Hong Kong
CNN
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Calling the Autumn Mid-Autumn Festival the world’s biggest full moon party is no exaggeration. Even Lovebu, a very popular Pop Mart toy, is known to celebrate the event.
The festival, which fell on the 15th day of the month of August, is marked as an evening for families to gather, enjoy harvests, lighten the lanterns and admire what appears to be the round moon of the year, primarily in the East and Southeast Asia.
In 2025, The Mid-Autumn Festival or The Moon Festival will be celebrated on October 6th. As part of the tradition marking ancient holidays, you can rely on plenty of mooncakes, pomeros and more moon-related essentials.
Here are some tips on what you need to know about the festival and how to join in the fun:
The Mid-Minister Prime Minister’s Festival became an official celebration in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), but there is no answer to questions about when and how the annual event began.
Many believe it was first mentioned in Confucius’s classic “The Book of Rituals,” written more than 2,400 years ago on bureaucrats and rituals.
It was said that the Emperor celebrates the year’s harvest by offering offerings to the moon and holding a wonderful east feast.
Today, the Chuut Festival is a very important family gathering. As the old proverb says, it is when people and the moon reunite to form a perfect circle.
Like many cultural celebrations, the Central Prime Minister’s Festival is surrounded by mythology. One of the most beloved and tragic folk tales tells the story of how a woman named Chang England became the goddess of the moon.
According to legend, after the mythical Chinese archer hou yi bravely shoots down nine excess suns, he leaves only one, effectively protecting the world from being completely burned – he was given an Elixir from heaven as a reward.
Hou Yi’s wife Chang’e drank Elixir, protecting her from her greedy apprentice, but she was so lighter that she floated on the moon.
Losing without his wife, Hou Yi prepared a feast every year on the day the moon was at its peak, hoping to get a glimpse of his wife’s shadow.
How well is this story? China’s Chang’e Lunar module, part of the country’s ambitious space program, was named in honor of the lunar goddess. Meanwhile, Yutu (Jade Rabbit) – a Chinese Moon Rover – is named after the legendary rabbit sent to accompany Chang on the moon.
Prime Minister’s Festival customs and traditions
When it comes to celebrating a festival, customs vary from Asia to Asia.
The five-day festival is considered Vietnam’s “Children’s Day” and celebrations include a paper lantern fair and a lion dance parade. Meanwhile, in southern China, most people light lanterns and eat autumn fruits such as pomero and star fruit.
Several villages in Hong Kong still retain the tradition of fire dragons dancing through narrow alleys.
In Korea, Midwest festivals (or Chusek) are one of the most important holidays in the country. Koreans are celebrated for three days, sweeping away their ancestors’ tombs, dressed in traditional outfits, eating sompeyons, white steamed steamed rice cakes with sweet fillings.
Meanwhile, Japanese people eat sticky rice balls called Tsukimi Dango (“Moon Watching”), whilst admiring the celestial bodies.
Celebrations can also be seen in Asian communities around the world, from New York City to Vancouver.
One of the biggest stars of the Prime Minister’s Festival is Mooncake. Turkey is Thanksgiving, and Latteix is important to Hanukkah for the festival. In most places in China, fever-producing pastries are sliced and shared like cakes between family and friends.
The most famous variety of moon cakes is made with lotus seed paste, salted egg yolks and lard (Cantonese style). This explains why palm-sized cakes can contain around 1,000 calories.
Nuts, red beans and custard are other popular ingredients.
In Giyang city, China, staff cafeterias at Gitzhou Zhou People’s Hospital have unexpectedly broken the sales charts at a local supermarket featuring decades of ham moon cake recipes.
Meanwhile, in XINTAI, Mooncake is a profitable income for the county in the Eastern Tokai region. It is reportedly generated 600 million yuan and about $84 million in menstrual manufacturing revenue during the festival, accounting for about 1% of the county’s annual GDP.
The bakery brand also came up with a modern variation (such as chocolate coated ice cream) that offers an alternative to those who don’t like traditional mooncakes.
