It’s time to celebrate with mooncakes
The traditional Chinese festival puts a strong emphasis on families and close relationships.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon or Mooncake Festival, is one of the most significant traditional celebrations in Chinese culture.
It traditionally falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, and is regarded as a time for family reunions, giving thanks for the harvest, and admiring the full moon.
This festival, deeply rooted in Chinese folklore, has spread to various parts of the world, including Australia, where it will be celebrated this month with great enthusiasm.
The origins of the festival date back more than 3,000 years to ancient China. It is linked to the legend of Chang’e, the Moon Goddess, who, according to mythology, ascended to the moon after consuming an elixir of immortality.
Her story is commemorated during the festival, where people express their longing for family members and loved ones far away, under the same full moon.
Mooncakes, the iconic pastry of the festival, are an integral part of the celebration. Traditionally filled with lotus seed paste and a salted egg yolk representing the moon, these rich and dense treats are exchanged among family, friends, and business associates as symbols of unity and good fortune.
Australia is home to a vibrant and diverse Asian community, particularly in the largest cities of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, where the Mooncake Festival is celebrated by Chinese Australians and the wider community.
The festival has transcended its Chinese roots, becoming a cultural event that brings together people from many backgrounds.
In the lead-up to the festival, it is traditional to exchange mooncakes. As well as the traditional flavour, they now come in modern interpretations with fillings ranging from chocolate to ice cream.
The cakes are beautifully packaged and often presented as gifts to family members, friends, and business associates as a gesture of goodwill and appreciation.
In Brisbane this year, celebrations will begin in the Chinatown Mall on 14 September. The MyValley website has details here.
In Sydney, there will be acitivies across the city including World Square from 17-29 September and at Darling Harbour until 22 September.
In Melbourne, there will be festivities at Golden Square Carpark in Lonsdale St on 14 September and at Queen Victoria Market on 21-22 Sepember.
Themed activities in Perth will include the Moon Festival Market at Town Hall on 14 September, and there will be local celebrations in other capitals and larger regional centres.
For many Chinese people, though, the festival is not so much about the big public celebration, it’s more about precious family time.
Families will come together at home or a restaurant to share a meal, which typically includes dishes such as roast duck, pork belly, and various types of dim sum.
The meal often concludes with the sharing of mooncakes, each person taking a slice to symbolise unity and completeness.
