For the Chinese community, the Mid Autumn Festival means family reunion and happiness. This festival is celebrated at the peak of the full moon. For the Chinese community, the appearance of a large full moon (the moon looks perfectly round) is a symbol of prosperity, happiness, and family reunion.
There are many traditional activities as well as meaningful celebrations held by most families in China and neighboring countries. The main traditional activities are tasting moon cakes, enjoying dinner with the whole family, gazing at the beauty of the full moon, and installing lanterns.
The Autumn Festival has a history that goes back more than 3000 years, starting with the worship of the moon during the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC).
The profound significance of this festival has inspired countless poems and widely spread legends. People have also reconstructed its origins and passed them down through generations. In many of China’s neighbors, the mid-autumn festival has also spread and is widely celebrated. There are many interesting activities held according to unique local traditions.
In China, people wear traditional clothes and perform ceremonies to worship the moon. They light a lotus-shaped candle, then throw it in the river. This they do while making requests, usually about life and sustenance. In some areas of China, there is still a tradition of making sticky rice into a sweet dish. The food is round, implying the shape of the moon as well as symbolizing togetherness.
Moon Cakes, Mid Autumn Festival Food
Mooncake is a traditional Chinese food, specially served during the Autumn Festival. This festival is unique for its various activities that involve giving, receiving, and tasting mooncakes. These round snacks, which resemble the full moon on a Mid-Autumn night, are a hallmark of Chinese tradition, typically about 10 cm (4 inches) in diameter and 5 cm (2 inches) thick.
Inside, mooncakes have a dense, sweet filling, while the outside is wrapped in a thin layer of cake. Families usually serve mooncakes in small pieces and distribute them among all members, often accompanied by tea.
According to various sources, during the Yuan Dynasty, people used mooncakes as secret messengers to help the Han overthrow the Mongol regime. Each box of four mooncakes contained a hidden message. The mooncakes were cut into 16 pieces, which, when arranged correctly, revealed the message.
There are so many legends of Chinese folk mythology in mooncakes. However, the best-known story is the legend of the moon goddess. She is the wife of Hou Yi who is an archer. Hou Yi’s wife disappeared after drinking the potion to gain eternal life. Hou Yi always waits for his wife every 15th of the 8th month while eating mooncakes under the full moon.
Often the traditional moon cakes are sold at quite high prices. This is due to various factors, one of which is a special mold for mooncakes which is not cheap. In fact, the price of raw materials for mooncakes itself is very cheap and easy to find anywhere.
Homemade mooncakes are very expensive, although making them does not require a lot of capital. Because it’s time-consuming, intricately packaged, and so traditional it makes the price high, and people are willing to spend the money anyway. Kemasannya bisa serumit kotak kayu yang berat, dengan setiap kue bulan dibungkus dalam kotak logam bundar. Di Starbucks di Cina, mereka menjual kue bulan dalam kotak tiga tingkat, dengan laci-laci terpisah untuk setiap rasa, hampir seperti kotak perhiasan, lapor Los Angeles Times.
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Mid Autumn Festival Falls in Late Summer
The earliest recorded Autumn Festival fell on September 8, when Southern China entered the end of summer; so it can be said that even autumn is not yet over!
The Autumn Festival is no later than October 6, when the Southern China region has just entered the beginning of autumn. In Northern China, where summers are short and winters are long, this festival is aptly named according to the season.
The Autumn Festival is always celebrated in the middle of the 8th month, which is the 15th of the lunar calendar. Months 7, 8, 9 of the lunar calendar are classified as autumn. So it is more accurately called the “mid-autumn lunar calendar” festival.
Mid Autumn Festival Moon
In Chinese society’s belief, a perfectly round full moon symbolizes “togetherness”. That is why the month of family reunion together is a very special thing in Chinese culture. Every year the Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar which is a “full moon day”.
The full moon on the eve of the Autumn Festival is considered the brightest and most perfect luminous full moon of the year. This festival also has a background in the origin of worshiping the moon.
Mid Autumn Festival Was Once the Biggest Festival in China
In the past, migrant workers in China always tried to return home to welcome the Chinese New Year and the Autumn Festival. But now, many are only going home for years. This is in line with the decreasing interest of modern society towards traditional celebrations. Now the Autumn Festival ranks third in the allocation of national holidays, next to Labor Day and three other holidays.
The Full Moon Shines the Brightest Light during the Mid Autumn Festival
That the moon emits the brightest light in autumn, this belief is true. Because in that season the sky is usually cloudless. Actually, the Autumn Festival doesn’t always take place on a full moon night.
This fact contradicts the modern view. The Chinese lunar calendar is not exactly 100% according to the lunar cycle. But the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar is always between 2 days of a full moon night.
