What’s special about the Mid-Autumn Festival culture in Asian countries?
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival not only in Vietnam but also in many Asian countries. Every year, this festival is organized wildly and brings its own customs of each nation and each nation. Countries in Asia have Mid-Autumn Festival like Korea, China, Singapore, … Is that in those countries, there is nothing different than Vietnam. Please follow Duong Cafe to discover !!
- Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam
The Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam is also known as Lunar New Year or Lunar New Year. This story associated with Tet is the story between Ms. Hang Nga and Mr. Cuoi. This holiday is often considered a children’s festival. So on every occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, adults often give their descendants such as masks, star lights, water guns, … to play in the full moon night. The Mid-Autumn Festival usually takes place on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. This is the brightest and brightest moon of the year. This is one of the most traditional festivals held in the year after the Lunar New Year.
Moon worship custom
One of the indispensable customs in this Tet holiday, it is the moon worship. The traditional moon cake tray of Vietnamese people usually consists of 5 kinds of fruits that symbolize the five elements in the earth. Cookies, flexible cakes are two kinds of indispensable bitterness in this Tet holiday. If there is no pair of mooncakes on this Lunar New Year, there is something missing. Like banh chung and banh chung, moon cakes are round or square. It symbolizes heavenly earth or symbol of prosperity. The baked pies have an attractive golden color. Flexible cake has ivory color. Both types of cakes have different characteristics such as: green beans, pineapple leaves, mixed peppermint, Chinese pork, …
This is the time when everyone in the family gathers together. Because of that, people also called this Tet Tet members. Whether we are far away or busy with Vietnamese brides, we still try to arrange time to go home to meet the moon.
Activities on the sidelines
Indispensable activities such as lion dance, lamp reception. If these activities are missing, they will lose the bustling atmosphere of this festival. The unicorn dance group or procession includes many small children walking around the village to perform. Unicorn dance groups also went to every house in the village. After that, the landlord rewarded each group of lion dance with a little change to get luck. The children were also eager to follow the atmosphere of the ceremony with adult toys bought for them.
- Mid-Autumn Festival in China
China is a country with a strong Eastern culture. The Mid-Autumn Festival in China dates back to the Tang Dynasty of Tang Dynasty, in the early 8th century. In this Lunar New Year day, Chinese people only drink moon-shaped wine, so-called moon watching.
Say this, Chinese people take this day as a festival day. Like the Vietnamese, Chinese people attach great importance to family reunion on this occasion. On happy days like this, family members all come back to gather on the tray. They talked together and enjoyed the reunion atmosphere.
Mooncake is an indispensable type of cake in Chinese moon cakes in China. This cake is quite similar to Vietnamese moon cake. The cake also has a round shape that represents the fullness. The thin layer of bread is made of flour, inside there are lotus leaves, green beans or salted eggs. The cake is then baked and enjoyed when the cake is browned evenly.
Children here also participate in activities such as lion dance, lantern procession as in Vietnam.
- Mid-Autumn Festival in Japan
Otsukimi in Japanese means watching the moon. This festival has appeared in Japan 1000 years ago. This is the most bright and bright moon. Japanese people celebrate this festival to honor the moon in autumn.
How do Japanese people welcome Mid-Autumn Festival?
The people of the sunrise no longer use the moon, the Mid-Autumn Festival is still celebrated. Tsukimi dango cake is a kind of cake used by the people in this holiday. This is a small and round cake that symbolizes yes for heaven. During this holiday, Japanese people enjoy the moon and enjoy this kind of cake. Tsukimi dango is like a floating cake, but it is baked through for crispy. When eating bread, people often add some sweet molasses. Besides, the Mid-Autumn Festival in Japan also features sweet potatoes, chestnuts, noodles like soba, ramen …
Carp fishing lanterns are indispensable symbols in these days in Japan. Children here are also allowed to buy carp lanterns by their parents to participate in the procession of lanterns. Carp lanterns symbolize courage, especially for boys.
- Mid-Autumn Festival in Singapore
Mid-Autumn Festival in Singapore is an ideal time for people to exchange love feelings. Everyone sends greetings and lucky gifts to relatives, friends and partners. The most commonly used gifts of Singaporeans are moon cakes.
Mooncakes in Singapore have a similar shape to moon cakes in Vietnam. But one thing in particular is that the taste is completely different. It is also baked, flexible cake but it is green tea, pumpkin or durian. The current flexible cake no longer holds the traditional moon color but turns the ships into different colors.
