My Moon Cake My Lantern My Love and My Traveling Resources to Places of Interest

Ever wondered how the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as Moon Cake Festival or Zhong Qiu Jie) likes? Well, the following screen shots, videos and photos, which were taken at a celebration event at an apartment premises in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will probably give you some ideas and the feel of what it is!

In countries like Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, it is also referred to as the Lantern Festival. Whatever name it goes by, I would say that the centuries-old festival remains a beloved annual ritual for Chinese celebrating an abundance of food and family reunion. In fact it is considered as one of the most important traditional festivals for all Chinese people in the world. You will notice that every year on this day, Chinese people will gather together with family members and friends, eating moon cakes and enjoy the full round moon.

Full round moon? Chinese believe that on that day, the moon is at its roundest and brightest which signal a time of richness, completeness and abundance and of course there are ancient legends closely associated with it too. To be true, it is quite a sight to see Victoria Park in Causeway Bay and in Hong Kong, any open space or mountain top is crowded with people trying to get a glimpse of this auspicious full round moon. Can I also say that this is much like a Western “Thanksgiving”?

If you were to ask me when was the custom of this celebration begins, I am also blur like you, but from what I heard its origin can be traced back to the 14th century.

This year, Moon Cake Festival or Zhong Qiu Jie falls on September 14, 2008 and this festival as I know is usually celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar while the date in Western calendar changes yearly. Similar festivals with their own unique traditions also occur in Korea during the three-day Chusok or Chu Suk; in Vietnam during Tet Trung Thur and in Japan at the Tsukimi festival.

What these Chinese words mean? Burn fire crackers in your toilet bowl!

Who you think will be the happiest ones during this Mid-Autumn Festival? Lovers or children? Whatever it is, this is the time that children are most excited and delighted to stay up past midnight, parading with some multi-colored lanterns to the streets. Frankly this is also a romantic night for lovers, who will likely to be seen holding hands on hilltops and riverbanks. Who won’t enjoy this moment since the moon is at its brightest and roundest? However, you should not confuse this moment with this Chinese Valentine Day.

This is a lantern or in popular Chinese Cantonese dialect call “Tang Long”, usually a paper or a red plastic wrap in traditional shapes like star-shaped fruits, rabbits, goldfish, crap, lobsters, butterflies and many others. Basically those round fan folded lantern are the most basic form.

I believe you are a bit curious on why all these shapes? In fact, each shape carries its meaning, for example butterfly symbolizes longevity while crap is a symbol of the Emperor that stands for power, courage and wisdom. Sound interesting right?

Candles are used to light up the lanterns traditionally but with the progress of society and for safety reason, we will not be surprised to find battery powered lantern with cartoon characters like Batman, Ultraman, Hello Kitty and Spiderman though. With a little of creativity, a lantern may not look like a lantern though, just look at the photos below, can you differentiate which is lantern and which is not?

Well, a Mid-Autumn festival or Zhong Qiu Jie if without a moon cake is something sounds unusual. What is moon cake then? It is actually a round pastry filled with lotus seed paste with one to two egg yolks of about 160 grams each. It is believed that the more egg yolks in the moon cake, the more expensive it is and of course more prestigious when we present them as presents to others. You can buy moon cake one by one or in a box of 4 pieces.

I seldom buy moon cake nowadays as it is expensive to me, but if you are a Westerner then I would say it is considered cheap as your currency is definitely stronger than those countries where moon cakes were made. No wonder people from overseas do buy through friends from other countries. Well, instead of buying, I am thinking to make one myself for eating and for selling too!

However, modern moon cakes are a lot more diverse in shape, in ingredient and in its packaging. For example, you will be able to find jelly moon cake, durian moon cake, strawberry moon cake, in fact dozens variations of moon cake with different kinds of ingredients such as green tea, ice cream, red bean paste, fruit, coffee flavor and many more than we could imagine and in different packaging too, like the one shown here is six pieces in a box and with different flavor though. Don’t worry about gain weight, as there are mini-moon cakes to cater to those who would like to watch their weight but still want to be traditional on the Mid-Autumn festival!

Think this is a result of modernization and a good business to venture into too! Well, what kind of moon cake shall I do and sell? Perhaps, an “A Scored Student moon cake”, or a “Becoming Richer moon cake”, may be a “Lover moon cake”, how about you then?