Mid-autumn festival: Delightful time of mooncakes and lanterns

HONG KONG: Every year, on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, families in the East and Southeast Asia gather to enjoy the autumn harvests light lanterns and enjoy what is said to be the fullest moon of the year.

This year that auspicious date falls on Sept 17. What’s so special about the mid-autumn festival? It was first celebrated in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE), but how it exactly began is still unclear.

According to an article in CNN’s travel column, many people believe the festival originated in the “Book of Rites,” written by Confucius more than 2,400 years ago. The book contains information on rituals and bureaucracy.

It was said to be a day for emperors to celebrate the year’s harvest by giving offerings to the moon and hosting a great feast. In various parts of Asia, it is celebrated differently.

In Vietnam, it is considered “children’s day,” with celebrations consisting of lantern fairs and lion dance parades. In Southern China, people will light a lantern and enjoy autumn harvest fruits such as pomelo and star fruit.

Elsewhere in villages in Hong Kong, a fire dragon is dancing on the streets.

In South Korea, the festival is hugely important and is a public holiday. It is celebrated for three days as locals sweep ancestors’ tombs, wear traditional attire and eat crescent-shaped steamed rice cakes with sweet fillings known as songpyeon.

Japanese people celebrate by eating grilled sticky rice balls called tsukimi dango, which translates to moon viewing.

Mooncakes

One of the hallmark traits of the festival is the delicious mooncakes. In most places in China and Southeast Asia, the pastry is cut and shared with family and friends.

Made with lotus seed paste, salted egg yolk and lard, the delicacy is loaded with calories due to its dense nature. Other popular ingredients include nuts, red beans and custards.

Themed mooncakes are also becoming popular, and they are made from chocolate or ice cream. Here’s an example of mooncakes with a creative twist on a social media platform: X

As the #MidAutumnFestival approaches, #mooncakes are getting a creative twist! In addition to traditional shapes, a pastry workshop in Liaocheng, #Shandong, now offers mooncakes shaped like iconic landmarks. These unique treats are quickly becoming a favorite. #ShandongCuisine… pic.twitter.com/hpX5fTl9ok

— Shandong Official (@iShandong) September 14, 2024

Recently, Shanghai Mental Health Center shared its mooncakes on various social media platforms.

The fact that people were sharing the mooncake pictures on social media with the centre’s logo engraved on them was also seen as a progressive sign towards removing the stigma associated with mental health.