📷Image Credits: Chinese American Family, @cornucopia.world, CGTN, Coconuts, People’s Daily Online, Giftr, South China Morning Post, Sunshine Kelly, Behance, Hello Travel, PropSocial
On the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, the Chinese celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhong Qiu Jie in Mandarin) also known as the Mooncake Festival. These 9 traditions are the ones most commonly practiced amongst family and friends on the day when the moon, the symbol of reunion, is celebrated.
- Have a family reunion dinner.
The reunion of families is one of the most important aspects of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Some of us who stay far away from our parents and family due to work reasons will somehow make our way back on this day to have dinner together. The dinner can either be a home-cooked meal by the matriarchs of the family or even at a restaurant. A family which eats together, stays together!
- Eating mooncakes.
We are well-acquainted with the Chinese mooncake, a pastry made of wheat flour with a variety of sweet and savory fillings such as lotus paste, red bean paste, salted egg and the list can be pretty endless! It is traditionally cut into pieces according to the number of family members there are, thus resembling family union. If there isn’t a mooncake on the table during the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is no festival!
- Pray at the Thean Hou Temple in KL.
One of the oldest and largest temples in the whole of Southeast Asia, the Thean Hou temple has 6 tiers and is very famous in KL and other parts of Malaysia too. Dedicated to the Goddess of Heaven, prayers are offered to her during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The temple is beautifully lit with colorful lanterns and is a wonderful scene to behold.
- Worshiping the moon.
A table is placed outside the door or garden facing the moon. Mooncake, fruits, incense and candlesticks are placed on the table to worship the moon. In traditional Chinese villages in China, the people even hold ceremonies to worship the moon in the park or street. It’s almost like a performance! Seasonal fruits for worshiping the moon include watermelons, grapefruits, pomegranates, pears, persimmons or grapes. Recognize the resemblance of all these fruits? Yup, they’re round resembling the shape of a full moon!
- Making colorful lanterns.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, it’s a common sight to see children and even adults alike carrying lanterns around the park or in housing areas. At this current age and time, the lanterns are mostly battery-operated. Why don’t you try making your very own colorful paper lanterns? Children will be thrilled to be involved in making these lanterns which can look like animals and even flowers! Handmade kongming lanterns can be let to float away in the air by burning candles in the lantern (the concept of hot air balloons). Wishes are written on the lanterns before it floats away into the night sky, bringing the wishes to the moon goddess.
- Giving gifts to friends and family.
Gifts are often exchanged among friends and family when visits are paid during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Some companies even give gifts to their staff.This gift giving practice is to strengthen the bonds in the name of reunion. Mooncakes and fruit are the most popular gifts during this festival.
- Taking part in the celebrations in Penang.
The ‘River of Lights’ parade is held annually to commemorate the Mid-Autumn festival in Penang. Many performances are held during the parade like dragon dances, Wushu Competition and many more.
- Let’s go shopping!
Supermarkets, shopping malls and online platforms like Lazada, Shopee, Zalora and more have massive discounts and attractive promotions during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Lottery draws based on collected receipts are also held. There’s no better excuse to go shopping for new clothes than this time of the year when discounts are flying all around!
- Drinking Osmanthus Wine.
A symbol of wealth and luck, the fragrant osmanthus flower is widely used in China to make tea or wine. Mellow and sweet, the osmanthus wine is the most noteworthy of Chinese wines. Get a good bottle of osmanthus wine from your nearest wine cellar or traditional Chinese stores, look at the moon and rejoice in the revelry that is the Mid-Autumn Festival!
Written by Kartini Kannan
