Chinese people have a 3-day public holiday from September 19 th to 21 st. In China, it's a reunion time for families, just like Thanksgiving, while in Vietnam, it's more like a children's day. Chinese people celebrate it by gathering for dinners, worshiping the moon, lighting paper lanterns, eating mooncakes, etc.
For more, see 10 Interesting Mid-Autumn Facts. As the second most important festival in China, Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in many traditional ways. Here are some of the most popular traditional celebrations. The roundness of the moon represents the reunion of the family in Chinese minds. The public holiday usually 3 days is mainly for Chinese people working in different places to have enough time to reunite.
Mooncakes are the most representative food for the Mid-Autumn Festival, because of their round shape and sweet flavor. Family members usually gather round and cut a mooncake into pieces and share its sweetness. Nowadays, mooncakes are made in various shapes round, square, heart-shaped, animal-shaped … and in various flavors, which make them more attractive and enjoyable for a variety of consumers.
In some shopping malls, super big mooncakes may be displayed to attract customers. The full moon is the symbol of family reunions in Chinese culture.
Chinese people usually set a table outside their houses and sit together to admire the full moon while enjoying tasty mooncakes. Parents with little kids often tell the legend of Chang'e Flying to the Moon. As a game, kids try their best to find the shape of Chang'e on the moon. Want to share the Mid-Autumn Festival story with your family?
The 3-minute video below will show you all about it. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, people set a table under the moon with mooncakes, snacks, fruits, and a pair of candles lit on it. This is children's favorite activity. Mid-Autumn lanterns have many shapes and can resemble animals, plants, or flowers. The lanterns are hung in trees or on houses , creating beautiful scenes at night.
Some Chinese people write good wishes on the lanterns for health, harvests, marriage, love, education, etc. In some countryside areas, local people light lanterns that fly up into the sky or make lanterns that float on rivers and release them like prayers of dreams coming true.
Check out more on Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations. Besides the above common celebrations, different regions also have some unique traditions. The special Mid-Autumn Festival customs of China's ethnic minorities are also very interesting.
Many interesting activities with unique local features are held. Read these 3 popular stories of the Chinese Moon Festival. The Mid-autumn Festival boasts a history of over 3, years.
The festival was first celebrated to give thanks for the bountiful harvests in autumn. In ancient times, Chinese emperors used to worship and offer sacrifices to the full moon for the harvests. Afterward, noblemen and poets would admire the moon at the Mid-Autumn Festival, expressing their thoughts and feelings. Ordinary people would gather with family and enjoy food and the harvest season. The weather is ideal to spend time out of doors and enjoy the sight of the golden autumn.
The customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival vary across China, there are different ways to celebrate it. Why not start your tour in China by exploring the mystery of the Mid-Autumn Festival? We've listed the top 8 places for you to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in China. Book transportation and accommodation in advance.
Many Chinese people will travel during this public holiday, tickets and hotels are in high demand. Buy some authentic festival gifts. The mooncakes and Chinese lanterns are good choices. Experience some festival activities like eating moon cakes, admiring the moon, making colorful lanterns, and watching dragon dances.
The brave warrior smote down his enemy swiftly, but was too late to grab hold of his lover as she slowly levitated to the moon. She has been on the moon ever since and will be there until the end of time.
It is with this sadness that Chinese people look at the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival remembering all their loved ones that they are separated from throughout the year. The Mid-Autumn Festival has its origins in the story of a mythical warrior and his beloved Chang'e.
Curious about the history and modern practice of the Mid-Autumn Festival? The holiday originated more than 3, years ago during the Shang dynasty but only gained widespread popularity 1, years later when emperors in the Tang dynasty began holding formal celebrations in their palaces.
In Chinese mythology , Houyi's lover Chang'e is said to be the goddess of the moon. After drinking the elixir of immortality, she will continue to live on the moon for all eternity accompanied by her faithful companion the moon rabbit. During the Mid-Autumn festival, it was once customary to set up alters and burn incense to worship her.
In Chinese culture, the moon is also associated with fertility. The full moon was traditionally said to represent a pregnant woman. Thus, worshipping the moon on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, when it was said to be at its brightest and fullest, was a popular activity among women in ancient China.
Admiring the beauty of the moon plays a central part in Mid-Autumn festival celebrations. The most famous food during the Mid-Autumn Festival is the mooncake. Mooncakes are round cakes that are usually about the size of hockey pucks, although their size, flavor and style can differ depending on what part of China you are in. There are almost too many flavors of mooncakes to try during the short-lived Mid-Autumn Festival.
Ranging from salty and savory meat filled mooncakes to sweet nut and fruit filled mooncakes, you are bound to find a flavor that suits your pallet. The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated with many cultural and regional variations.
Outside of China, it is also celebrated in a variety of Asian countries including Japan and Vietnam. Generally, it is a day for friends and family to gather, eat mooncakes, and enjoy the full moon. Many groups of ethnic Chinese also light different types of lanterns, symbols of fertility, to decorate and serve as a guide for spirits in the afterlife.
0コメント