Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Lantern Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the Eighth lunar month. On this day, the moon is supposedly at its biggest, roundest and brightest.
There are many stories and legends surrounding the celebration of this Festival which started some 2,000 years ago. As with any tradition or customs that old, the origin of the festival is always murky. You will no doubt find the stories and legends preposterous.
Anyway, from what I understood, once upon a time in China, farmers celebrated their bountiful harvest on this day outdoors when the moon was brightest. Families gathered to feast and make merry. They also made bean paste based pastries which they called moon-cakes. Families gathered around to enjoy a sumptuous meal and pastries as they moon gazed.
In those days, there were no electricity, so the farmers made paper lanterns and hung them up for light. They also made small paper lanterns for the children to play. This became an annual event.
Later on, during the late Yuan Dynasty, there was a revolt. The rebels passed messages to each other by hiding the messages in the moon cakes. The revolt was successful, and the new emperor, declared the moon-cake festival an official annual event.
When the Chinese immigrants headed down to South-East Asia, they brought the festival with them. But present day celebration has lost much of its meaning. Most people don’t even know the origin of the celebration.
These days, people celebrate the festival, by buying moon-cakes for their elders as a gesture of respect. The festival is now commercialized, and businesses cash in on this month to churn out all sorts of flavoured moon-cake. I, for one am not impressed. Give the original flavour – any time.
If anyone knows more about this Mid-Autumn Festival, please feel free to enlighten me. Have a look at the links below if you want to know more about the festival.
Read more about the Mid-Autumn Festival here
And
Mid-Autumn Festival here
These are the basic type of paper lanterns.
As the years go by, people got more creative and the lanterns became more intricate.
Nowadays, there are all sorts of designs and creations.
Look out for more creative lanterns in my next post - tomorrow.
Images of lanterns from Pixabay and Yahoo images
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really nice intro!
Thank you for stopping by.
In here we have a festival for making those kinds of lantern.People make those lantern and then fly those in the air.
Thank you @philipkavan for stopping by and your comment. Yes, I have seen the lanterns you mentioned before. But I don't know what they are called.
They are called 'Fanush' or 'Sky Lantern'.It is also known as Chinese Lantern or Kongming Lantern.The people of my city are not allowed to fly those kinds of lantern as they posses a treat to public safety.As those can cause the fire accidents but those are allowed in beach areas.
Thank you @philipkavan for the clarification on the lanterns. Yes, 'Kongming Lantern' is the name of the lantern. And yes, it is a fire hazard if they are set off in enclosed living areas. There will also not be enough space for them to fly.
@djimirji Up!
sir Vincent! there are those moon cakes again! probably made with hydrogenated oils! lol. hey I need to try those because I don't know how beans can be a dessert! but anyway this is a wonderful and educational and informational post so well done!
You need to come to Asia during the 8th lunar month if you want to taste the moon-cakes. Do you have a Chinatown in Texas?
Thank you @janton for your encouraging words.
howdy again sir Vincent! well I have no idea about a Chinatown in Texas, it sure sounds a little strange but it's possible in Dallas or Houston. that's true though, that neighborhood would have moon cakes that I could try.