Singaporeans are of Chinese origin. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival in Singapore is as bold as in China. In particular, the Chinese neighborhood is very funny. Here, people sell lanterns and other items related to the previous Mid-Autumn Festival every month.
- Mid-Autumn Festival in Malaysia
Malaysians often make cakes and light lanterns on the full moon day of August. During this festival, cakes are sold everywhere. Besides, the fun activities make the streets become jubilant and bustling than ever. Like many other countries, lion dance and lanterns are indispensable things here.
- Mid-Autumn Festival in Thailand
Unlike the above countries, Thailand’s Mid-Autumn Festival is called “moon festival”. This ceremony is held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. In Thailand, all old boys and girls have to join the moon worshiping ceremony, people will sit around the altar of Quan The Am Bo Tat and Bai Tien. Together they pray for the best in life.
Above the altar will be peaches and moon cakes. Thai people believe that to do so the fairies will bless people.
Especially in Thailand, that is, Thai people often eat grapefruit and eat peach-shaped cake. They believe that these are things that symbolize the fullness and luxuriantness.
- Mid-Autumn Festival in Cambodia
Cambodia is the country that welcomes the latest Mid-Autumn Festival. Here, usually takes place on October 15 of the lunar calendar. This festival is often referred to as Ok Om Pok festival, usually held at night with offerings such as flat nuggets, bananas, potatoes, sugarcane, cassava soup …
In the early morning, Cambodian people will hold a ceremony of “maternity period” (festival waving to the moon). This is one of the traditional rituals in Cambodia. The offering ceremony includes; Fresh flowers, cassava soup, flat rice, sugarcane juice.
The evening is the happiest and most sacred moment. When the rise began to rise above the top of the branches, people sincerely worshiped, praying to the gods to bless. After mating, the elderly took the flat and stuffed it into the children’s mouth. They stuffed it until it was impossible to cram. They believe that this activity to pray for good things will come to their families.
There is a very beautiful activity in this festival, which is the wind lamp drop ceremony. The wind lights flew up to the sky to express the aspirations and desires of the people. It is believed that, when dropping the wind lamp on the moon god, they will get the moon god blessing and having full life.
- Mid-Autumn Festival in Laos
The Mid-Autumn Festival in Laos is also known as the “period of weather”. Or even mean the moon festival. This is an occasion where everyone watches the moon and the moon. At sunset, it is also the time for the boys and girls to dance singing and dancing all night.
- Mid-Autumn Festival in Myanmar
The Mid-Autumn Festival in Myanmar is also known as “Full Moon” or “Brightness”. The light of the moon full of lights is everywhere every night. The whole city, everywhere is lit up with a bright red color. People also often watch drama performances, dancing, watching movies and many other exciting activities during this festival night.
- Mid-Autumn Festival in the Philippines
Like Singapore, the Philippines has a large number of Chinese people. The Mid-Autumn Festival in the Philippines is often organized and handed down by ethnic Chinese living and working in the native country. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese people living in the Philippines often make moon cakes and share them with all their relatives, friends and neighbors.
Mooncakes in the Philippines are similar to those in Singapore. They are often referred to as Hopia (delicious scones), including many “versions” like hopiang mungo (semi-baked green beans), hopiang baboy (pork scones), hopiang Hapon (Japanese scones), hop ube (cake baked purple sweet potatoes), moon cake with buffalo, coconut …
In addition, during the Lunar New Year, Filipinos participate in many different activities. A famous game here is called Mid-Autumn Dice.
- Mid-Autumn Festival in Korea
Korea is a fairly “tight-lipped” country. But there is still a Mid-Autumn Festival here, also known as “Autumn of the Season”. Unlike other countries like Vietnam, China, .. Koreans eat muffins, also called muffins. This is their traditional dish during the Mid-Autumn Festival. This cake has a semicircle, made from rice flour, inside is jam, bean paste, apple, .. Because the steaming time, there is expansion so it has the same name. In these days, they steamed cakes and donated to each other.
At the beginning of the night it was time for them to organize the games. They watch the moon together, play tug-of-war, animals or dance performances. And the young girls will wear the best outfit to attend the festival.
Although in any country, the Mid-Autumn Festival still means the New Year of the Youth Union. So, whether you are far or near, you should try to spend some time visiting your family, and gathering around the Mid-Autumn Festival’s tray is really warm. Below, Duong Cafe will introduce you how to make moon cakes from special coffee so you can make them for yourself !!
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