DEI celebrations: Mid-Autumn Festival

Mid Autumn Festival (September 10, 2022)

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture for nearly 3,000 years. The first record of the Moon Festival comes from the Zhou dynasty (1046-256 BC), where emperors would pray and offer sacrifices to the moon for a good harvest.

It became popular among all the people in later dynasties, where a legend arose around a man named Hou Yi and his wife Chang E. In their time, there were ten suns that burned away the peoples’ harvest until Hou Yi shot nine of them down. For this feat, he was given an elixir that would transport him to heaven, but another man sought to steal it when Hou Yi was away. To keep it out of the thief’s hands, Chang E drank the elixir and ascended to live on the moon among the heavens. Missing her, Hou Yi laid out offerings to the moon where he could see her shadow.  The offerings were dishes that Chang E loved most. This practice spreads among the people who then prayed to Chang E for good fortune and peace.

Outside of China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other countries in East and Southeast Asia also celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival. Festivities include family gatherings, admiring the moon, paper lanterns and mooncake tasting.

Mooncakes have become the most popular food for Mid-Autumn celebrations. They are pastries with a sweet filling, such as bean or lotus seed paste. There are many different variations of mooncakes, but a common theme is roundedness, signifying togetherness and reunion. For this year’s Mid-Autumn, consider trying some mooncakes which can be found at most Asian markets, or checking out the full moon!