Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or the Mooncake Festival, falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar (September or early October in the Georgian calendar). For 2024, it is on September 17th.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important festival in China after Chinese New Year. It is celebrated in many East Asian communities, and has since become associated with family reunions and harvest. Chinese people celebrate by gathering for dinners, eating mooncakes月饼 while admiring the full moon and lighting lanterns灯笼. People have long believed that worshipping the moon and eating together around a round table will bring them good luck and happiness. Chinese see the roundness in mooncakes a symbol of reunion and happiness.
What is mooncake
Typical mooncakes are round pastries, measuring about 4 inches in diameter and 1.25-1.5 inches in thickness. A rich thick filling usually made from red bean or lotus seed paste is surrounded by a thin crust (approximately 1/8 of an inch) and may contain one or more whole salted duck egg yolks in their center as the symbol of the full moon. Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by tea.
There are thousands of regional and contemporary variations. In southwestern Yunnan province, locals prepare the filling using flowers and ham. In Suzhou, near Shanghai, mooncakes have a flaky crust and meat filling, and the treats are enjoyed year round. Beijing’s mooncakes are known for their delicacy with flavors like red bean.
Nowadays mooncakes have been infused with innovative new elements, including ice cream filling, snow skin crust and exotic flavors like green tea, tiramisu, durian etc. Filing in contemporary style mooncakes has diversified to include just about anything which can be made into paste.