How The Mid-Autumn Festival Is Celebrated Globally

The Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, is a significant cultural event in many East Asian countries. Known for its iconic mooncakes, lanterns, and moon-gazing traditions, the festival varies in its customs and legends across different regions. Let's explore how this festival is uniquely celebrated around the world.

China: The Origin and Heart of the Festival

In China, the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Zhongqiu Jie, is deeply rooted in the legend of Chang'e, the moon goddess. The festival is a time for family reunions, with people gathering to admire the full moon, which symbolises unity and completeness. Traditional mooncakes, often filled with lotus seed paste and salted egg yolks, are shared among family members and friends. Lantern displays, moon worship, and special performances like the dragon and lion dances add to the festive atmosphere.

Unique Customs:

• Qiantang River’s Tidal Bore: In Zhejiang province, the tidal bore of the Qiantang River attracts many visitors.

• Vegetable Stealing in Hunan: Women from the Dong ethnic group steal vegetables, believing they will be blessed with "sweet dew" from the moon goddess.

South Korea: Chuseok – A Harvest Thanksgiving

In South Korea, the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated as Chuseok, a three-day holiday that includes family reunions and memorial services for ancestors. South Koreans prepare and share songpyeon, half-moon-shaped rice cakes filled with sweetened sesame seeds or beans. Traditional activities include the ganggangsullae dance, where participants form a circle and sing under the full moon.

Unique Customs:

• Charye: A tea ritual to honour ancestors with seasonal foods.

• Celebrity Celebrations: K-pop stars often share festive greetings and engage in traditional activities with their fans.

Japan: Tsukimi – Moon Viewing

Japan’s Tsukimi, meaning "moon viewing," dates back to the Nara period. It involves admiring the moon and consuming tsukimi dango, round rice dumplings. Homes are decorated with pampas grass, and the celebrations often include music, poetry, and sometimes even moon-viewing parties on boats.

Unique Customs:

• Decorating with Pampas Grass: This represents a bountiful harvest and wards off evil spirits.

• Egg Consumption: The round shape of eggs symbolises the full moon, and even fast food brands participate by adding eggs to their menus.

Vietnam: Tet Trung Thu – The Children’s Festival

In Vietnam, Tet Trung Thu is primarily a children’s festival. Kids parade with colorful lanterns shaped like stars and animals, and families make offerings of mooncakes and fruit to their ancestors. The festival is also linked to the legend of Chu Cuoi, who floated to the moon with a magical banyan tree.

Unique Customs:

• Lion Dances: Performances by both professional and amateur groups are common, bringing luck and fortune.

• Banh Nuong and Banh Deo: Traditional Vietnamese mooncakes, either baked or sticky, are enjoyed by all.

Singapore: A Melting Pot of Traditions

Singapore, with its large Chinese community, celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival with elaborate lantern displays and mooncake offerings. Gardens by the Bay and Chinatown become hubs of activity, featuring lantern-painting competitions, live performances, and moon-gazing events.

Unique Customs:

• Lantern Displays: Extravagant displays at Gardens by the Bay and Chinatown.

• Beach Moon Gazing: A popular activity among locals.

Taiwan: A National Holiday with BBQs

In Taiwan, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a public holiday. Families often gather for outdoor barbecues and enjoy mooncakes and pomelo, a citrus fruit. Children wear hats made of pomelo rinds, believing that Chang'e will notice them and bestow good fortune.

Unique Customs:

• Pomelo Hats: Symbolising Chang'e's favourite fruit and bringing good luck.

• Outdoor Barbecues: A popular way to celebrate with family and friends.

Cambodia: Bon Om Touk – The Water and Moon Festival

Cambodia celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival as Bon Om Touk, a three-day festival in November. The celebrations start with boat races on the Tonle Sap River and include offerings of fruits and the traditional dish ak ambok to the moon.

Unique Customs:

• Boat Races: Colourful and competitive races mark the festival’s beginning.

• Midnight Prayers: People go to temples to pray and make wishes at midnight.

Thailand: Moon Praying Festival

In Thailand, the festival, known as Moon Praying Festival, involves offering mooncakes and pomelo. According to legend, the eight immortals visit the moon palace on this day, bringing good fortune.

Unique Customs:

• Peach-Shaped Cakes: Symbolising the peaches offered by the immortals to the Goddess of Mercy.

Myanmar: Thadingyut Festival

In Myanmar, the Thadingyut Festival coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is a Buddhist festival where people pay respect to monks, teachers, and elders, and offer food and prayers at temples.

Unique Customs:

• Temple Offerings: People visit temples to offer food and prayers.

United States: Asian American Celebrations

In the United States, the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in Asian communities with parades, mooncake-eating contests, and cultural performances. Cities like San Francisco, New York, and Philadelphia host large events attracting thousands of attendees.

Unique Customs:

• Parades and Festivals: Featuring lion and dragon dances, arts and crafts, and mooncake contests.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, with its rich tapestry of legends and traditions, showcases the cultural diversity and shared heritage across the world. Whether it's through moon-gazing, lantern displays, or enjoying mooncakes, this festival brings people together to celebrate unity, family, and the bounties of the harvest season.

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Reference Links

https://time.com/6212026/countries-celebrate-mid-autumn-festival/

https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/festivals/mid-autumn-full-moon-festival

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival

https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/mid-autumn-festival.htm

https://hashtaglegend.com/culture/moon-festivals-across-asia-how-different-countries-celebrate-mid-autumn/