Ways to Celebrate Mid Autumn Festival in Different Asian Countries

What does Mid-Autumn Festival mean to you? Moon cake? Colourful lanterns?

As it is the full moon festival, most people would like to get together with family and friends on this day.

Let’s take a look at the different meanings, names, and celebrations of the Mid-Autumn Festival around Asia.

1. Hong Kong

Hong Kong attaches great importance to Mid-Autumn Festival. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, various moon cake gift boxes are released. In addition to new flavors of mooncake, the exquisite mooncake gift box is also one of the specials of the festival. Hong Kong people like to gather on this day to enjoy watching the full moon, lanterns, and especially, Fire Dragon Dancing. The Fire Dragon Dance has been a traditional custom in Tai Hang, Hong Kong for over a hundred years. It attracts people to visit it every year.

2. Taiwan

Taiwan’s Mid-Autumn Festival retains the custom of worship, in addition to praying to the gods and ancestors, they will also pray to the moon during this festival. Usually, they use pomelo to pray and children will wear the pomelo skin on their heads to symbolize “protecting the safety of the children”. Therefore, the Taiwanese usually eat pomelo to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition, Taiwanese also like to spend the Mid-Autumn night with barbecue and moon watching, which forms the unique culture of Taiwan.

3. Japan

Japan’s Mid-Autumn festival is also called “Jugoya”(じゅうごや ). They do not have mooncakes, but ” Tsukimi Dango “. Tsukimi Dango is made of glutinous rice and served with mashed red beans or bean powder as its filling. It is usually offered as a sacrifice to the gods to thank them for their good harvest. Children are also referred to as “Moon Thieves,” to snatch sacrifices on this night. The more they steal, the more fortunate they will be.

4. South Korea

South Korea’s Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as “Chuseok” (추석), is a big day in South Korea, and they will have 3 days of holiday. They also gather their family members on the day to worship ancestors, visit tombs, celebrate the harvest, and enjoy the full moon while eating traditional food called “Songpyeon”(송편). The Songpyeon is normally made of glutinous rice and filled with sesame seeds, soybeans, red beans, and chestnuts.

5. Malaysia

Chinese Malaysians also keep the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival customs, they will also gather on this day to celebrate the festival. They also offer moon cakes, taro, and pomelo whilst praying to the moon. In addition, some organizations will also hold Mid-Autumn celebrations or parties to celebrate the festival with the public. Children will carry lanterns, burn candles and even play “stir-fry leaves” during the day.

6. Vietnam

The Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the “Full moon festival”. According to custom, the Vietnamese are not just observing the moon, but a way to predict climate change. If the moon is yellowish, it means that the next year will bring a good harvest. If it is bluer, it means that natural disasters may occur. In addition, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also Vietnam’s “Children’s Day”, parents and elders will prepare carp lanterns for children, and enjoy the lion dance performance, it’s a day for children to have fun.

7. Cambodia

Cambodia’s Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the “worship the moon festival”. Local people will pray to the moon with flowers, cassava soup, flat rice, and sugar cane water as offerings. The elder also will put flat rice into the child’s mouth, meaning full of happiness.

8. Thailand

The Thai Mid-Autumn Festival also has the custom of worshipping the moon, also known as “praying for the moon festival”. They believe that during Mid-Autumn Festival, the eight immortals will take the peach cake to the Moon Palace for the birthday of Guanyin Bodhisattva, and Guanyin will give the blessing to the world. Therefore, Thai people will prepare peach cakes, moon cakes, and other offerings to Guanyin Bodhisattva to get blessings.

From the above ways of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, we can see that we have retained the custom of worshipping the moon, and will prioritize the importance of family reunions on this day. Do you want to invite family and friends to your home but are still worried about the problem of space? Contact us now!

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