Mid-Autumn Festival 2018

Today, many east Asian nations celebrate Mid-Autumn Festivals, timed with the harvest moon – including China, Taiwan, Hong Hong, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. This shared holiday is generally a day off work for the whole country, and jumps around on the Roman calendar because it’s based on the lunar one. Going under various names, Mid-Autumn Festivals occur on the first full moon after the Fall equinox. The position of the moon is important for rice farming, and mid-Autumn festivals are linked this way to agriculture. East Asian countries have their own mythologies and folk traditions associated with Mid-Autumn festivals. Japan has a story about a visible goddess and rabbit in the moon. Koreans believe it’s a day to celebrate their ancestors. China’s traditions, carried out in several other countries as well, involve lighting thousands of red paper lanterns. All Mid-Autumn Festivals involve food, and most include some form of “moon cakes.” Chinese and Vietnamese moon cakes are baked and branded with characters; Korean mooncakes are made from rice flour and steamed over pine needles; Japanese mooncakes are spherical, like little moons. In general these Mid-Autumn Festivals are about families getting together to express gratitude, and celebrate seasonal change. They often stretch to three days, incorporating the days before and after, and rank among the biggest holidays of the year. So to East Asia and the entire diaspora: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Doodle " by " Cynthia Yuan Cheng.

24.09.2018 - Monday - திங்கள் - Doodle by Cynthia Yuan Cheng - Mid-Autumn Festival 2018 - PNG.

Mid-Autumn Festival (Vietnam) 2017

Star lanterns, street dances, and mooncakes: these whimsical elements comprise a few core traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Tết Trung Thu, in Vietnam. On the day [ 04.10.2017 ] when the moon is brightest during the year, many households set up an altar on which they display offerings to honor the full moon. Included in the offerings are fruits as well as rich round or square cakes filled with lotus seeds, ground beans, and an egg yolk, known as mooncakes.

On this [ 04.10.2017 ] night, many children also look out for a certain shape in the moon-- the image of chị Hằng, a character from Vietnamese folklore, believed to reside on the moon and beloved by many. She is honored today [ 04.10.2017 ] with her favorite fruits and cakes.

Out in the streets, children of all ages create a commotion with drums and dances. Shops sell a variety of lanterns to be carried at night, including the star lantern, one of the most popular lantern designs.

Whether you plan to celebrate by biting into a traditional mooncake or by basking in the moonlight, have a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

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Mid-Autumn Festival 2017

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Traditionally, this is the time for Chinese people worldwide to give thanks to the harvest and hope for community as well as prosperity. Under the bright moon, friends and family feast upon traditional round mooncakes and symbolically arranged nine-jointed lotus roots and watermelon, chatting away and lighting lanterns. 

Stretching back thousands of years, this tradition is rooted in the folklore of Hou Yi and Chang’e. Many, many ages ago, people everywhere were suffering from the heat of 10 suns. Hou Yi shot down nine of the suns and was rewarded with an elixir of immortality from the Jade Emperor. When a friend tried to take the elixir, Hou Yi’s wife, Chang’e, tried to prevent this and ended up drinking the elixir herself. She then floated up to the moon. When Chang’e coughed up the elixir, it turned into a rabbit. 

Legend says the loving couple are reunited once a month on the 15th when the moon burns brightly enough for them to spot each other. Venture outside to celebrate “the fifteenth of the eighth (lunar) month” and try to trace the shadow of Chang’e and her rabbit!

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Mid-Autumn Festival (Japan) 2017

For over a thousand years, the autumnal festival of Tsukimi or Otsukimi (moon viewing) has marked the fall harvest in Japan. On this [ 04.10.2017 ] day, people offer prayers of gratitude to the chuushuu no meigetsu (picturesque mid-autumn moon), glowing at its brightest. Families offer the moon a traditional feast of foods like sake (rice wine), dango (rice dumplings), and kabocha (pumpkin).

Today’s [ 04.10.2017 ] Doodle depicts the legend of ‘Tsuki no Usagi’, the rabbit who lives on the moon. Japanese folklore tells the story of the Old Man of the Moon, who wants to know the kindest animal. He disguises himself as a beggar and asks for food. The monkey brings him fruit. The fox brings a fish. But the rabbit, unable to find anything but grass, offers to jump into the fire to feed himself to the Old Man. Thus the rabbit proves himself to be the kindest and is taken to the moon, where he now lives. If you look hard enough, you may be able to spot his long ears as he bends over his pestle, grinding mochi (rice cakes).

Tsukimi is a time for peace, thanksgiving, and appreciation for all nature has bestowed upon the world. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

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