Mid-Autumn Festival

National Holiday is upon us, for most expats here in China it means a week off work and time to enjoy the last of the summer sunshine by taking short breaks around Asia.  I however am staying in sunny Shangers to explore yet more of this great city and catch up with friends.

 

There is some confusion about Mid-Autumn festival, numerous tales about it origins and how people celebrate.  The extent of my knowledge could previously have been summed up with one word ‘mooncake’.  These are round pastries filled with anything from red bean paste to salted duck eggs, which are consumed in vast amounts over this period.  I first encountered them in Vietnam, offered as gifts from my students.  It was a shame I just couldn’t bring myself to like them, choosing instead to give them to my hard-working, mooncake-loving colleagues.

 

So what is mid-Autumn festival?  It’s a lunar harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people.  The festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese calendar, which falls in September or early October and was recently made a Chinese public holiday.  It is associated with the legend of the Moon Goddess of Immortality.  Celebrations include carrying brightly lit lanterns, lighting lanterns on towers, burning incense to honour deities, and Fire Dragon dances.

 

My Director of Studies has introduced a role of Cultural Mentor, one of our local teachers who will not only have the unenviable task of teaching the foreign teachers Chinese, but also educate us about life in China: traditions, celebrations and customs.  It’s a fantastic initiative, which I’m very much looking forward to beginning.

 

Happy Mid-Autumn celebrations to my friends in China & Vietnam.

A xx