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Mid-Autumn Festival is a significant holiday of the year, but do people know all the secrets of the Mid-Autumn Festival?
Mid-Autumn Festival is a significant holiday of the year, but do people know all the secrets of the Mid-Autumn Festival?
Not only in Vietnam, but countries across Asia such as China, South Korea, or Japan are also eagerly welcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. Let's take a tour around Asia to explore interesting facts about this festival.
1. Mid-Autumn Festival has many names
The name 'Mid-Autumn Festival' originates from the lunar calendar, as a year is divided into four seasons, each season divided into 'Strong,' 'Middle,' and 'Weak,' so the midpoint of autumn is called Mid-Autumn. Furthermore, as it falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as 'The Eighth Month Festival' or 'The Fifteenth of the Eighth'
On this day, the moon shines exceptionally bright and round, hence Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as 'Moonlit Night', 'Autumn Festival', 'Moon-Watching Festival', 'Mid-Autumn Celebration', 'Moon Worship Ceremony', 'Family Reunion Festival'...
2. Common Origin of Mid-Autumn Festival
Ancient agricultural countries like Vietnam, South Korea, China, and Japan all choose the harvest season of the eighth month to celebrate a day of rejoicing the abundant harvest, offering thanks to ancestors for ensuring bountiful crops and praying for a prosperous harvest next year.
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During this special occasion, family members gather to share a meal and enjoy the fruits of a year of hard work in farming. Moreover, many ancient rulers also chose this day to hold ceremonial activities, praying for national prosperity and people's well-being.
3. Ancient people also had holidays for Mid-Autumn Festival
Since the Tang Dynasty - an imperial era of China, officials were entitled to a 3-day break for Mid-Autumn Festival as per regulations. During the Southern Song Dynasty, this was reduced to just one day. Even during the Yuan Dynasty, despite significant reductions in holiday periods, Mid-Autumn Festival remained preserved.
Not only in China but also on these important days, people in South Korea are granted a 3-day break (14th, 15th, and 16th of the 8th lunar month) to return home and enjoy time with family.
4. Origins of mooncakes in various countries
Mooncakes originated during the Han Dynasty. At that time, Zhang Qian - a person responsible for importing sesame (also known as 'sesame') from abroad, spread it among the people. Locals then used walnut as a filling to create a round cake, known as 'sesame cake.'
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During the Tang Dynasty, legend has it that on the night of the full moon, Emperor Tang Xuanzong and Empress Yang Guifei had dinner together. Empress Yang Guifei picked up a piece of sesame cake and said to Emperor Tang Xuanzong: 'Your Majesty, look at this cake, it's so big and round, it looks just like the moon tonight.'
Since then, sesame cakes have been renamed as mooncakes or Mid-Autumn cakes.
In South Korea, the traditional rice cake (also known as Songpyeon) is an indispensable dish during the Mid-Autumn Festival (Chuseok holiday) for Koreans. The cake has a soft, chewy crust, and the filling is usually sweet ingredients such as sesame, black beans, cinnamon, pine nuts, walnuts, and honey...
Traditional Songpyeon rice cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival in South Korea. Image: Internet
Songpyeon is steamed on a layer of pine needles, bringing a special fragrance. The cakes are also shaped like young moons, carrying wishes for a bright future and success for every family.
In Japan, mooncakes are sold all year round, besides mochi cakes, another type commonly used during the Mid-Autumn Festival of the Japanese is Tsukimi dango (literally translated as moon-viewing dumplings), molded into round shapes, white in color, and arranged in triangle shapes on a wooden stand.
Tsukimi dango cakes. Image: Internet
5. Moon-gazing was once an activity reserved for the nobility
The Tang Dynasty was one of the most glorious dynasties in Chinese history - an era that produced many eminent scholars of feudal times. They enjoyed moon-gazing, reciting poetry, and drinking wine. Thus, moon-gazing suddenly became an elegant and noble activity reserved for the aristocracy.
However, later on, more common people developed a fondness for it, making moon-gazing and wine-drinking become much simpler and gentler activities.
6. Mid-Autumn Festival used to be a time for caring for the elderly
The term 'Mid-Autumn Festival' first appeared in the book 'Le Ki - Moon Spirits' by 'Chu Li': 'Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for caring for the elderly, resting, and eating porridge.' Therefore, during the autumn season, the elderly residents of the nation were all treated to porridge.
In South Korea, Chuseok originally began as a competition of skill. According to legend, the third king of the Silla dynasty would challenge teams of girls in the capital to weave cloth. From the 16th day of the 7th lunar month to the 14th day of the 8th lunar month, whoever wove the most would be treated to a sumptuous feast. From then on, Chuseok, also known as Mid-Autumn Festival, gradually became a day of celebration in Korean culture.
