Mooncakes, Lanterns And More...
Mid Autumn Festival (中秋節; Jyutping: zung1 cau1 zit3) is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, on September 27th this year. That's why locals sometimes refer to Mid Autumn Festival as 八月十五 (The 15th day of the 8th month; Jyutping: baat3 jyut6 sap6 ng5). Mid Autumn Festival is about family reunion and it is one of the most important festivals celebrated by many Chinese communities around the world. What are you waiting for? Let's start the celebration already!
So what can you do with 20+ more days to go?
1. Make your own lanterns (燈籠; Jyutping: dang1 lung4). Making lanterns is a good way to involve your children in preparing for the event. You can make a paper lantern for decoration purposes, or make a real thing for lighting and hanging around the home and garden. Here are some of my favorite Mid Autumn Festival crafts:
DIY Paper Lantern (a fancier version for older children)
A candle-lit Mid Autumn Festival lantern (beware: fire hazard)
Chinese lantern (Make a couple and hang them across the room as decoration)
And here are the decorative lanterns my 3-year-old daughter and I made this week. No instructions needed as the pictures said it all - the only thing I would add is that I forgot the straws and tape in the picture that displayed the materials. Fish (魚; Jyutping: jyu4) symbolizes abundance (餘; Jyutping: jyu4) because of their similar sounds. That's why there are many traditional lanterns made in the form of a fish.
2. Make mooncakes (月餅; Jyutping: jyut6 beng2). Traditional mooncakes are round as they symbolize the moon (月亮; Jyutping: jyut6 loeng6) and completeness/togetherness. Nowadays there's a wide variety of mooncakes out there.
For a more traditional taste:
Five nuts mooncake (my dad's favorite)
And for the adventurous foodies, here are some contemporary options:
Snow skin mooncake (冰皮月餅; Jyutping: bing1 pei4 jyut6 beng2) with green tea custard filling
Mooncarons (the latest mooncake fashion this year)
After you have made (or bought) all the supplies, you can relax and enjoy the festivities on the day. Here are some activities I would recommend:
1. Watch the moon (賞月; Jyutping: soeng2 jyut6). The moon is at its fullest on this day. Sit at the garden and chat with your loved ones under the moonlight or take a stroll in a park. As Chinese superstitions have it, one should never point at the full moon (滿月; Jyutping: mun5 jyut6) or their ears will be chopped off.
2. Light the lanterns. Colorful brightly-lit lanterns are an important symbol of the festival. Enjoy the glow emitted by the lanterns. Kids love to show off and run around with their lit lanterns. But running may not be a good idea If they have those traditional, candle-lit lanterns.
3. Eat mooncakes and drink tea. Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges - cut each mooncake into eigths so each piece will have some salted egg and lotus seed paste (if you're eating the traditional ones, so to say). Mooncakes are very rich and filling so they go down well with a cup of hot Chinese tea (茶; Jyutping: caa4) - I prefer jasmine tea (香片; Jyutping: hoeng1 pin3) myself but my dad finds pu-erh tea (普洱; Jyutping: pou2 lei2) and mooncakes complement each other better.
4. Eat fruit. Other than mooncakes and tea, fruit (生果; Jyutping: saang1 gwo2) is often served during Mid Autumn Festival too. Some popular choices include: pomelo (西柚; Jyutping: sai1 jau2), persimmon (柿; Jyutping: ci2) and starfruit (楊桃; Jyutping: joeng4 tou4).
Don't forget to check out my "Event: Mid Autumn Festival 中秋節" Pinterest Board for more inspirations on how to celebrate this loveliest Chinese festival.
So how are you celebrating the Mid Autumn Festival this year? Leave a comment to share your favorite recipes or craft ideas.
