Mid-Autumn Lantern: The cultural charm of Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important traditional Festivals in China and appreciate Mid Autumn lantern is the most important activity, the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar every year, it’s the time when autumn is high and fresh, and the moon is the roundest. The festival, with “reunion” at its core, brings families and friends together to admire the full moon, eat moon cakes, and appreciate Mid Autumn lantern, expressing people’s hope for a better life and their missing for loved ones.
The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival traces its origins back over 3000 years to the Zhou Dynasty, as ancient moon-worship ceremonies at beginning. In the Tang Dynasty, moon-gazing had become a refined among scholars and poets, while the Song Dynasty saw its establishment as a nationwide celebration.
Ancient Chinese believed that the full moon in the fifteenth day of the eighth month symbolized perfection and reunion, therefore, customs such as moon-gazing, eating moon cakes and holding Mid Autumn lantern shows gradually took shape during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The folk of Mid-Autumn Festival
Moon Appreciation
In the Mid-Autumn Festival eve, family and friends often gather to admire the moon. The full moon on this day resembles a bright jade plate hanging high in the night sky, casting a serene glow like flowing water, creating a delightful scene. Moreover, ancient Chinese believed that the moon was home to Chang’e, the Jade Rabbit, and a laurel tree, making moon-gazing an activity that filled with romantic imagination.
Eating Moon cakes
Moon cakes are the most iconic food of the Mid-Autumn Festival, their round shape symbolizing reunion. Traditional moon cakes come in flavors like red bean paste, five-nut, and lotus seed paste with salted egg yolk. Nowadays, there are also modern varieties such as snow skin and lava custard moon cakes, catering to different tastes.
Carrying Mid Autumn Lantern
In southern regions, especially in Guangdong and Hong Kong, children love to carry various moon festival lanterns while playing. Some areas even host lantern festival, creating a lively atmosphere.
Family Reunion
The most important significance of the Mid-Autumn Festival is reunion. No matter how busy they are, people try their best to return home and celebrate the festival with their loved ones, sharing a reunion dinner and moon cakes together.
Regional Customs
Hong Kong: Fire dragon dances, symbolizing the expulsion of evil and prayers for blessings.
Taiwan: Mid-Autumn barbecues have become a unique holiday tradition.
Korea (Chuseok): Returning to hometowns to honor ancestors and eating songpyeon (rice cakes).
Vietnam (Tết Trung Thu): Children carry carp-shaped lanterns, symbolizing good luck.
Singapore: Giant lantern displays at Marina Bay and Mid Autumn lantern festivals in Chinatown.
Malaysia: Lantern parades, Nyonya-style mooncakes, and cultural performances in places like Penang.
The meaning of Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival not only the moment of family reunion, but also carry the feeling of grateful and missing. For these people who work outside or study outside, they are unusually miss hometown and family on that day. Modern technology enables people thousands of miles apart to “cloud reunite” through video, but what remains unchanged is the concern for family and the wish for a better life.
Mid-Autumn Festival's influence in the world
With Chinese all over the world, the Mid-Autumn Festival has also become a cultural festival in many countries. In the United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries, Chinese communities host Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, including moon festival lanterns displays, lion dances, moon cake sharing, and kongming lantern releases, allowing more foreigners to learn about this Eastern tradition.
If you’d like to buy Chinese lanterns to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, click here to read more.
Mid-Autumn Festival is a warmly festival, it remains us that we should cherish the time spent with our family, grateful for the beauty of life. No matter how times change, the wishes for reunion, harmony and happiness remain the unchanging theme of the Mid-Autumn Festival. On this full moon night, may everyone spend wonderful time with their loved ones!
