and light them in honour of the legendary goddess of the moon, Chang’e, hoping that she would bless her worshippers with luck.
Moon gazing
Each year, there are three important days to gaze at the moon among the Chinese community: on the eve of Mid-Autumn Festival when we welcome the moon; on the day of the festival to admire the moon; and on the following day to send off the moon. This annual affair is a popular tradition that still remains in our modern city and every year, families, friends, and couples flock to the best spots in town to admire the beautiful moon.
Mooncakes are said to have originated from Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD) revolutionaries as a means to pass covert messages hidden in them. Nowadays, mooncakes symbolise togetherness and harmony, and every year we see shops and restaurants touting mooncakes of all kinds. In fact, there’s an overwhelming variety of flavours to choose from these days. The most traditional ones, however, are made with a lotus seed paste with a salted egg yolk centre. Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges with families or friends during the night of Mid-Autumn, often served with tea or wine.
WINIW’S Mid-Autumn Festival
