(Baonghean.vn) - Each country has a different way of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival and the traditional cakes of each country on this holiday also have their own characteristics.
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| China:The Mid-Autumn Festival in China has existed since the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, in the early 8th century. At first, on this festival, Chinese people only drank wine and enjoyed the moon, so it was also called the Moon-viewing Festival. Later, the Mid-Autumn Festival became a festival of family reunion because the Chinese people highly valued family reunion on this occasion. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, family members all return home to gather around the dinner table, chat and enjoy the joyful atmosphere of reunion. |
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| Chinese moon cakes are usually round, symbolizing “reunion”, a meaning that originated during the Ming Dynasty. According to them, this is the time when all family members gather together. Anyone who works far away, on this day, returns to their hometown to meet their family, relatives and have a reunion meal together. Nowadays, moon cakes come in many more shapes, including squares, animal shapes and are made with many new and more attractive ingredients. |
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| Japan:In Japan, the Mid-Autumn Festival is called Tsukimi or Otsukimi, which means "moon viewing". Born in the Heian period with economic prosperity and brilliant development of spiritual culture, Tsukimi festival partly reflects the aesthetic and nature-oriented views of the Land of the Rising Sun. On Tsukimi festival, Japanese people prepare sumptuous and delicate dishes to offer to the moon to show their respect for beauty, and also under the golden moon of August, family and friends gather together to drink tea, eat cakes, talk and recite poems. A traditional dish for Tsukimi festival. |
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| Tsukimi Dango (Japan) is a cake used to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. The cake has a shape quite similar to Vietnamese banh troi. The cake has a soft crust and the filling is usually red bean or green bean. The cake represents completeness and warmth, meaning gratitude to heaven and Buddha for a bountiful harvest. Japanese people often arrange the cake in the shape of a pyramid, leave it in front of the house to offer to the moon to show respect, if it is taken by a child, it is considered extremely lucky. |
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| Korea:The Mid-Autumn Festival in Korea is better known as Chuseok. Different from the meaning of honoring the beauty and Shintoism of Tsukimi, Chuseok is the Korean people's thanks for the blessings of nature, bountiful harvests, and especially the grace of ancestors. Clearly demonstrating the deep filial piety in traditional Korean culture, the 3-day Chuseok is a time for everyone to rest and gather with their families, even if children live far away, they must return to reunite with their parents. |
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| Korean mooncakes are quite different from other Asian countries - they are half-moon shaped. Called songpyeon, they are made from ingredients such as sesame seeds, black beans, mung beans, cinnamon, pine nuts, walnuts, chestnuts, jujubes, and honey and steamed in a layer of pine needles. According to legend, during the Three Kingdoms period, there were two kingdoms called Baekje and Silla. During the reign of King Uija of Baekje, the phrase “Baekje is the full moon and Silla is the half moon” was encoded on the back of a turtle and predicted the fall of Baekje. This soon came true. Therefore, Korea began to choose the half-moon shape to represent a bright future or victory. |
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| Thailand:The Mid-Autumn Festival in Thailand is called the “moon worshiping festival”, held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, all the old and young, men and women, must participate in the moon worshiping ceremony, everyone will sit around the altar of Bodhisattva Guanyin and the Eight Immortals to pray for the best things. On the altar, peaches and moon cakes will be displayed. Thai people believe that by doing so, the Eight Immortals will help bring peaches to the moon to wish Guanyin a long life, and the gods will bless everyone. |
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| Therefore, moon cakes in Thailand are shaped like peaches in the hope of receiving the blessing of Bodhisattva. Baked moon cakes are shaped like Vietnamese cakes, but the cake is thinner and often uses durian filling. Also on this occasion, Thai people often eat grapefruit - a fruit that symbolizes fullness, reunion and sweetness. |
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| Singapore:The Mid-Autumn Festival in Singapore is a celebration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. Every year, Chinatown in Singapore is a place where the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated quite joyfully. Here, people sell lanterns and Mid-Autumn Festival-related items. Usually, this activity is held months in advance. Colorful lanterns sparkle on a street in Singapore. |
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| Singapore Durian Mooncake: This is a typical mooncake of Singapore. Because people here love the taste of durian. The mooncakes here are all variations of Chinese snow skin cakes. Snow skin is a type of cake with a skin similar to Vietnamese mooncake but thinner, made from rice flour, glutinous rice flour and wheat flour, usually kept refrigerated after being made and eaten cold. |
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| Philippines:Similar to Singapore, the Mid-Autumn Festival in the Philippines is celebrated and passed down by the ethnic Chinese living and working in the country. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, ethnic Chinese living in the Philippines often make mooncakes and share them with all their relatives, friends and neighbors. They also play a dice game called "pua-tiong-chiu" in the local language every Mid-Autumn Festival. |
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| Azuki-bean hopia is a type of Filipino mooncake. The baked cakes have a simple appearance, not many colors or patterns, but are attractive because of the extremely rich filling: green beans, purple sweet potatoes, red beans, pork... The cake has a crispy, fragrant multi-layered crust, round like the moon, also meaning prosperity, fullness and luck. |
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| Myanmar:The Mid-Autumn Festival in Myanmar is also known as the "Full Moon Festival" or "Light Festival". On the full moon night, every household lights up lanterns to brighten up the city, illuminating everywhere. People also often watch plays, dance, watch movies and many other exciting activities during this festival night. |
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| Cold mooncakes are not jelly cakes, but they are made from a special type of flour, originating from Malaysia. Just put them in the refrigerator and they will cook by themselves, and the longer they are kept, the more delicious they will be. The filling of this Malaysian cold cake is also made from quality, fresh ingredients that have been carefully selected such as lotus seeds, durian, black sesame, coconut, etc. Because it is a cold cake, from the first feeling when enjoying the cake, you can feel the coolness on the tip of your tongue, combined with the seductive aroma and gentle sweetness, Malaysian mooncakes are a special masterpiece of modern confectionery art. |
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| Vietnam:Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most widely celebrated traditional festivals in Vietnam. This holiday is often implicitly recognized as a "children's festival", so in addition to buying moon cakes and sticky rice cakes to burn incense on the full moon day of the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, adults also buy many toys for their children and grandchildren. |
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| Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam is also known as Moon Festival, Reunion Festival or Children's Festival. August is the time when people harvest crops and hold festivals to celebrate the bountiful harvest, giving each other cakes to wish for luck, reunion, happiness and abundance. There are two main types of traditional cakes: sticky rice cakes and baked cakes, round and square. |
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