The Mid-Autumn Festival is observed by millions of people across East Asia on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. This means the festival date changes every year in the Gregorian calendar, but it is always around the time of the Harvest Moon.
China
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture. In 2024 the date is September 17.
In China, the Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes the family reunion, on this day, all families will appreciate the Moon in the evening, because it is the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest. Chang'e, known as the Moon Goddess of Immortality. The myths associated with Chang'e explain the origin of Moon worship during this day. A notable part of celebrating the holiday is the carrying of brightly lit lanterns, lighting lanterns on towers, or floating sky lanterns. Another tradition involving lanterns is to write riddles on them and have other people try to guess the answers: 灯谜
Making and sharing mooncakes is one of the hallmark traditions of this festival. In Chinese culture, a round shape symbolizes completeness and reunion. Thus, the sharing and eating of round mooncakes among family members during the week of the festival signifies the completeness and unity of families. and there are variety of styles. The main ones are Cantonese style, Su Zhou style and snowy mooncakes.
Make Cantonese style Mooncakes!
South Korea
South Koreans celebrate Chuseok, also known as hangawi, at this time. It’s one of the country’s biggest and most important holidays, alongside Seollal, or Lunar New Year.
Many go back to their hometowns to celebrate with big family reunions and hold memorial services, called charye, for their ancestors.
Pajeon is a variety of jeon with scallion as its prominent ingredient, as pa means scallion. It is a Korean dish made from a batter of eggs, wheat flour, rice flour, scallions, and often other ingredients depending on the variety.
Japan
The Japanese celebrate Tsukimi, which translates to “looking at the moon.” Like the Koreans, they try to spot the moon rabbit, called tsuki no usagi in Japanese, as the animal goes about its festive task of making the rice cakes known as mochi.
Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of mochigome, a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The steamed rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape.
Vietnam
The Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam is called Tet Trung Thu and is also known as Tet Thieu Nhi, or Children’s Festival.
One popular tale linked to the festival is that of a woodsman named Chu Cuoi, who floated away with a magical banyan tree to the moon. It is said one can see Cuoi under the tree on the face of the full moon. During the festival, children holding lanterns—said to help guide Cuoi on his return to earth—spill into the streets and watch lion dances.
Steamed baguette is the Southern Vietnamese "banh mi" speciality that has become quite rare and difficult to find, even in Southern Vietnam.
