Moon festival

One of the joys of living in a foreign country is the new and somewhat unknown festivals and holidays you are exposed to. Whoever thought Philip would stay home from work to celebrate the Moon Festival!! Only in China, and here we are. While Ingrid was here, we even took a class on the origins of the festival, and how to choose the best mooncakes- the present day symbol of celebration.

An abundance of legends creates a mystic feeling around the holiday, from the beautiful moon princess who fell in love with an earhtly archer while banished to earth (She is now back) to messages of armed uprising baked into mooncakes by Han Chinese while they were ruled by Mongols and so on.

It is widely believed that the moon plays a role in a bountiful harvest, and the festival is set during harvest time, on the 15th day of the 8 lunar month. In earlier times mooncakes were offered by female members of the family to the moon goddess. Nowadays it is a time when families get together, exchange mooncakes and perhaps gaze at the moon together. Giving of mooncakes has also spread to include friends and even those you may want influence or want to feel indepted to you (The dark side of mooncakes) Due to this, the government has had to step in to regulate the cost of mooncake-boxes. I believe the value of the mooncake must be at least 40% of the gift box. And yes, I have seen moon cake gift sets that include expensive wine, tobacco, stuffed animals etc.

The last week Philip has been coming home from work with boxes of- you guessed it- mooncakes. Luckily it has been only moon cakes, and I believe from co-workers who truly want us to taste a special treat to celebrate this day. Even Starbucks got into the business, and I have to admit, their cakes are pretty tasty. According to some friends, the best untraditional ones are made by Hagen-Daz, but I can not attest to that.

However, on Oct 3 you will find us gazing at the moon while reciting this beautiful mid autumn festival poem by Li Bai

Quiet Night Thoughts

The moonlight glistens in front of my bed.
I thought it was the frost on the ground.
I lift my gaze to view the shimmering moon,
Then lower my head, and miss my homeland.