Mid-Autumn Festival also called moon festival or mooncake festival, it's held on the 15th day of 8th month (Chinese calendar) and in this year it fell on 1st October 2020 (world calendar). Traditionally they believed that on this date, the moon will be the brightest and fullest size. But to be frank, I notice that the 16th, the full moon will be most brightest and you can see some sillhouette on it.
My family used to celebrate this every year, but since we start to go to collage, we rarely celebrate it anymore. Mid-Autumn Festival is actully one of my favourite day beside Christmas. This festival engraved deeply in my childhood memory and I would like to share how we celebrated it in the past.
1. Making Lantern or Shop Your Favourite Lantern Character
At school, we made a lantern, decoreated it and have it hanged on the wall or hold it under the moon. There are many ways you can make a lantern with, using paper plate as the base or using an angpao (but it will not be pretty to walk around with it).
In the first year of celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival in HongKong, I haven't had my own lantern, so we shopped for a lantern that can light up and I choose a Hello Kitty holding her little Teddy lantern.
2. Having Mooncake or Doll Mooncake (ApekKong)
We always buy Mooncake or ApekKong in this festival up until now. Even though the tradition of celebrating is gone, mooncake will still needed in this time.
I loved mooncake and it's delicious as you only can eat this once a year (Just kidding, you can buy it even if it's not mid-autumn fest). My favourite is the yolk mooncake, this year I didn't get yolk mooncake because it's sold out. But I get to buy a lot of doll mooncake which we called it ApekKong! ApekKong taste like soft cookies when it is freshly from the oven, when you put it in a week or two it will ne harden and that is the best time to eat it. It has different kind of shape, such as gun, fish, the deity (ApekKong), pig and other new shape. And it's Yummy.
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| Doll Mooncake (ApekKong) |
3. Whole Family Hot-Pot Dinner
One best thing in every celebration is always get together and have some food. And Hot-Pot Dinner is basically the best, joining by your whole big family. We could talked and laugh until you finish your food. Then we share mooncake together.
4. Walking Together Under The Moon
In Hong Kong, all the people always going to the bay to watch the moon and having a fireworks there. This is when we walk together, holding lantern with the light on. It is an awesome expirience, although all we do is only walking in the sea of people. And I got to taste brown sugar art, where I need to spin a wheel to determine the shape I'm going to get. That time the wheel only has 12 Chinese zodiac on them, but I think now they add more of shape on to it.
5. The Story of Chang'e And Superstition
It's a legend that my dad used to tell at this event and I even have a story book of it. Moreover, we all know her as the goddess of the Moon, and i believed you know the story of it. There are superstitions as well, we must not point at the moon or get upset at our parent under the moon. If you happen to do that, your ears will bleed. Well it sounds like made up by my parents, but it really did happen to me many times haha. When I consciously or not point at the moon, my ears will have this small scab after another second. So each time I realized I just pointed at the moon, I should have my hand join together to apologize to the moon then I don't get any scab if I do that. It happen many times in my teenage year, until I'm an adult and never point at the moon again.
So, this is my story of how I celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival in my childhood. Because it's an awesome time for me, I had made some art to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival that you can have it on your t-shirt and some other merchandise. I know the festival is already pass, but you can have it for next year! Every merchandise is ON SALE now, so don't forget to check it out!
This is the link to the shop! Happy Shopping!
Also don't forget to check out and follow Instagram @Carcaroohouse for more art, you can request for any design you like to have it on shop!
I would be very pleased to hear how you and your family celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival, feel free to leave a comment on the section below. Be nice and Happy belated Mid-Autumn Festival everyone! God Bless you!
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