Mooncake Festival

The Mooncake Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival is traditionally celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. It falls on the 24th September (Monday) this year.

The festival, dating back to ancient China, pays homage to the moon and good harvest. Mooncake is a sweet delicacy first eaten during the Tang Dynasty (618AD-907AD),

Like most Chinese festivals, Mooncake Festival is steeped in history, legend and folklore. A popular legend tells a story of how the Han Chinese rebels made use of mooncakes to pass on secret messages in the final uprising against Mongol rulers, leading to the creation of the Ming Dynasty in 1368.

Mooncake Festival appeals mostly to children. They get to play and walk around carrying lighted lanterns that come in all shapes and sizes. If the festival falls on a weekday or night to be precise, it means that the kiddos get to sleep late. Certainly, there is no fun showing off your lanterns if the sky is still light. And how to celebrate the moon when you still can't see it in th sky yet. Right?

It is fun to get together so parents and kiddos can party and enjoy the food as well as the lantern parade. Sometimes, we give away prizes for the most colourful and most unique lanterns. By the way, the lanterns could be battery operated or lighted with the traditional small candles like those we use on birthday cakes.

I am looking forward to celebrating the festival this year.

Mooncakes with various fillings