LEARN ABOUT VIETNAM’S TRADITIONAL Mid-Autumn Festival
12/09/2021
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most anticipated traditional festivals of Vietnamese people. Not only the children’s festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a reunion festival, a traditional culture of the Vietnamese people because it brings with it an interesting origin and meaning. But perhaps not all of us know well about the mysterious legends and customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival, only on this day the moon is the brightest, roundest and everyone gathers around the tray.
The Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam does not know when, there is no clear historical record of the full moon festival in August. Many people believe that this is a cultural feature imported from China during the time Vietnam was colonized by the North. However, there are documents that record that the Mid-Autumn Festival was held under the Ly Dynasty in the imperial citadel of Thang Long. It was the occasion that King Ly wanted to thank the Dragon God for bringing rain for bountiful crops and for his people.
Mid-Autumn Festival cannot be without the image of colorful lanterns shining brightly under the golden moonlight. The lights with countless shapes from flowers, fish, bears … extremely beautiful light up the mid-autumn night. Traditional lanterns are handmade from bamboo and wind paper, painted on the outside of the lamp are extremely unique embroidery lines. Vietnamese lanterns are the expression of family happiness and well-being.
On the occasion of the mid-autumn festival, every Vietnamese family has a full moon cake, candy, sugarcane, thi, grapefruit, watermelon… depending on the family, the decoration is different. When the moonlight reaches the top of the head, it is time for everyone to break the feast and enjoy the taste of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival tray is to celebrate the moon and sacrifice to heaven and earth and pray for a good life, good harvest and family reunion.
One of the most special things on the Mid-Autumn Festival tray is the pies and cakes. It seems that moon cake has become a cake only available on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival and indispensable for everyone. Mooncakes symbolize family reunion and harmony. Originally, mooncakes had a round shape, symbolizing unity and completeness. Gradually, the cake was deformed into a square shape, perhaps because of its art and easy to put in a square box, enough for four pieces per box. On the outside of the cake, on the top, draw a circle in the center with egg yolk, looking like a shining moon…
Usually moon cakes will be cut with the correct number of family members. The more even the slice of cake, the happier the family will be.
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