Mooncake Festival

THE Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, more commonly known as “Mooncake Festival” in the Philippines, is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Lunar Calendar. This year, it falls on October 4, when the moon will be at its brightest, according to popular Chinese belief.

Considered as the second most important festival in China, next to the Chinese New Year, the Mooncake Festival means family gatherings. Among the traditional activities to mark the festivity are eating dinner with the family, gazing and admiring the full moon, usually while eating mooncakes that are sliced into wedges while drinking hot tea, hanging lanterns, and releasing lanterns into the air.

Usually served on the dinner table are harvest foods, such as crabs, pumpkins, pomelos, and grapes. But mooncakes, a kind of traditional Chinese pastry, are the must-eat Mid-Autumn food in China. Chinese people see in the roundness of mooncakes a symbol of reunion and happiness.

The history of the Mid-Autumn Festival can be traced as far back as over 3,000 years ago. Accounts have it that it was derived from the custom of moon worship during the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC). It was first celebrated as a festival during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).

There have been many legends about the moon in China. One has it that during the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD), sesame and walnuts were introduced into China, and round cookies filled with these ingredients appeared. The name “moon cake” was first used during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).

It was not until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), however, that the custom of eating these cookies during the Mid-Autumn Festival was established. It was also during this period that the cookie makers printed the famous story of “Chang E’s Flying to the Moon” on the surface of the delicacy, which increased the popularity of the cookie among common people.

Regardless of how it started, one thing is certain. For the Chinese, the moon is a symbol of holiness, purity, and nobility. Its round shape is seen to correspond to the cyclic concepts of Taoism. Chinese have a fondness for the moon and they view round objects and shapes as representing perfection.

We extend our warm greetings to our Chinese brothers and sisters here and abroad on the occasion of the 2017 Mooncake Festival. May this annual festivity serve to remind us of the significant role that the Chinese played in our country’s history and their valuable contribution to our rich and colorful culture.