The Mid-Autumn Festival

In this year’s Chinese calendar September 14 falls as the date of celebrating the mid-autumn festival or better known as Chinese Moon Festival. This is the second most important festival for the Chinese people since they believe that moon is a symbol of peace and prosperity of the whole family. This is the reason for the coming home of every Chinese people to meet their family and share dinner with them. To celebrate the festivities, there are moon cakes and pomelos to eat and enjoy. The moon cake symbolizes family unity and closeness while pomelo would mean protection since Chinese word for it is vu.

Strangely, this is referred to as the day following Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. On the evening of the actual festival children head to open spaces carrying lanterns to see the full moon. For this reason, the following day is a public holiday. Illuminated lanterns make for a pretty sight during the festivities. I have witnessed the lanterns early prepared and decorated in Senado Square and at the St. Paul Ruins in Macau during the last week of August.