Moon Festival 中秋節

Hey there folks!

It’s Moon Festival time here in Taiwan (and a lot of other countries as well), so I thought I would share some Chinese culture with you! Moon Festival, also known as Mid-Autumn Festival, is always on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Lunar calendar, and which is always a full moon. That means that it can be in September or October depending upon the moon. I just want you to know that I am impressed that Taiwanese people can keep track of time using the Lunar calendar or the Gregorian calendar (that’s the “normal” calendar the rest of us simple folks use). It’s hard enough for me to keep my days straight using just one calendar!

The Moon Festival is very important to Taiwanese people. It is a time for families to come together and give thanks (kinda like Thanksgiving without the Turkey). Most Taiwanese families will Barbecue outside on these tiny grills and look at the beautiful full moon. Read more about our Taiwan bbq adventures here.

Another tradition during the Moon Festival is the giving of mooncakes. Every bakery we go to is overflowing with mooncakes! Moon cakes are round and filled with various fillings such as Taro, egg, mochi, or in more recent years jelly or even ice cream! Each Asian country has it’s own traditional moon cake. In Chinese culture the round shape symbolizes completeness or unity, so it is popular for families to give mooncakes to their family members to symbolize that the family is complete and whole. To read more about mooncakes, Wikipedia is a much better authority than I am! If you are interested in trying some mooncakes for yourself, I hear that you can buy mooncakes in the States. Check out myhongkonghusband for some more info about buying or making mooncakes in the states.

Happy Moon Festival!