Tag Archives: Mid Autumn Festival

Moon Festival a Burst of Culinary Creativities – Treats, Snacks, and Mooncakes

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The Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is a Chinese harvest festival celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. It is generally celebrated during the last week of September or early October and includes a multitude of colorful cultural celebrations which can also be experienced on Bangkok cruises, such as those offered by Anantara Cruises, Thailand. The Moon Festival is celebrated in Thailand as well, and one of the fascinating features about the celebrations is the culinary delights.

Mooncakes

You can’t celebrate the Moon Festival without making Mooncakes – at least that’s what Thai tradition dictates. Thus, Mooncakes are considered to be one of the main culinary creations during the Moon Festival. Mooncakes are essentially thin-crust pastries wrapped around a sweet filling of sweet bean paste, lotus seed paste, and egg yolk. Although this is how Mooncakes are traditionally made, modern spins on Mooncake include chocolate Mooncakes and many other delicious creations. Almost all stores sell Mooncakes during the Moon Festival, so make sure you try one.

Snails for Brightness, Taro for Luck and Pumpkin for Health

The foods made during the Moon Festival are considered to have some symbolic meaning. For example, river snails cooked in herbs and spices is said to brighten your eyes, while Taro corns are said to bring good luck. Thus, you shouldn’t be too surprised if you find snails and Taro in various snacks and dishes during the Moon Festival. Pumpkin is considered to bring good health during the festival, so pumpkin is quite common during the Moon Festival too.

Duck, Crab, and much more!

Additionally, you can expect to have various dishes of duck and crab, as they are specialty meats during the Moon Festival. Fruits such as watermelon and pears are in abundance during the festivities too, while Osmanthus-flavored cake and wine is the dessert of choice during the Moon Festival.

Auburn Silver is a travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world. Google+

Mid-Autumn Festival Singapore

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The mid-autumn festival held in Singapore was brought by their Chinese ancestors and is still celebrated with much mirth and ardour. A yearly even in August or September, the festival has many legends attached to it. Also called the Mooncake or Lantern festival, the traditional date for the festival is the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Originally a harvest festival over the centuries, it has become a celebration of fertility and harvest.

Moon worship is an integral aspect of this event and it is believed that the sun and moon are a couple while all the stars are their children. According to such beliefs, the moon becomes round when she is pregnant and after giving birth she changes to a crescent. Another legend associated with the moon is that of Chang’e; the moon goddess of immortality. While one version of it states that Chang’e became a goddess by drinking the elixir of immortality to prevent her husband’s evil apprentice stealing it, another states that she drank it to prevent her husband who became a tyrannical ruler, reign forever.
Similar to Thanksgiving, the mid-autumn festival is more of a family gathering where you spend quality time with your loved ones. People also head over to Chinatown to soak in the carnival atmosphere. The origins of lanterns becoming part of this festival is unknown, over time however they have evolved to become the symbol of the event. Today thousands of lanterns, in various hues, brightly lit and beautiful decorate the city.

Mooncakes are another important element of the mid-autumn festival. Distributing a round mooncake to everyone in the family and sharing it together is considered a symbol of unity and reunion. Mooncakes can be found in a variety of flavours like lotus, egg yolk, durian, chocolate, coffee, ice cream and many other scrumptious tastes.

This celebration attracts tons of visitors and the city can get very crowded, therefore finding suitable accommodation means booking Singapore hotels in advance hotels in Singapore are available for any budget and early booking offers are also available. Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Singapore is one of the renowned hotels.

Mid-Autumn Festival – Celebration of Lanterns

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Autumn is regarded as the golden season in Guangzhou. The sunny weather with clear blue skies during the day and moonlit nights is one of the best times of the year that everyone looks forward to. With such wonderful weather and cheerfulness in the air, it is the time for the Mid-Autumn Festival which is celebrated by families that stay up late into the night and enjoy a bite of moon cakes while gazing at the moon shining bright in a clear sky.

There are a number of activities that are part and parcel of this fest. Families together make bamboo lanterns which are then lit up at night. The handmade lantern which is made in diverse shapes of flowers, animals, insects, fruits, places and many more are covered with beautiful and colourful papers. They are all lit up with candles in the night and makes for a truly charming setting. Every household will have these brightly illuminated lamps in front of their house, hung above the main doorways, gates or even on trees. It is believed that these lanterns will bring good luck to the households and some say that the higher the lanterns are fixed the greater the luck they will bring.

One of the main activities during this time is to worship the moon. Especially young children worship the moon and offer incense sticks and various fruits wishing good luck. Another part of the celebrations is to eat river snails which are cooked in herbs. This practice is believed to brighten the eyes of those who eat them.
There are a number of key places in Guangzhou to celebrate these festivities. One such setting is Yuntai Garden, Baiyun also known as White Cloud Mountain which is full of plants and located at a high attitude offering a tranquil setting to watch the sky from. Cultural Park and Yuexiu Park are also two places that people can go to see the lanterns as they remain open until late night. For those who are staying at a Guangzhou serviced apartment it is possible to familiarise oneself with the culture of this city by going to see this festival. Most of the festivities are held close by to serviced apartments Guangzhou such as Ascott IFC Guangzhou.

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

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Mid Autumn Festival – Especially for Kids!

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Vietnam is a country which has a vibrant culture and a combination of very friendly and hospitable people. The amount of places and festivals with a cultural value are wide and varied. One of the major festivals celebrated in the country is the Mid Autumn Festival. This festival is celebrated by both Chinese and Vietnamese people, but the celebrations are not exactly similar in both cultures.

Normally the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar is the day that the celebration takes part. This is grandly celebrated in Vietnam by families as a tradition. Folklore from Vietnam mentions that the adults in the community were very busy with the harvesting process and the children had to play alone. So to make up for this the parents took this festival as an opportunity to spend the day with the kids and make it a fun filled day for them. Because of this reason this festival is also called the Children’s Festival and is celebrated grandly.

The celebration includes both educational and fun activities. Lanterns are brought for children by the parents and the children light them in the dawn of the day of the festival and take part in the candlelit lantern procession. The procession is to signify the success in school and the lit candles represent brightness. Children make creative masks and perform Vietnamese dances. The Unicorn dancers are a very popular dance category.

At night under the silvery light of the full moon the parents tell the children fairy tales and serve them with moon cakes. These stories encourage the children to work harder and go forward towards their dreams. This truly is a family festival full of love, caring, gratitude and friendship. Find a Vietnam hotel for accommodation and enjoy these cultural events while getting pampered by the facilities in the hotel. Anantara Mui Ne Resort & Spa is one perfect resort in Mui Ne which would offer you an impeccable service. The friendly staff make your stay smoother and relaxed while the mouth watering delicacies prepared by the hotel will keep you well fed. Take your kids to Vietnam during this festive season and let them experience this special children’s day too!