In Guangzhou, river snails are not to be missed when celebrating a proper mid-autumn festival.Indulge in a celestial symphony of flavours as the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches! The season of vibrant lanterns and family reunions is back, and what better way to celebrate than with the iconic delicacy that lights up the night sky – mooncakes.The hairy crab is a delicacy and a Shanghai speciality, and these crabs are in season from September to December.A classic dish of steamed lotus root symbolises a charmed and happy life. Lotus roots harvested around the time of the moon festival help increase appetite and keep you healthy.In Shaanxi, they often cut the watermelon shaped like a lotus flower as a symbol of good fortune for the year. Watermelon is a popular snack because its seeds symbolize fertility and the round shape symbolizes family reunion.Each region prepares the duck in their own signature way. Duck is very popular all year round but tends to be richer during this time of the year.Pumpkin dates to ancient China when poor people who couldn’t afford Mooncakes would eat pumpkin instead.This is why other foods are particularly chosen because of their ‘round’ shapes. A round table symbolises a bright moon and represents reunion. Other foods eaten during mid-autumn festivalīesides mooncakes, other foods are eaten, and these vary from region to region. If you would like to taste some of these traditional cakes, don’t hesitate to visit your closest Chinatown and you will find some variations within budget. But the beautifully packaged, custom made, luxury variations come at a higher price which can cost up to 1,000 yuan 150 USD per 6 pieces per box. Being a teacher, I receive more mooncakes than I can consume but I happily share them with neighbours and friends.Ī mooncake is usually very affordable and costs around 1 USD for one piece. It symbolizes the reinforcement of partnerships, and they are often given to superiors. Today, the gifting of mooncakes is an important tradition for businesses across China and East Asia. Making and sharing these round shaped mooncakes symbolizes happiness and family reunion. Without mooncakes, this festival wouldn’t be complete. Food facts about mooncake festival Making, eating and gifting mooncakes Sending red envelopes via this app is fashionable and a great way to celebrate the festival. This messaging app allows people to send “digital red envelopes” holding small amounts of money. This recent habit has become common due to the popularity of WeChat. Instead of giving the usual mooncakes, Chinese youth tend to send lucky money to family and friends. Couples enjoyed spending time together while singles paid homage to ‘the old man in the moon’, seen as the god who unites people in marriage, and prayed for his help to find true love and marriage. In ancient times, the Mid-Autumn festival was another Chinese ‘Valentine’s Day’ besides the annual ‘lovers’ day’ which usually falls in August. Travelling to places that are ‘close’ to the moon, like mountains and lakesides are popular destinations as well as roof tops which is particularly popular with young people in bigger cities like Shanghai. Another way to celebrate is to find a place where the moon is at its brightest. Nowadays, many just travel home for Chinese New Year, and they use this holiday for travel and celebration with friends. People always look forward to a few days of paid public holidays, and so do we! In earlier times, the Chinese would travel home, just like for Chinese New Year, to celebrate these traditions together with the family. A better name would be ‘mid-lunar-autumn’, but the long standing tradition and name of this festival is unlikely to change. The festival name might be misleading, but it is because the 7th, 8th, and 9th lunar months are classed as autumn. Therefore, this moon festival can be held as early as the 8th of September and the latest date is the 6th of October. General facts about mooncake festival The Mid-Autumn Festival is often in late summerīecause the exact festival date is scheduled around the Chinese lunar calendar, the schedule changes every year and celebrations are held each year on a different date. The Chinese people have long believed that worshiping the moon and eating together around a round table would bring them happiness and good luck. The Emperor of China worshipped the moon for successful harvests on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night. This traditional festival is the second-most important holiday in China after Chinese New Year with a history of over 3,000 years. The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival is one of them. While living as an expat, we get to learn and live lots of local festivals in the countries we live.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |